William de Cantilupe was killed by multiple stab wounds in Scotton,
Lincolnshire, in March 1375. The de Cantilupes were a wealthy English
family and had a history of service to the crown. They were major
landholders in the Midlands, with estates in Greasley, Ilkeston, and
Withcall. William de Cantilupe's ancestors included royal councillors
and, distantly, Saint Thomas de Cantilupe. Among the suspects in the
murder were his wife Maud and the sheriff Thomas Kydale. Maud may have
had an affair with Kydale during her husband's frequent absences on
service during the war in France. Fifteen members of the household were
also accused. De Cantilupe's murder was the first to come within the
purview of the Treason Act 1351, a statute which declared the murder of
a man by his wife or servants to be petty treason. Maud was tried and
acquitted. She then married Kydale. Two members of the household staff
were convicted and executed. Others who were indicted did not appear for
trial and were outlawed. One of the outlaws, de Cantilupe's steward,
John Tailour of Barneby, was pardoned by Richard II.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_William_de_Cantilupe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1676:
Scanian War: Swedish forces defeated Danish troops at the
Battle of Halmstad, the last battle in Halland between the two
countries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halmstad>
1907:
Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated
public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction,
opened in Seattle, Washington.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_Place_Market>
1945:
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet
totalitarianism, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm>
2009:
A hydroelectric turbine at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in
Russia catastrophically failed, flooding the turbine hall, killing 75
people and causing widespread power outages.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayano-Shushenskaya_power_station_accident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fatberg:
A large accumulation of fat and discarded toiletries which clogs sewers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fatberg>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life is a play acted by dying men, Where, if its heroes seem to
foot it well And go light-tongued without grimace of pain, Death will
be found anon. And who shall tell Which part was saddest, or in youth
or age, When the tired actor stops and leaves the stage?
--Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Scawen_Blunt>
Show replies by date