Thomas Marshall
¶ Dominus Thomas Marescalh presbiter testis sup . . unt . . . Respondit requisitus se esse etatis xxxii annorum et quod non fuerat de parentela vel familia dicti domini Thome, nec sic predictum dominum W[illiam] de Brewes fuisse, et quod morabatur in villa de Sweyneseye de qua fuerat oriundus sub temporali dominio dictiThis word has been tidied up in darker ink. Willelmi de Brewes.
¶ Item requisitus si habebat noticiam dicti Willelmi ap Res alias cognominati Crach, et si sciebat aliquid de miraculo quod in eius personam dicitur contigisse, dixit se vidisse, et nouisse Willelmum a puericia ipsius testis in villa predicta, et in locis circumuicinis, et quod ipso teste vidente dictus Willelmus et quidam nobilis homo vocatus Trahen ap Howel, fuerunt in quadam die lune circa festum beati Martini fuerunt vel erunt xv vel xvi anni post altam primam extracti Willelmus in camisia et barctis et alius in quadam tunica manibus ligatis retro dorsum, de carceribus castri de Sweyneseye, et positi extra castrum et sibi steterunt per aliquam pausam ligati, quo usque seruientes castri armassent se et equos suos ne dictus Willelmus, et Trahen auferentur eis a parentibusAdded later in a different hand. et amicis eorum dem.
¶ Item dixit se uidisse eadem die quod predicti duo fuerunt ducti per seruientes dictiAdded later in a different hand. castri ad furcas dicti castri, existentes in quodam monte prope villam predictam, et possunt uideri dicte furce a castro et a villa, et distant a castro circa duos tractus baliste.Written in a smaller hand.
¶ Item dixit quod ipse testis existens ad portam occidentalem dicte Wille' que est in mute ambiente dictam villam, et distat a furcis per unum tractum baliste vel circa ut estimat, vidit circa horam meridiei quod dictus Willelmus fuit suspensus in dictis furcis et audiuit referri quod Griffinus Voyl, David Asse et Ythel de parentelam ipsius Willelmi coacti a domino suspenderunt eum. Set primo fuit suspensus dictus Added later in a different hand. Traher eo vidente ut dixit, in una tibia furcarum, et dictus Willelmus fuit suspensus sub trabem mediam stantem in transuerso super tibias dictarum furcarum.
¶ Cum autem dictus Willelmus esset suspensus et illi qui suspendebant eum trahererentAdded later in a different hand. unam partem cordeOriginally 'cordule' in the MS, but the 'ul' are dotted beneath, and so deleted. cum qua erat suspensus ut ligarent eam ad unam ex tibiis dictarum furcarum, predicta trabs transuersalis fuit fracta et ipse Willelmus qui erat suspensus in dicta trabe transversali, cecidit ad terram sed nescit si tunc eratWritten above a crossed out word which is now illegible. scala mota a pedibus dicti Willelmi. Et cum cecidisset quasi incontinenti, ita quod ut estimat homo iuisset ultra c pedes fuit dictus Willelmus iterum suspensus in una ex tibiis dictarum furcarum et post modum Added later in a different hand. cum uidesset eum iterum suspensum recessit dictus testis de predicta porta, et audiuit publice referri in dicta Willa, quod fuerat depositas de dictis furcis circa horam mediam inter nonam et occasum solis et quod tunc erat mortuus. Postmodum cum ipse testis eadem die iret ad ecclesiam, hora vesperarum, et vidisset gentes confluere ad domum Thome Mathei in quam dicebatur dictus Willelmus fuisse portatus de furcis, intrans dictam domum vidit dictum Willelmum Iacentem suppinum facie versa ad celum, totum extensumWritten in a different hand over the word 'exelsum' which has been crossed out. super terram inWritten above 'et' which has been crossed out. camisia, et barctis, et oculi eius exiuerant concauitates in quibus prius stabant, et pendebant extra concauitates predictas et dentes erant adeo compressi quod non poterant aliqui de parentela dicti Willelmi de quorum nominibus non bene recordatur qui hoc probauerunt ipso teste uidente aperire os predictiWritten in the margin; 'ipsius' has been crossed out in the main text. Willelmi, si tamen habebat linguam extra dentes dixit se non recordari, ipse tamen non palpauit eum, nec scit si erat calidus vel frigidus nec si habebat alitum vel non. Sed fuit sibi uisum quod erat mortuus, et recessit, et uirtute sacramenti prestiti per eum dixit se credere quod quando tunc recessit ab eo erat mortuus, prius tamen quam in de recederet dixit se vidisse in manibus Mathilde de la Chapel camerarie domine castri unum gyphum argenteum cum uno codiari argenteo in eadem domo, sed non dit quod aliquid administretur dicto Willelmo ad absorbendum, nec scit si tunc fuerat mensuratus ad dictum Sanctum Thomam vel non. Sed audiuit quod fuit postmodum mensuratus ad eum, et ex tunc non vidit eum de toto uno mense. Sed postmodum vidit eum in dicto castro euntem ad dominum dicti castri.Last sentence written in a smaller hand.
