Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Rippinghale Confession Dec. 3, 1303

Summary: The Rippinghale confession Dec. 3, 1303, to the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid took its author closer to, not father from, Smithfield's gallows.

John de Rippinghale was removed June 20, 1303, from Westminster Abbey's St. Peter's Sanctuary, before the expiration of his right of sanctuary; St. Peter's Sanctuary, Walter Besant's Westminster (1902), page 143: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive

The Rippinghale confession Dec. 3, 1303, to the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid April 30-May 3, 1303, appeared not to achieve its apparent aim of avoiding the death penalty for the author.

John de Rippinghale bore the nicknames John the Chaplain and John the Priest and the self-description of "formerly a monk of the Abbey of St. Peterborough." Appointees commissioned by King Edward I (June 17, 1239-July 7, 1307) captured John de Rippinghale "le jour du cherch fet" ("the day the search was made"). John Bakewell, John de Drokensford, Ralph de Sandwich, Roger de Southcote and Walter of Gloucester detained Rippinghale in the Abbey gatehouse's second-floor prison on Thieving Lane.

The appointed quintet extracted Rippinghale before his 40-day sanctuary expired on Abbey grounds northwest of the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid of the Chapter House Crypt.

Rippinghale furnished his confession as one of a few Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid suspects found in Westminster, not Newgate or the Tower of London, prison.

Rippinghale gave his confession as an approver (un appelour) whose King's evidence granted him exile instead of execution if it got his accomplices to the gallows. And yet he had an iron chisel and a hammer, as a "church-breaker," most recently into the Church of St. Mary de Woolnoth, during Abbey sanctuary. Paul Doherty, in The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303, for Carroll & Graf Publishers, Sept. 26, 2005, identifies Rippinghale as from Lincolnshire instead of Peterborough.

The "former secular priest" joined "others" as excommunicated and outlawed in 1296 for refusing to pay a royal tax" despite the Bishop of Lincolnshire's 40-day extension.

National Archives in Kew keep the original confession in Norman French to the Coroner's Clerk, Coroner of Westminster Henry Cherring and Royal Commissioner Hugh de Veer.

Eighteen led breaking-in April 30 and looting coffers May 2-3, 1303, for "silver and other precious goods and jewels to the amount of four hundred pounds." Rippinghale mentioned Ralph de Morton, Ralph de Cannes, Simon of Somerset, John Peche, John of Spain, Robert Chaddre, John of Soonborne, John Malmain and Robert Romain. He named William de Val, Richard Puddlicott, Ralph de Bures, Ralph of St. Peterborough, John of St. Albans, William of Westminster and Richard de La Mare.

Morton, for changing jewels to £200 for Sir John de Ashewardeby "to save himself," and Nicholas the Jeweler of London occurred in the confession's second part.

Nicholas participated in the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid break-in, carryout and dispersal because he "brought goods from" Rippinghale and "separately paid each of their company."

Rippinghale queued £400 in jewels to Nicholas and, to Peterborough Abbey, £31 July 2, 1303, and £51 in coins and £20 in jewels Aug. 15-23, 1303. Bailiffs Robert of Ashebridge, Walter de la More and Henry de la Chambre retained £40 in metals and Nicholas de Langton released him for 40 shillings. Doherty suggests that Rippinghale sent commissioners after non-existent suspects, apart from Ralph de Morton, Richard de Puddlicott, John of St. Albans and William Palmer of Westminster.

Rippinghale likeliest turned up among four unnamed hangings with Palmer's March 25, 1304, for tendering misinformation that turned justices against him during the January 1304 indictments.

