UPDATE! The project has progressed thanks to funding and it has now a dedicated website showcasing two more maps: York and Oxford. London, York and Oxford maps have been created with new information and there are podcasts to dramatise interesting cases.
Visit https://medievalmurdermap.co.uk/ and enjoy more interactive maps, background information and podcasts. The original London map won't be updated. You can also follow the dedicated Twitter/X account of the new website at @MediMurderMaps.
Each pin represents the approximate location of one of 142 homicides that occurred in the City of London in the first half of the 14th century. Click on a pin to read the story behind the event.
Each story is based on the original records of the inquests held by the Coroner in the presence of an investigative jury. The jury was drawn from the free men of the ward where the body had been found, as well as three neighbouring wards.
You can explore the cases on two different maps:
The Braun-Hogenberg Map of 1572 gives a historical bird-eye view of Elizabethan London before the beginning of urban growth.
The map of London around 1270 published by the Historic Towns Trust in 1989, which provides rich detail of the city's topography.
Filters on the top right-hand side allow you to select events with certain characteristics. Filters include ‘gender of the victim’, ‘public/private location of the crime’, ‘weapon used’, and ‘ward where the crime occurred’.
Read the section on 'The Historical Background' to understand patterns of homicide in medieval London.
A zoom feature allows you to select a particular area.
Please refer to our terms of use. Commercial uses of the map are not permitted.
