The New Murrey and Blue blog

“….One of the most enduring legends in English history is that of King John and his lost treasure. According to the legend, King John was crossing the marshes of Lincolnshire in 1216 when he lost his crown jewels and other valuables in the muddy waters of The Wash. But how much truth is there behind this legend?….I will explore three aspects of the legend: the historical context and chronology of the loss, the identities and roles of the people involved and the landscape, and finally, the possible fate and location of the treasure. I will also examine an intriguing hypothesis about King John’s death at Newark Castle, which has been largely overlooked by historians. Could he have been murdered by someone who wanted to keep his treasure hidden?….”

So begins this intriguing investigation (https://www.secretlincs.com/king-john), which deals with John (born 1166, died 1216[) his treasure and his death. He’s a monarch who receives as much bad press as the millstone of falsehoods weighted around the neck of the unfortunate Richard III. I think John is more deserving of the calumny, even though he’s at an unfair disadvantage courtesy of one Robin Hood. Nasty Prince John and the vile Sheriff of Nottingham are drummed into us from childhood, and we delight in seeing them trounced by our hero. But was John that awful?

He was known as John Lackland….and by the time he died he lacked everything else too, except his life. Then that too was taken. Should we sympathise? Well, to believe everything bad about John would be to put him on a level with Vlad the Impaler, and maybe he deserves it, but as I am not an expert on the man or his reign and cannot really take a knowledgeable stance.

Besides which, I have probably watched too many episodes of the TV series Robin of Sherwood, in which the splendid actor Phil Davis romps, froths, yells, schemes and generally has the habdabs as Prince and then King John. He was absolutely riveting, so it’s hard not to give the real John the face of the actor. Just as, for me, Edward I always has the face of Patrick McGoohan in the awful Braveheart. The film was lousy, but McGoohan was splendidly hard and cold. So for the real King John I have to take the Stanley Standpoint and perch on the fence.

Our history is scattered with angry barons turning on their king, just think of Edward II and the Lords Ordainer, Richard II and the Lords Appellant and then the mayhem of the Wars of the Roses, where the theme was repeated a number of times. Even the English Civil War was a case of a king being turned upon and brought down. So let’s face it, our personal judgement is always what dictates which side we place ourselves.

Loveable John was not, and he certainly made enemies important enough to bring about his downfall. So….did he die of dysentery, as is always supposed, or was he poisoned? Either can cause severe diarrhoea, and the story of the lost treasure on the marshes of the Wash is actually fiction to cover up the real events, as you will learn from the secretlincs.com site. I didn’t spot the name of the author of this interesting theory about events in 1216.

There are four parts, and here is how they are described on the site:

• Part 1 Loss of the national treasure: “….During the Barons’ War in 1216, King John fought to save his kingdom. While he was travelling from King’s Lynn in Norfolk to Newark in Nottinghamshire, a crucial decision was made to cross the marshes of the Wash. Unfortunately, a sudden tide swept away his carts, wagons, and treasure into the water. This article introduces the legend, and describes the events that led to King John’s final journey….”
• Part 2 An examination of the legend: “….Can we trust the clues regarding the lost treasure in the Lincolnshire marshes? In this analysis, we will examine the evidence, terrain, and individuals involved to separate the facts from fiction….”
• Part 3 The mystery solved: “….Where did the treasure go? This narrative provides plausible and logical explanations about the real journey of the treasure, its whereabouts, and the reasons behind it….”
• Part 4 The death of King John – regicide or natural causes: “….Historians tend to skim over the death of King John, dedicating only a small portion of their lengthy books to his end. There hasn’t been a thorough investigation into the possibility that he was murdered – until now. Delve into the potential perpetrators, their motives, and their gains after his untimely demise….”
• And a final section about how to translate John’s letters patent: “….King John’s letters patent are a treasure trove of information about this misunderstood monarch. Although they have been published, there is no full translation available. But don’t worry! I have discovered an easy way to translate them and I’m excited to share it with you in this article….”

If the above has not stirred the interest of your medieval soul, I fear nothing ever will. Whether it’s the truth or not, it’s certainly plausible, and I’m hooked. I really recommend reading what the site has to say about John and his treasure. It’s fascinating, and offers a viable explanation as to what really happened….and where the treasure actually went.

You’ll also learn why in my title I’ve changed the verb “wrangle” into a noun.

You can read more about Wrangle here https://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English sites/1865.htm here, https://everycastle.com/wrangle-kings-hill/, here https://www.roffe.co.uk/earthworks/castles/wrangle.htm and here https://heritage-explorer.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Monument/MLI13166

And about the traditional theories for the loss of the treasure here https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170926-the-lost-jewels-of-bad-king-john, here https://archaeologymag.com/2024/03/archaeologists-search-for-king-johns-lost-treasure/ and here https://www.historytoday.com/archive/missing-pieces/king-johns-lost-treasure. Super Blue has written about the traditional story here https://murreyandblue.org/2022/05/27/more-news-on-king-johns-treasure/, and so have I, here https://murreyandblue.org/2024/05/27/will-king-johns-treasure-be-found-at-last/. But I must confess I do like the thought of Wrangle Castle.

One final observation. Was John deserving of his fate? Follow your instinct, and always be aware that countless other folk will disagree! But Ricardians are only too accustomed to that!

PS: If what you’ve just read about King John has engrossed you, perhaps you should try the secretlincs.com home page, which offers much more subjects. https://www.secretlincs.com/