King Street Gate, demolished in 1723, was located at the northwest corner of the Abbey precinct and gave access to St. Peter's Sanctuary and the sanctuary close; Walter Besant's Westminster (1902), page 137: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

John de Rippinghale was removed June 20, 1303, from Westminster Abbey's St. Peter's Sanctuary, before the expiration of his right of sanctuary; St. Peter's Sanctuary, Walter Besant's Westminster (1902), page 143: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/westminster00besauoft#page/143/mode/1up

King Street Gate, demolished in 1723, was located at the northwest corner of the Abbey precinct and gave access to St. Peter's Sanctuary and the sanctuary close; Walter Besant's Westminster (1902), page 137: Not in copyright, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/westminster00besauoft#page/136/mode/1up

For further information:

Besant, Walter. 1895. Westminster. London, England: Chatto & Windus.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012503906

Besant, Walter. 1902. Westminster. New edition. London, England: Chatto & Windus.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/westminster00besauoft

Doherty, Paul. 2005. The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303. New York NY: Carroll & Graf Publisher.

Harvey, Barbara F., ed. 1965. Documents Illustrating the Rule of Walter de Wenlok, Abbot of Westminster 1283-1307. Vol. II. Camden Fourth Series. London, England: Offices of the Royal Historical Society.

Jokinen, Aniina. "The Sanctuary at Westminster." Luminarium: Encyclopedia Project. Accessed April 30, 2018.
Available @ http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/westminstersanctuary.htm

Keay, Anna. 2011. The Crown Jewels. London UK: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

Marriner, Derdriu. 20 April 2018. "Richard Puddlicott and the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/richard-puddlicott-and-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 4 May 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid in April and May 1303 in England." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/05/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 11 May 2018. "Mysteries of the April-May 1303 Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/05/mysteries-of-april-may-1303-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 1 June 2018. "King Edward I's Letter on the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/king-edward-is-letter-on-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 8 June 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Royal Proclamation June 16, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_8.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 15 June 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Palmer Confession June 17, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 22 June 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Arrests June 18-19, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_22.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 29 June 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Indenture June 22, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_29.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 6 July 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Palmer Confession July 6, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 July 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Goldsmiths Talk July 4, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_13.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 27 July 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Aldermen Interviews July 29, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_27.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 3 August 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Westminster Jurors Aug. 6, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 10 August 2018. "Edward I's Second Letter on the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/edward-is-second-letter-on-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 28 September 2018. "Westminster Abbey Refectory Raid and London Sheriff Hugh Pourte." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/09/westminster-abbey-refectory-raid-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 5 October 2018. "Edward I's Third Letter on the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/edward-is-third-letter-on-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 12 October 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: "Falsely Indicted" Monks?" Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 19 October 2018. "Appellants Not Involved in the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/appellants-not-involved-in-westminster.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 26 October 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid Commission Oct. 26, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_26.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 2 November 2018. "Queen of Mercy to Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid Female Suspects." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/11/queen-of-mercy-to-westminster-abbey.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 9 November 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Female Suspects Left Behind." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/11/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_9.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 16 November 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Two Freed Female Suspects." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/11/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_16.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 23 November 2018. "Westminster Royal Treasury Raid: Margaret and the Barber Sisters." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/11/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_23.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 30 November 2018. "Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: Puddlicott Execution Nov. 28, 1304." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/11/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

Palgrave, Sir Francis, ed. 1836. "Appendix: Records Relating to the Robbery at the Treasury, 31 Edw. I." The Antient Kalendars and Inventories of His Majesty's Exchequer Together with Other Documents Illustrating the History of That Repository. Vol. I: 251-299. London England: Commissioners of the Public Records of The Kingdom.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/antientkalendars01grea_0#page/251/mode/1up

Rothwell, Harry, ed. 1957. The Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. Previously Edited as the Chronicle of Walter of Hemingford or Hemingburgh. Camden Series Volume LXXXIX. London, England: Royal Historical Society.

Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn. 1868. Historical Memorials of Westminster Abbey. Second and revised edition. London, England: John Murray.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historicalmemori00stan

Walford, Edward. 1881. Old and New London: A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Vol. III: Westminster and the Western Suburbs. London, Paris and New York: Cassell Petter & Galpin.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/oldnewlondonnarr03thor