 |
Theatre | Music | Movies Humour | Literature | Museums
British Video Index | British Book Index | British Audio Index
 Bernard Knight was born in Cardiff, where he has spent most of his life. Starting out as a farmer, he later became a medical student and qualified as a doctor in 1954. Five years later, he moved into forensic pathology and quickly began working for the Home Office. He joined the legal profession as a barrister in 1966 and, by 1980, the University of Wales College of Medicine had appointed him Professor of Forensic Pathology: a post he held for sixteen years before his eventual retirement. Such a background has placed Bernard in an ideal position to write murder mystery stories, a pastime, and now a career, which he has enjoyed since 1961. He has, of course, published many medical textbooks and in the 1970s, wrote several historical novels based in Wales. Bernard's knowledge of life in the 12th century, shown in these latter works, has now joined forces with his pathological expertise to bring us the acclaimed 'Crowner John' series of medieval detective stories. Discover more about medieval coroners in the series of articles, below.
|
The Sanctuary Seeker
The Poisoned Chalice
Crowner's Quest
| History of the Medieval English Coroner |
The office of Coroner (Crowner) is a uniquely English institution, instituted almost eight hundred years ago, during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. It survives today in many parts of the world, as one of the legacies of English rule.
Part 1: Origins of the Office of Coroner
Part 2: Medieval Coroner's Duties
Part 3: Coroner's Inquest
Presentment of Englishry (Welshry)
The Murdrum Fine
The Deodand
Part 4: Right of Sanctuary
Abjuration of the Realm
Part 5: Trial by Ordeal, Injuries & Outlaws
Trial by Fire & Water
Trial by Bier
Trial by Combat
The Coroner as Police Surgeon
Outlaws
Approver's Appeal (King's evidence)
Part 6: Treasure Trove & Nautical Activities
Treasure Trove
Wrecks of the Sea
The Catching of Whale and Sturgeon
Fires
Specials Writs and Commissions
Late Medieval Decline of the Coroner
Crowner John Characters
| |
 November, 1194.
Appointed by Richard the Lionheart as the first coroner for the county of Devon, ex- crusader Sir John de Wolfe, holds an inquest on an unidentified body in the lonely moorland village of Widecombe.
But on his return to Exeter, the Coroner is incensed to find that his own brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle, is intent on thwarting the murder investigation, particularly when it emerges that the dead man is a Crusader, and a member of one of Devon's finest and most honourable families.
But Crowner John is ready to fight for the truth. Even faced with the combined might of the all-powerful Church and the nobility...
Check price and availability from the UK
|
|
|
|
