Hoodwink!: A ’true’ medieval whodunnit

On Easter Saturday, 1144, the body of a twelve-year old boy called William, a tanner’s apprentice, was found murdered in a wood outside Norwich.

Very little about him was recorded at the time. Even some of that information may have been added at a later date.

In 1172, a seven-volume book was published about the Life and Passion of Saint William. It was written over the space of around 20 years or so by a monk known as Thomas of Monmouth. Very little else is known about him. It is assumed that he was originally from Monmouth, and then joined the Benedictine community in Norwich. He wrote in good Latin and seems well educated. Apart from that nothing is known about him. But what he wrote was poison.

Over the years a handful of scholars, among them M.R. James, attempted to disentangle what was more or less, a farrago of lies and fantasy, which increased the income of the Church by reporting miracles and other snippets of William’s life, the Cathedral becoming a shrine and a place of influence. As Umberto Eco wrote, in another context: ’Baudolino knew that a good relic could change the fate of a city, cause it to become the destination of uninterrupted pilgrimage, transform a simple church into a shrine.’

So, who did murder the little boy? No-one knows. But could it have been like this?

＂This book is at the same time both a wonderful and fascinating read, and a sumptuous feast for anyone who loves the middle ages. Susan Ekins has done a tremendous job taking the few nuggets of information we have about this strange case and weaving them together into a coherent narrative. Can you guess where the real guilt lies?＂
David Boyle, author of Blondel’s Song and Regicide.

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Susan Ekins was born just outside London, and after a cheerful post-war London childhood, and five years at school at the Grey Coat Hospital, she began her studies to become a Librarian. But music called, and she then trained as a classical mezzo-soprano, performing for music societies, orchestras and light opera companies in England and Europe, under the name of Susan Lofthouse, for over 45 years. She is also not only deeply involved in local issues in Battersea, Safer Neighbourhood Panel included, but was also involved in the campaign to save Battersea Park from electric motor racing. For her, community is deeply important. Other interests include history, theatre and Italian. She is married to an environmental economist and their son is a classical pianist.