Richard Folville (died 1340–1) was a member of the infamous Folville Gang captained by his older brother

Eustace Eustace, also rendered Eustis, ( ) is the rendition in English of two phonetically similar Greek given names: *Εὔσταχυς (''Eústachys'') meaning "fruitful", "fecund"; literally "abundant in grain"; its Latin equivalents are ''Fæcundus/Fe ...

Biography

Richard was the fourth of 7 sons born to Sir

John Folville Sir John Folville was an member of parliament (MP) for Rutland and Leicestershire and father of Eustace Folville, the leader of the Folville Gang. More recent research shows Farnham's Folville pedigree is flawed. The leader of the Folville gang ...

(died 1310) of Ashby Folville, Leicestershire. In 1321 he was created rector to the small country parish of Teigh, about 12 km east of

Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...

. However, like his near-contemporaries Thomas De L'Isle or John Rippinghale, his vocation did not deter him from indulging in

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

and outlawry. A warrant for Richard's arrest was issued in March 1326 for his part in connection with the assassination of Sir Roger Bellere, and he was also involved in much of his siblings' later strifes. Richard seems to have masterminded the abduction and ransom of the justice Sir Richard Willoughby, later Chief Justice of the King's Bench. The chronicler

Henry Knighton Henry Knighton (or Knyghton) (died c. 1396, in England) was an Augustinian canon at the abbey of St Mary of the Meadows, Leicester, England, and an ecclesiastical historian (chronicler). He wrote a history of England from the Norman conquest ...

, our principal witness to the activities of the Folvilles, claims that the 'savage, audacious' Richard was in charge of the ''socialem comitivam'' ('allied company') which attacked Willoughby. The kidnap occurred in January 1332. Willoughby was seized on the road to

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

, and escorted into nearby woodland. One indictment claims that he was carried from here to numerous dens and hideouts across the county, 'from wood to wood'. He was at length made to pay 1300 marks for his release, and forced to swear an oath of loyalty to the Folvilles.

Capture and death

Richard was the only member of the Folville gang to suffer official retribution. In either 1340 or 1341, he and some of his retinue were cornered in the church of Teigh by Sir Robert de Colville, a keeper of the King's peace. After a prolonged struggle, which resulted in at least one fatality as Richard fired arrows from the church, Sir Robert succeeded in drawing Richard from the building. Once in custody, Folville was summarily beheaded, in his own churchyard. After the event

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bl ...

instructed Thomas Bek,

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

, to absolve Robert and his men for killing the priest, on condition that they were whipped at each of main churches in the area, by way of penance.E.L.G. Stones, 'The Folvilles of Ashby-Folville, Leicestershire, and Their Associates in Crime, 1326-1347', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' 77 (1957), pp.117-36. This is clearly reminiscent of Henry II's penance before the cathedral of Avranches, after the death of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

Notes

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Folville, Richard English criminals People from the Borough of Melton Year of birth missing Year of death uncertain