A mediaeval burglary : A lecture delivered at the John Rylands Library on the 20th January, 1915

In this richly detailed lecture, a scholar of medieval history turns an ordinary research project on the king’s Wardrobe into a vivid tale of crime and intrigue. He recounts the daring theft from the royal treasury housed within Westminster Abbey on April 24, 1303, describing the layout of the palace precincts and the bustling monastic environment that made the heist possible. The narrative blends precise archival evidence with lively storytelling, inviting listeners to picture stone walls, cloistered courtyards, and the whispered conspiracies of the era.

The account follows the immediate aftermath: the frantic search, the arrest of several suspects, and the public executions that followed, while still leaving the true identity of the mastermind uncertain. By juxtaposing the procedural details of medieval law with human motives, the lecture offers both instruction and amusement, shedding light on how even in the Middle Ages, crime could ripple through court and cloister alike. Listeners will come away with a clearer sense of the intertwined worlds of royal authority and monastic life, and the enduring fascination of a centuries‑old burglary.