Progress 2024

July

At the outset, I obtained a small but representative selection of books, then other publications obtained from a series of searches on the internet.

I put entries in the website's:

Main Index
What's New

and set up pages for the Project:

Project Index
Objectives/Template
Introduction

I subsequently completed entries for:

A list of the books and the 24 Other Publications obtained
The Rufus Stone

before reading & analysing the Other Publications
with
the analysis of the books obtained to come.

I summarised progress in this Progress page.

Depending on the quality of the analysis, will depend on whether I will undertake more research including visits to libraries etc.

I later added a 25th publication which clarified who John Leland was. (He was the antiquary to Henry VIII in 1530.)

August

Our local historian Nick Saunders sent me a digital copy of his excellent article, King William Rufus, that was published in September 2019, as part of his Reflections series for the New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times (the A & T).

I added it as Other Publication No. 26.

The article had additional information including information from the book, The New Forest, Its History and its Scenery by John R. Wise, in which he mentions, that according to Henry VIII's topographer William Rufus was killed at a place called Thorougham (Believed to be Truham near Beaulieu).

This would disprove the placing of the Rufus Stone nearer to Minstead than Beaulieu.

I decided to buy and add John Wise's book to the books that I would study in more detail later. I found that the 4 Headings in the Template were a bit restrictive and extended my objectives to 7 categories:

1. The Chronicles
2. The Build up to the Hunt
3. Where the Hunting Lodge was (Brockenhurst or Malwood Castle/Keep)
4. Who was in the Royal Hunting Party
5. Where the Hunting Accident took place
6. Who fired the arrow that killed William Rufus
7. The Aftermath of the Killing

I read through all the Other Publications again and extracted more information that did the articles more justice.

I knew very little about Malwwod Castle or Malwood Keep but found 3 suitable articles on the internet.

Interestingly 2 of the articles included that they hunted with dogs, which to the best of my knowledge was the first time this had been mentioned.

One of the articles has William Rufus killed when on horseback and crossbows being used, again the first I think I had heard this.

I finished the month by collating an Interim Report with Interim Conclusions.

Colin Bower
18 August 2024

Project Index