This website created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K. 

MURDER ON CHURCH HILL

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002.

First published in Along the Furlong in January 2002.

The year 1279 is known in Findon as the year that the Findon Sheep Fair was confirmed by Royal proclamation and also for the murder of a shepherd; not just any keeper of a flock, but the man employed by the local Rector.

The Rector of the Parish of Findon at that time was Galfridus (Geoffrey) de Haspale (or Aspall). He was the village's rector from 1273 to 1287 and must surely have been an extremely busy man, astute and well organised. His vocation entailed considerable travel around the countryside — which must have been arduous and time consuming in the 13th century.

He can be imagined making slow progress along the ancient unkempt trackways throughout the country; sometimes on foot and sometimes by donkey. The roads would have been fraught with danger from thieves as parties of travellers passed through endless scrub and tree-covered pathways.

From records it seems apparent that Geoffrey was cashing in to an exorbitant degree on what was known as "the fine art of pluralising"; that of holding more than one ecclesiastical position at a time.

Geoffrey had secured a fair number of sinecures in addition to the Findon parish. There was one such office in London, two in the diocese of Lincoln, one in Rochester, Kent, another in Hereford, one in Coventry, one in Salisbury and no less than seven in Norwich.

In addition to this list of offices, he was also the Canon of St. Paul’s and Master of St. Leonard’s Hospital at York. The grand total was seventeen offices altogether and no doubt swelled Geoffrey's coffers and he subsequently prospered from his pocketed revenue.

How could he have commuted from parish to parish in those days and given each community his personal attention? It seems hardly likely that his parishioners in Findon benefited from his ministrations to any great extent during his fourteen years in office.

William de Dene was employed as the rector's shepherd in Findon.  One fateful day, William was unlawfully attacked while tending Geoffrey's flock of sheep high above the village on the summit of Church Hill, recorded as —

"on the top of Fyndon Hill"

William groaned his last and the deed was done; he had been brutally murdered. It was most likely not because he had anything worthwhile in his possession, but purely because he was alone and the culprits wanted his shepherd's purse. The sheep grazed contentedly and unattended on the hillside. William de Dene was destined never to return to the settlement of hovels around the church where the acrid smell of wood-fires always lingered in the air.

The unknown malefactors were never caught and brought to justice as far as I know.

It is wondered if the busy rector seven centuries ago even knew his unfortunate Findon shepherd or had ever met him.

Continue if you would like to read about a Man, A Woman and a Priest in Findon seven centuries ago.

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THIS IS FINDON — was launched in January 1999 and will grow to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.