The Death of Rufus
by Arthur Lloyd

Timeline

It is interesting to set out the facts from Arthur Lloyd's booklet, The Death of Rufus, as a Timeline. The information in the book  is very detailed and two or more sources may appear intertwined in the same paragraph! I have done my best.

Arthur has suggested that Rufus died at Truham (Througham/Thorougham). The use of Througham or Thorougham in the booklet is confusing (see Note below).

735 in Luard's Annales Cuthred gave land called Drucam to the Cathedral (which should have been pronounced Trucam)

749 King Cuthred made a grant of land at Truhham to Winchester Cathedral

959 Luard recorded that King Edgar granted land at Thucam to the Cathedral

c 1057-1060 William Rufus born

c 1066 In a 1960 version of the Domesday Book six manors within the Forest bounds are named Truham or in one case Trucham.

1074 brother Richard was killed while hunting in the New Forest

c 1079 Afforestation of the New Forest

1087 (26 September) Rufus' coronation

1096 Older brother Robert goes to the Crusade and entrusted Normandy to the care of his brother Rufus

1096-99 Rufus spent some time each year in Normandy

1097 Arhbishop Anselm's chaplain Eadmer was expelled by Rufus from his court

1099 (Summer) Rufus hunted from Brockenhurst. Witnessed 2 writs there, one dated 6 July

1100 (1 August) Start of 6 week Stag-hunting season/fat season for red deer

1100 (2 August) Rufus killed in hunting accident in New Forest (aged c 40-43)

Near Contemporaries

1100+ Eadmer whilst in exile with his master, Archbishop Anselm, heard the news that the King's party was hunting after morning lunch

1118-1125 William of Malmesbury - described omens and portents in build up to the hunt
- As a result, it is said, Rufus did not hunt until after dinner but attended to some serious business
- After dinner, Rufus went hunting with Walter Tirel who aimed at a second stag but shot the King.
- Finding the King senseless and speechless, he escaped at full gallop

c 1117 Account given by Peter of Blois (1070-c1117)- Walter Tirel aimed an arrow incautiously

1118 Roger of Wendover noted that the king was killed unintentionally

1118 Monk & Chronicler Florence of Worcester died
- States that while engaged in hunting in the New Forest, Rufus was struck by an arrow  carelessly aimed by Walter Tirell
- in the place where the King fell, there was once a church that was destroyed in the time of Rufus' father
- describes the New Forest as Ytene

1118-1135 In his chronicles, Monk, Orderic Vitalis (died c 1143) - Sir Walter Tirel joined the hunting party from his estates in France

Tirel often denied killing the King, even on his deathbed

Gaimar (verses) - In the Forest the King, Barons & Walter Tirel dismounted. Tirel was near the King & an elder tree and leant against an aspen

c 1158 Henry of Huntingdon died - Tirel shot the King unwittingly

100-150 years after the event

c 1200 Giraldus Canbrensis named Ralph de Aix as the man who killed Rufus (but no supporting evidence presented)

1201 Roger of Hoveden died - recorded that Tirel's arrow was carelessly aimed and also names the place where it happened was called Ytene

1203 In the Pipe Rolls of 1203 (published in 1963), King John repaired his hunting lodge at Bellus Locus in the New Forest

1204 A monk of Waverley Abbey noted in its Annals that Beaulieu had been built close to where Rufus was killed

Beaulieu Abbey was founded and called Bellus Locus Regina

1225 In 1974/5, Father Hockey recorded a sale of land at 'Trouham' or 'Trokam' (later he noted that 'Troutham' came from Througham, which appeared to be the original name of the district close to the sea, now known as Park Farm

1259 Matthew Paris (13th Century chronicler) died - first to say that the arrow that killed Rufus glanced off a tree

1270s No earlier reference to a hunting lodge at Castle Malwood

0ver 200-500 Years after the event

1339-1484 The Berkeley family were in possession of Exbury, across the river facing the Truham estate

1365-1602 Tyrell family owned the manor of Avon (hence Tyrell's Ford)

1530s Statement by Sir William Berkeley to John Leland that Rufus was killed at Thorougham where a chapel stood (see Note below)