¶ Item requ . . . . . . isitas super sex ultimas interrogatorias factas testi proximo precedent. Respondit in effectum sicut ipse, et deposuit in Gallico.
¶ Acta in dicta Capella Sancte Katerine die vii mensis Nouembris presentibus in depositione dicti Willelmi predictis fratribus Johanne et Mauricio et in omnibus hodierna die actis memoratis fratribus Waltero et Johanne de ordine minorum et nobis notariis huius processus.
¶ Post hec in crastinum dictas dominus Thomas Marescallus testis supra proximus examinatus, coram eisdem dominis commissariis denuo constitutes, fuit requisitus ab eis, si dicebatur publice et communiter in dicta villa de Sweneseye quod dictas Willelmus Cragh existendo in carceribus supra nominati domini de Brewes vel quando fuit ductus ad furcas vel in ipsis furcis existendo habuisse aliquam uisionem vel reuelationem. Respondit quod nichil audiuerat nisi a predicto Willelmo ab octo diebus circa qui dixit sibi se habuisse in visione quod sanctas Thomas liberaret eum.
¶ Master Thomas Marshall the priest was [sworn in as a] witness. He replied when questioned he was 32 years old and that he was not a relative or from the household of the said lord Thomas, nor was he from that of the aforesaid lord William de Briouze, and that he was staying in the town of Swansea in which he was born, under the temporal lordship of lord William de Briouze.
¶ Further they asked if he had the acquaintance of the said William ap Rhys, also known as Cragh, and if he knew anything concerning the miracle that was said to have happened to his person? The witness himself said he saw and knew William from boyhood in the aforesaid town and in the surrounding locality, and that the said Williamand a certain noble man called Trahaearn ap Hywel were seen by the witness himself on a certain day around the feast of blessed Martin. It was 15 or 16 years ago after high prime; William in a shirt and breeches and the other in some undergarments with hands tied behind the backArchaeological evidence from graves found located next to known gallows sites show that the hands of those being hanged were often tied, and that the bodies were then buried without them being untied (Lucy et al., 2003: 21). dragged from the gaol of the castle of Swansea, and were placed outside the castle, and they remained bound there for a time, until those serving the castle had armed themselves and their horses [so that] the said William and Trahaearn were not snatched away by their relatives and friends in their community.
¶ Further he said he saw on the same day that the aforesaid two [men] were led by the servants of the said castle from the said castle to the gallows, situated on a certain mound near the aforesaid town,Gallows were usually placed in prominent positions outside the main town walls to serve as a visual reminder and warning to others. For further discussion of this see McCall (1979: 75), Lucy et al., (2003: 16 and 23),
Reynolds, (2002: 187),
and Daniell, (2003: 243, and 245). and the said gallows can be seen from the castle and from the town, and is about two crossbow shots away from the castle.
¶ Further he said that the witness himself was at the west gateThe manuscript contains an extra ‘the said William’ here, but I think this must be an error, as it does not seem to fit with the rest of the sentence. in the wall which encircles the said town and is one crossbow shot away from the gallows or around that in his estimate. Around the hour of midday he saw that the said William was hanged on the said gallows and he heard reported that Gruffudd Foel, Dafydd Asser, and Uthel relatives of William himself were compelled by the lord to hang him. But first he saw the said Trahaearn being hanged, as he said, on one leg of the gallows, and the said William was hanged under the beam resting in the middle, lying across from side to side on top of the arms of the said gallows.
