A Medieval Midsummer’s Nightmare

In this episode of Medieval Murders, we travel to Oxford in 1306, where a midsummer night of music and merriment takes a deadly turn. 

What begins as a celebration by the town’s tailors erupts into bloodshed when a cleric, Gilbert de Foxlee, confronts the revelers with his sword drawn. 

But why did he attack them? Was it a noise dispute, a clash of social status, or a zealous attempt to suppress sinful revelry? And why did the tailors switch from initial attempts to deescalate the situation to a collective armed attack? 

As we unravel the mysteries of this case, we explore medieval Oxford’s fraught relationship between town and gown, its harsh moral codes, and eerie parallels to modern-day vigilante violence.

You can see the site of many other historical murders like this by going to the Medieval Murder Map website 

Medieval Murders is the podcast that delves into the world of violent crimes in Medieval England.

Join criminologist Manuel Eisner and host Nora Eisner as they bring history’s forgotten crimes to life—one murder at a time.

Medieval Murders is a podcast from the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge.

The producer is Steve Hankey and the historical segments are voiced and sound designed by Charlie Inman.

The Music is Cantiga 166  by  Vox Vulgaris.