William de Cantilupe was killed by multiple stab wounds in Scotton, Lincolnshire, in March 1375. The de Cantilupes were a wealthy English family and had a history of service to the crown. They were major landholders in the Midlands, with estates in Greasley, Ilkeston, and Withcall. William de Cantilupe's ancestors included royal councillors and, distantly, Saint Thomas de Cantilupe. Among the suspects in the murder were his wife Maud and the sheriff Thomas Kydale. Maud may have had an affair with Kydale during her husband's frequent absences on service during the war in France. Fifteen members of the household were also accused. De Cantilupe's murder was the first to come within the purview of the Treason Act 1351, a statute which declared the murder of a man by his wife or servants to be petty treason. Maud was tried and acquitted. She then married Kydale. Two members of the household staff were convicted and executed. Others who were indicted did not appear for trial and were outlawed. One of the outlaws, de Cantilupe's steward, John Tailour of Barneby, was pardoned by Richard II.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_William_de_Cantilupe
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1676:
Scanian War: Swedish forces defeated Danish troops at the Battle of Halmstad, the last battle in Halland between the two countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halmstad
1907:
Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opened in Seattle, Washington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_Place_Market
1945:
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
2009:
A hydroelectric turbine at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Russia catastrophically failed, flooding the turbine hall, killing 75 people and causing widespread power outages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayano-Shushenskaya_power_station_accident
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
fatberg: A large accumulation of fat and discarded toiletries which clogs sewers. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fatberg
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life is a play acted by dying men, Where, if its heroes seem to foot it well And go light-tongued without grimace of pain, Death will be found anon. And who shall tell Which part was saddest, or in youth or age, When the tired actor stops and leaves the stage? --Wilfrid Scawen Blunt https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Scawen_Blunt