¶ Also when the said William was hanged, and those who were hanging him clung to one part of the rope with which he was hanged in order that they might tie it to one arm of the aforesaid transverse beam. It broke and William himself (who was hanging from the said transverse beam) fell to the ground, but he [Thomas] did not know if at that time the ladder was moved from under the feet of the said William. And when he had fallen as if unconscious, after as long as a man might have walked more than 100 steps, in his estimation, the said William was hanged again on one of the arms of the said gallows. And afterwards, when he had seen the manner in which he was hanged again, the said witness withdrew from the aforesaid gate, and he heard publically reported that the said William had been taken down from the said gibbet around the middle hour between Nones and sunsetSee ‘Introduction’, for more details of canonical Church hours. and that at that time he was dead. After a while on the same day when the witness himself went to the church (at the hour of Vespers) and he had seen people congregating at the house of Thomas Mathews to which it was said the said William was carried from the gallows. Entering the said house he saw the said William was lying head downwards, face turned towards the ceiling, totally stretched out on the ground in a shirt and breeches. And his eyes popped out of their cavities (in which they were previously resting) and hanging down outside of the aforesaid cavities and [his] teeth were clenched to such a degree that the witness himself saw that some of his family (concerning whose names he could not quite remember) were not able to open the mouth of the aforesaid William. Yet if his tongue was outside of [his] teeth, he said he could not remember.It is a typical sign of death by hanging for the corpse to have a protruding tongue, with blood exuding from the mouth (Sharma, 2008: 56). The face also swells, with open and protruding eyes, while the tongue is often thrust out and damaged by ‘the convulsive action of the jaws’. The longer it takes to die, the more swollen the face neck, lips eyes and tongue become, because the heart and lungs only slowly shut down, meaning that blood continues to be pumped to the head, but cannot return to the heart due to the effect of the rope on the jugular vein, resulting in a build-up of blood in the face and features (Forbes et al., 1833: 175). Yet he himself did not touch him; nor did he know if he was hot or cold, or if he had been fed or not. But it seemed to him that he was dead, and he withdrew, and by the virtue of the oath previously given by him, he said he believed that he was dead when at the time he left him. Yet before he left, he said he saw one silver bowl with a silver spoon in the hands of Matilda de la Chapel (a chambermaid of the lady of the castle)This is a reference to the broth which Mary de Briouze is said to have made for William. To see other witnesses accounts of this, [CLICK HERE]. in the same house, but he did not say that anything administered to the said William was swallowed, nor did he know at that time if he had been measured to the said St Thomas or not. But he heard afterwards that he had been measured to him,This as a popular English custom in the Middle Ages. The idea was that a thread was used to measure the body, and that in the event of a miraculous cure the thread would be made into a votive candle for the saint responsible for the miracle. It was particularly common as a long-range device intended to attract the attention of the saint. For more on this practice, see Webb (2000: 74); Finucane (1977); Bartlett (2004: 8-9) and Vauchez (1997: 456-7, 490). and from that time he did not see him for one whole month. But afterwards he saw him going to the said castle to the lord of the said castle.
¶ Further they asked on the six last questions put to the closest preceding witness. He responded in effect just as he himself [had], and testified in French.
¶ The proceedings were conducted in the said Chapel of Saint Katherine on the seventh day of the month of November with regard to the testifying about the said William, in the presence of the aforesaid brothers John and Maurice, and all of today’s daily proceedings were recounted to brothers Walter and John of the order minor [friars minor] and us notaries of this process.
¶ After this on the next day the said master Thomas Marshall, the witness nearest examined above in the presence of the same lord commissioner was once more sworn in. He was asked by him [the commissioner] if it was said publically and commonly in the said town of Swansea that the said William Cragh appeared to have any vision or revelation in the gaol of the above named lord de Briouze or when he was led to the gallows or on the gallows itself. He replied that he had heard nothing except from the aforesaid William who said to him he had in a vision that saint Thomas would free him after around eight days.Appearances in visions are an important dimension in the eventual designation of a saint, and Mary is often seen to accompany other saints (Vischer, 1980: 52; Warner, 1976: 301).
Notes
¶ Master Thomas Marshall the priest was [sworn in as a] witness. He replied when questioned he was 32 years old and that he was not a relative or from the household of the said lord Thomas, nor was he from that of the aforesaid lord William de Briouze, and that he was staying in the town of Swansea in which he was born, under the temporal lordship of lord William de Briouze.
¶ Further they asked if he had the acquaintance of the said William ap Rhys, also known as Cragh, and if he knew anything concerning the miracle that was said to have happened to his person? The witness himself said he saw and knew William from boyhood in the aforesaid town and in the surrounding locality, and that the said Williamand a certain noble man called Trahaearn ap Hywel were seen by the witness himself on a certain day around the feast of blessed Martin. It was 15 or 16 years ago after high prime; William in a shirt and breeches and the other in some undergarments with hands tied behind the backArchaeological evidence from graves found located next to known gallows sites show that the hands of those being hanged were often tied, and that the bodies were then buried without them being untied (Lucy et al., 2003: 21). dragged from the gaol of the castle of Swansea, and were placed outside the castle, and they remained bound there for a time, until those serving the castle had armed themselves and their horses [so that] the said William and Trahaearn were not snatched away by their relatives and friends in their community.
¶ Further he said he saw on the same day that the aforesaid two [men] were led by the servants of the said castle from the said castle to the gallows, situated on a certain mound near the aforesaid town,Gallows were usually placed in prominent positions outside the main town walls to serve as a visual reminder and warning to others. For further discussion of this see McCall (1979: 75), Lucy et al., (2003: 16 and 23),
Reynolds, (2002: 187),
and Daniell, (2003: 243, and 245). and the said gallows can be seen from the castle and from the town, and is about two crossbow shots away from the castle.
