John of Nottingham was a 14th-century magician, said to have plotted to kill

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

and

Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...

in 1324 through witchcraft.

Background

By 1324,

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

was ruling England with his royal favourite

in an increasingly despotic manner. Although Edward had defeated his Lancastrian opponents in 1322, many of his enemies had escaped to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from where they still conspired against Despenser and him. Already during 1324 there had been an attempt to murder the pair, although the conspiracy had been foiled.Doherty, p.80.

The conspiracy

According to the case brought by the prosecution, twenty eight citizens of

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

had become particularly discontented with the

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

of Coventry, who had been extracting considerable taxes from the city with the backing of the Despensers. In November 1323, they had approached John of Nottingham, a famous magician based in Coventry, to request his assistance in killing the King, Hugh Despenser and his father, along with the prior, using magic. John had set about doing this using necromantic ceremonies involving

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give lo ...

effigies of his targets. Using seven pounds of wax and two yards of cloth, John allegedly made effigies of the four main targets, the prior's unpopular caterer and his steward, along with one of Richard de Lowe, a local man on whom the magic was to be first tested.Wright, p. 17. John was said to have worked with his assistant Robert Marshall in a deserted house just outside Coventry on the magical effigies, which he ultimately tested in 1324 by driving a lead pin first into the head, and then the heart of de Lowe's effigy; de Lowe apparently died as a result. Unfortunately for John, his assistant Marshall then turned him in to the authorities, potentially as the result of a grievance against his master, before any further attacks could be made. The case against John and his sponsors came up before the King's Bench later in the year, in which the group were tried for the murder of de Lowe. They were found innocent by the jury.Lea, p. 458.

Consequences

Hugh Despenser became extremely concerned for his personal safety after this case. He wrote to

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

asking for his assistance in protecting him against magical attack.Doherty, p.81. The Pope, who was not favourably inclined towards the Despensers, curtly advised him to "turn to God with his whole heart and make a good confession and such satisfaction as shall be enjoined. No other remedies are necessary beyond this general indulgence which the Pope grants him." The case added to the febrile atmosphere that led to the overthrow of Edward II and the Despensers two years later.

References

Bibliography

* Doherty, Paul. (2003) ''Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II.'' London: Robinson. * Lea, Henry Charles. (2005) ''A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Volume 3.'' New York: Cosimo. * Wright, Thomas. (1852) ''Narratives of sorcery and magic, from the most authentic sources.'' New York: Redfield. {{Authority control Culture in Nottingham Edward II of England Entertainers from Nottingham 14th-century English people 14th-century crime Witchcraft in England Medieval occultists