The New Murrey and Blue blog

Charles IIeems to have specialised in “supposed” records. We all know he’s responsible for That Urn, the contents of which are “supposedly” those of Richard III’s nephews. The fact that there are animal bones in there as well as human is always passed very quickly. So quickly the point has become a blur! As a result we still have to see that darned marble vessel venerated as the final resting place of the two tragic cherubs murdered by their wicked uncle. Bah! No one knows if they were murdered, let alone by Richard.

Now it seems that  Charles II (b.1630–d.1685) also decided on the placing of the Rufus Stone in the New Forest. The Rufus Stone “supposedly” marks the spot where William II, called Rufus because of his red face, was killed by an arrow while out hunting. His killer was a certain Sir Water Tyrell…surely not the forebear of that other Tyrell who was cosy with Richard III and “confessed” (tortured into saying whatever Henry Tudor wanted, more likely!) to the murders of Richard’s nephews. If so, my what a small world.

There are myriad legends concerning the death of William Rufus, and I have been greatly entertained by some, including the books of Margaret Murray, who believed this royal demise was a pagan ritual.

Cernunnos, the Horned God, from the Gundestrop Cauldron

Anyway, according to the above link it’s not even known for sure that Rufus died in the New Forest! I quote: “….Although neither chronicle [Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Malmesbury Chronicles of England] mentions the exact location of William’s death, it is understood that the incident took place in the New Forest….” Well, I thought the New Forest part was carved in stone. Um, so to speak.

It seems that “….when Charles visited the area, he was shown the tree that supposedly caused the king’s death. In the following century, the tree was cut and burnt down. In its place, a monument, the Rufus Stone, was erected….” So the tree that was big enough to deflect an arrow so that it killed the king in 1100 was still there in the 17^th century. And Charles had it burned down. Poor tree. But I wonder how anyone in the 17^th century could be so certain it was that tree. The New Forest is full of the things!

So in 1745 a memorial was eventually erected by John West, 1st Earl De La Warr who had seen the original tree and so was sure of the place. Well, he might have been sure, but was it the right tree? More and more supposition. PLUS….if Charles II had the tree burned down (he died 1685) I can’t credit that Earl de la Warr (the one who was alive in 1745) remembered seeing it still growing, because he wasn’t born until 1693!

Like the mystery of what happened to Richard III’s nephews, the myth, supposition and downright invention surrounding the death of William Rufus never ceases. Whether the latter died of a hunting accident, was murdered or sacrificed will go on and on, without every getting anywhere. All I can hope is that the fate of Richard’s nephews will get somewhere….and he’ll be proved innocent!

You can read more about the Rufus Stone here and here.