¶ Further he said that the witness himself was at the west gateThe manuscript contains an extra ‘the said William’ here, but I think this must be an error, as it does not seem to fit with the rest of the sentence. in the wall which encircles the said town and is one crossbow shot away from the gallows or around that in his estimate. Around the hour of midday he saw that the said William was hanged on the said gallows and he heard reported that Gruffudd Foel, Dafydd Asser, and Uthel relatives of William himself were compelled by the lord to hang him. But first he saw the said Trahaearn being hanged, as he said, on one leg of the gallows, and the said William was hanged under the beam resting in the middle, lying across from side to side on top of the arms of the said gallows.
¶ Also when the said William was hanged, and those who were hanging him clung to one part of the rope with which he was hanged in order that they might tie it to one arm of the aforesaid transverse beam. It broke and William himself (who was hanging from the said transverse beam) fell to the ground, but he [Thomas] did not know if at that time the ladder was moved from under the feet of the said William. And when he had fallen as if unconscious, after as long as a man might have walked more than 100 steps, in his estimation, the said William was hanged again on one of the arms of the said gallows. And afterwards, when he had seen the manner in which he was hanged again, the said witness withdrew from the aforesaid gate, and he heard publically reported that the said William had been taken down from the said gibbet around the middle hour between Nones and sunsetSee ‘Introduction’, for more details of canonical Church hours. and that at that time he was dead. After a while on the same day when the witness himself went to the church (at the hour of Vespers) and he had seen people congregating at the house of Thomas Mathews to which it was said the said William was carried from the gallows. Entering the said house he saw the said William was lying head downwards, face turned towards the ceiling, totally stretched out on the ground in a shirt and breeches. And his eyes popped out of their cavities (in which they were previously resting) and hanging down outside of the aforesaid cavities and [his] teeth were clenched to such a degree that the witness himself saw that some of his family (concerning whose names he could not quite remember) were not able to open the mouth of the aforesaid William. Yet if his tongue was outside of [his] teeth, he said he could not remember.It is a typical sign of death by hanging for the corpse to have a protruding tongue, with blood exuding from the mouth (Sharma, 2008: 56). The face also swells, with open and protruding eyes, while the tongue is often thrust out and damaged by ‘the convulsive action of the jaws’. The longer it takes to die, the more swollen the face neck, lips eyes and tongue become, because the heart and lungs only slowly shut down, meaning that blood continues to be pumped to the head, but cannot return to the heart due to the effect of the rope on the jugular vein, resulting in a build-up of blood in the face and features (Forbes et al., 1833: 175). Yet he himself did not touch him; nor did he know if he was hot or cold, or if he had been fed or not. But it seemed to him that he was dead, and he withdrew, and by the virtue of the oath previously given by him, he said he believed that he was dead when at the time he left him. Yet before he left, he said he saw one silver bowl with a silver spoon in the hands of Matilda de la Chapel (a chambermaid of the lady of the castle)This is a reference to the broth which Mary de Briouze is said to have made for William. To see other witnesses accounts of this, [CLICK HERE]. in the same house, but he did not say that anything administered to the said William was swallowed, nor did he know at that time if he had been measured to the said St Thomas or not. But he heard afterwards that he had been measured to him,This as a popular English custom in the Middle Ages. The idea was that a thread was used to measure the body, and that in the event of a miraculous cure the thread would be made into a votive candle for the saint responsible for the miracle. It was particularly common as a long-range device intended to attract the attention of the saint. For more on this practice, see Webb (2000: 74); Finucane (1977); Bartlett (2004: 8-9) and Vauchez (1997: 456-7, 490). and from that time he did not see him for one whole month. But afterwards he saw him going to the said castle to the lord of the said castle.
¶ Further they asked on the six last questions put to the closest preceding witness. He responded in effect just as he himself [had], and testified in French.
¶ The proceedings were conducted in the said Chapel of Saint Katherine on the seventh day of the month of November with regard to the testifying about the said William, in the presence of the aforesaid brothers John and Maurice, and all of today’s daily proceedings were recounted to brothers Walter and John of the order minor [friars minor] and us notaries of this process.
¶ After this on the next day the said master Thomas Marshall, the witness nearest examined above in the presence of the same lord commissioner was once more sworn in. He was asked by him [the commissioner] if it was said publically and commonly in the said town of Swansea that the said William Cragh appeared to have any vision or revelation in the gaol of the above named lord de Briouze or when he was led to the gallows or on the gallows itself. He replied that he had heard nothing except from the aforesaid William who said to him he had in a vision that saint Thomas would free him after around eight days.Appearances in visions are an important dimension in the eventual designation of a saint, and Mary is often seen to accompany other saints (Vischer, 1980: 52; Warner, 1976: 301).
