In 1573 there occurred a murder which would leave today's tabloid editors salivating. George Saunders, a respected merchant tailor, was killed by his wife's lover. Involved in the conspiracy were Saunders' wife, her best friend, and a servant. All were found guilty and hanged, but not before a suspended clergyman fell in love with Mrs. Saunders and sought to have her pardoned. Murder was relatively rare in Tudor times. When it did occur, especially if it involved a female perpetrator and a love affair, it generated widespread interest. The rise of Protestantism, and its accompanying rise in literacy, had provided a strong impetus to read about crime and to ponder the spiritual consequences of breaking both the civil and the divine law. The English system of criminal justice was open and popular, and familiar elements―detection, investigation, the laying of charges, the trial, verdict, sentence―were all well understood and closely followed in the 16th century. Today, people are riveted by crime and violence. But the obsession is not new, as this book shows in vivid and exciting detail.
John Bellamy's new book provides a fascinating view of life in Tudor England and offers a new angle on our love affair with murder as a literary form. It was in the Tudor period, he argues, that popular attention was focused on the crime of murder, for edification as well as entertainment. A 16th-century murder inquiry was in many ways a community affair, capable of arousing the interest of a substantial local audience, with the members of the inquest often collecting evidence and statements for twenty or thirty days. Detection, investigation, the laying of charges, the trial, verdict, sentence―all of these familiar elements were established in the 16th century. Strange, Inhuman Deaths describes four well-documented cases that occurred between 1538 and 1573. Each of them is deeply rooted in source material, whether legal records or pamphlets, plays or ballads, giving a rich background and a wealth of local colour. The human stories they contain are powerful and lively, and the motivations and personalities that are revealed speak to us directly across the centuries. Murder most foul, murder most English―the tradition begins.

Strange, Inhuman Deaths: Murder in Tudor England

History

Bellamy, John

Europe

Praeger

A comprehensive English-language reference encompasses more than six thousand word entries, accompanied by synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, as well as a compact spelling guide and tips on improving spelling

Doubleday's Children Thesaurus

Children's Books

Doubleday Books for Young Readers

This title, first published in 1979, was ground-breaking in its exploration of the understudied area of the Tudor law of treason. Bellamy first examines the scope of that law, noting the inheritance from the Middle Ages, the effectiveness of the new statutes and interpretation of the law by the judiciary. Mining the archives for official, legal and literary accounts, the following parts consider how the government came to hear of traitors, the use of evidence and witnesses in trials and finally the fate of the traitor at the gallows and beyond. This is a full, useful and interesting title, which will be of great value to students researching Tudor and late medieval statute law, the Tudor concept of treason and the mores of Tudor society.

The Tudor Law of Treason (Routledge Revivals): An Introduction

Routledge

The Tudor Law of Treason (Routledge Revivals)

Americas

Bastard Feudalism and the Law (Routledge Revivals)

This title, first published in 1989, was one of the first to directly address the legal dimension of bastard feudalism. John Bellamy explores the role and vulnerability of local officials and juries, the nature of the endemic land wars and the interference in the justice system by those at the top of the social chain. What emerges is a focus on the role of land in disputes, the importance of royal favour and political advantage and the attempt to suppress disruption. This is an interesting title, which will be of particular value to students researching the nature of late medieval and early Tudor feudalism, royal patronage and legal procedure.

In 1573 there occurred a murder which would leave today's tabloid editors salivating enviously. George Saunders, a respected merchant tailor, was killed by his wife's lover. Involved in the conspiracy were Saunder's wife, her best friend and a servant. All were found guilty and hanged, but not before a suspended clergyman fell in love with Mrs Saunders and sought to have her pardoned. 
 Murder was relatively rare in Tudor times. When it did occur, especially if it involved a female perpetrator and a love affair, it generated widespread interest. The Saunders murder, like several others, inspired numerous pamphlets and even a successful play: A Warning for Fair Woman. The rise of Protestantism, and its accompanying rise in literacy, had provided a strong impetus to read about crime and to ponder the spiritual consequences of breaking both the civil and divine law. The Tudors were also greatly interested in the discovery of murder by human agency. The English system of criminal justice was open and popular, and familiar elements-detection, investigation, the laying of charges, the trial, verdict, sentence-were all well understood and closely followed in the sixteenth century. 
 In this fascinating book John Bellamy examines the trends in murder literature during the Tudor period and describes four well-documented cases that occurred between 1538 and 1573. Drawing on legal records, pamphlets, plays and cronicles, he provides a rich background for the powerful and lively human stories which emerge. Murder most foul, murder most English-the tradition begins here.

World

Sutton Publishing+ltd

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Kingfisher Children's Illustrated Thesaurus

Reference

Kingfisher Books

The Webster's children's thesaurus

Barnes&Noble Books

Presents synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms for over 6000 English words arranged in alphabetical order.

Kingfisher Illustrated Thesaurus [Mar 27, 1987] Bellamy, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bellamy, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bellamy, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bellamy, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Strange, Inhuman Deaths: Murder in Tudor England

Doubleday's Children Thesaurus

The Tudor Law of Treason (Routledge Revivals): An Introduction

The Tudor Law of Treason (Routledge Revivals)

Bastard Feudalism and the Law (Routledge Revivals)

Bastard Feudalism and the Law (Routledge Revivals)

Strange, Inhuman Deaths: Murder in Tudor England

Kingfisher Children's Illustrated Thesaurus

The Webster's children's thesaurus

Kingfisher Illustrated Thesaurus [Mar 27, 1987] Bellamy, John