That King John lost the crown jewels somewhere in the marshes of the Wash is a story that every Lincolnshire resident knows. It is both intriguing and infuriating. Intriguing because of the subject matter and infuriating because - how is that even possible? The story is accepted as gospel. People genuinely believe the story as it is told. To this day, there are regular reports of someone pinpointing the location of the lost treasure. Yet still, no treasure has emerged from the now-dry lands of the Lincolnshire Fens.
King John Lackland
King John Lackland, meaning having no land, lived from 1166 to 1216. He is perhaps best known for his appearance as the bad guy in the stories of Robin Hood or for his attempts to usurp power from his brother, the valiant crusader Richard the Lion Heart. He has been depicted by writers as diverse as Shakespeare and Mel Brooks as everything from a vicious tyrant to a hard-working, diligent ruler. On balance, he has been more disliked than liked. His life was certainly filled with drama and intrigue.
William’s conquest in 1066 set the course of history for quite some time. Over 100 years later, England was still ruled by the French. Richard the Lionheart ruled for ten years, from 1189 to 1199. He is considered an English King, but he was a French Norman. During his reign, Richard spent no more than 90 days in England and never spoke the language.
On the other hand, his brother John spent most of his life in England, only occasionally travelling to France to visit his lands there. During the last couple of years of Richard’s reign, John attempted to take power through an alliance with Philip II of France and failed. He only succeeded Richard as King after his death. In some ways, John could be considered the prototype “modern” King. Richard and Stephen before him believed in an almost divine right of Kings to rule as they willed. They made executive decisions without any consultation. John adopted the English system of administration, which was sophisticated for its time. In addition, he adopted a consultative approach to rule, seeking the advice of prominent advisers. John needed large amounts of cash to fund battles in Normandy, defending his lands. This requirement saw the introduction of many heavy taxes. Perhaps his administration's efficiency in collecting taxes earned him his bad reputation, at least partly. Ultimately these taxes became too much to bear, and the Barons began to turn against him. In 1205 the then Archbishop of Canterbury died. John believed it was his right to appoint the new Archbishop and wanted John de Grey, Bishop of Norwich, to take the position. Pope Innocent III refused to accept the proposed Bishop and installed his preferred candidate, Stephen Langton. This move saw the King and Pope set against each other leading to the King’s excommunication and England being placed under an interdict. For the general population, this must have been a terrible situation. Churches were prohibited from conducting religious services except for baptisms for the young and confession and absolution for the dying. These restrictions included prohibiting the use of church graveyards for burials. The average God-fearing man or woman must have wondered what would become of them.
The conflict with the Pope continued for eight long years. Finally, a truce was reached and formalised in the Templar church at Dover in May 2013. The agreement included paying lost taxes to the Pope and an ongoing annual payment. This arrangement might be considered a defeat for the King and a victory for the Church. However, in return, the Pope turned against Philip II of France and a potential loss of lands in Normandy for John was averted. Treacherous as ever, John did not fulfil his side of the agreement. He is estimated to have only paid the Pope a third of the agreed outstanding taxes.
After the 1213 agreement with the Pope, things went downhill for John in England. His constant battles in France cost money. The Barons became disaffected by the continually rising taxes and began to revolt. The potential for a breakdown of rule in England led to King John's creation of the famous Magna Carta, signed in June 1215. The intention was to settle unrest and appear conciliatory. Unfortunately, it did not placate the Barons, and the First Barons’ War began in November 1215. John’s first move was to retake the rebel-held Rochester Castle. John constantly moved around the country, fighting off uprisings until his death in October 1216. This period of history is fascinating and very complex, so we shall jump to September 1216
Whilst campaigning around the country during the First Baron’s War, the King travelled with a reported two to three thousand mounted knights and a large entourage of logistic and support staff. In addition to his army, he travelled with treasure. It is said, “The royal baggage would have included a portable chapel for worship and a portable treasury which could carry as many as 500,000 silver pennies packed into barrels.” (https://brewminate.com/on-the-trail-of-king-john-before-and-after-the-signing-of-the-magna-carta/) He needed those funds for debts he owed to loyal supporters and to pay his army.
Following his defence of Lincoln Castle (28th of September to the 2nd of October), John spent four days looting his way through rebel-held Grimsby, Louth, and then the length of the County down to Spalding and arriving at Lynn on the 9th. At Lynn, he joined a separate army that had marauded its way through Norfolk and Cambridge. In addition to the coinage carried, treasures would have been looted from the rebel Barons he subdued. He must have amassed quite a fortune. But why bring the crown jewels usually stored safely at Corfe Castle, Dorset? It has been suggested that he considered Corfe an unsafe place for such a particular collection. However, he felt it safe enough for his wife and child to be left.
After three nights at Lynn (now King’s Lynn), he travelled North towards Newark with a planned three-night stop at St. Mary’s Abbey Swineshead. This itinerary that included two or three-night stays was established practice. It allowed the King to travel a good distance in one day, then stay in the relative comfort and safety of an Abbey, for example, whilst the baggage train and army, which moved much slower, caught up. On the morning of the 12th of October, John and a few of his close Knights took the longer, safer route from Lynn to Wisbech, where they had arranged to meet some boatmen to discuss business. From there, they travelled via Holbeach and Spalding to Swineshead. Meanwhile, the baggage train and army took the shorter route across the marshes of the Wash. This decision proved disastrous. The tide was mistimed, and the two-mile-long column of men, horses, carts and their contents was caught in quicksand and lost to the sea. On his arrival at Swineshead, John learnt of this tragic loss and was inconsolable.
The changing Wash shoreline and key locations.
He stayed three nights at Swineshead, where he was taken ill, possibly with dysentery contracted in Lynn. The legends suggest he caused his illness through overindulgence or was poisoned. Whatever the reason, he fell grievously ill. On the 15th of October, incapacitated, he was transported in a litter on his planned journey. No wheeled cart was available as they had all been lost. That night he stayed at Sleaford Castle. He possibly stayed at Hough on the Hill the following night, finally arriving at Newark Castle on the 17th. It was on the evening of the 18th/19th of October 1216 that the King succumbed to his illness.
On his deathbed, John decreed that his nine-year-old son Henry should become King. His last will and testament were witnessed by the Master of the Knights Templar, Aymeric De St Maur. John’s body was taken from Newark Castle, and a company of mercenaries escorted him to Worcester Cathedral for burial. The young successor was placed into the guardianship of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. William knighted Henry and then oversaw his coronation at Gloucester Cathedral just nine days after his father’s death. As he was too young to rule, William Marshal was appointed Regent and became the stand-in ruler of the country.
For a more detailed consideration of the core story of the lost treasure, I would recommend a small but wonderful book, “The Lost Treasure of King John” by Richard Waters. It gives a detailed breakdown of the timeline and geography. https://amzn.eu/d/7FtDGY6.
Continue to King John's Treasure Part 2
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