1538 Dissolution of Monastries included Beaulieu

1543 In his history of Beaulieu Abbey (1976), Father Hockey recorded that Througham (Park Farm) was granted to Richard Dixon

1556-9 Antiquarian William Camden quoted a Latin verse penned by the Bishop of Winchester in which he claimed (in error) that Rufus created the New Forest and founded Beaulieu Abbey

1578 H. Widnell in 1960 noted that there was a detailed survey of Throughams Park in 1578
and
1607 was replaced by Park Farm

Over 500-600 years after the event

1607 The name Thorougham ceased to be used but identified by Arthur Lloyd as a place on the Beaulieu estate.

1615 From the Annals listed by Antiquarian John Stow - Rufus was killed at Chorengham (believed to be Thorougham mis-spelt) and carted off to be buried next morning

1634 Historian David Stagg discovered there were charcoal burners in the area including members of the Purkess family

c 1682-1684 Charles II visited the Forest and may have been shown an oak tree from which, it was said, the arrow glanced and struck William Rufus. Charles ordered the tree to be be paled (Richard Gough).

c 1738 Claimed in 1786 that the oak tree was cut down c 1738
and
A stone was set up by Lord Delaware in place of the tree

More modern times

1810 Chapel of Park Grange pulled down
- Leland had said that there was a chapel at Thorougham where Rufus was killed
- Arthur Lloyd thought this was a medieval chapel associated with the monk's grange at Througham.

1841 The current Rufus Stone was erected

1960 Eilert Ekwall in the fourth edition of his Concise Dictionary of England place-names accepted that Truham was a lost place-name on the Beaulieu estate

1962 (Summer) Article by Arthur Lloyd, Where did Rufus die? published in the Hampshire Magazine

1983 In his book, William Rufus, Frank Barlow includes a footnote that Leland offered Througham as the place where Rufus was killed
- Barlow thought it more likely that the site was situated west of the Beaulieu river (suggested by Arthur Lloyd)

2000 The Death of Rufus by Lloyd published

Note:

There appears to be confusion between Thorougham and Througham throughout the booklet:

Examples

Page 1 "Park Farm on the Beaulieu estate was suggested (where Rufus was killed), based on a medieval reference and Sir William Berkeley's statement made in the 1530s that Rufus had been killed at 'Thorougham', which was 'Truham' in Domesday Book..."

and

Page 19 He (Sir William) explained to Leland...'The place wher it is sayde that Tyrell kyllyd King William Rufus ys called THOROUGHAM and there standyth yet a chapelle.'

yet

Page 29 Frank Barlow includes in a footnote to his book on Rufus: Leland in the 1530s offered the lost 'Througham'

plus

I don't know what to make of Page 37:

Page 37 "It is no wonder that Sir William Berkeley referred to 'Thorougham' as an established place-name (see page 19), as one of the chapels granted to Sir William Wriothesley by Henry VIII on the dissolved Beaulieu Abbey estate was'Througham'.

Conclusions

1. Perhaps Arthur was saying that Thorougham and Througham were one and the same.

2. Establishing where Rufus died was one of Arthur Lloyd's pet subjects

3. He researched extensively and proved to his satisfaction and some others that it was Truham/Thorougham/Througham on what is now the Beaulieu estate.

4. His findings were:

A. the place-name Truham was long-established as a place-name from the Domeday book onwards,

B. Early Chroniclers

The early chroniclers did not give the location where Rufus was killed in a hunting accident, other than the New Forest.

Florence of Worcester did give a clue that in the place where the king fell a church once stood.

C. Later Records

We move on to 1203/4 when a monk of Waverley Abbey noted in its Annals that Beaulieu (Abbey?) was built close to where Rufus was killed.

In 1203 King John had a hunting lodge Bellus Locus in the New Forest. Beaulieu Abbey (Bellus Locus Regis) was founded by King John in 1204.

The main finding remains the statement made to Leland in the 1530s that Rufus was killed at Thorougham.

D. It does seem that from land ownership and early church records, Truham/Thorougham/Througham became an important centre within the New Forest that King John chose it for his hunting lodge and site of Beaulieu Abbey. You can understand why subsequent historians said that Rufus fell near Beaulieu.

Yet the Rufus Stone still stands as a tourist attraction!

Colin Bower
30 September 2024

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