William II of England - Death in The New Forest

Death in The New Forest

The king went hunting on 2 August 1100 in the New Forest, likely near Brockhurst. He was killed by an arrow through the lung, but the circumstances remain unclear. The arrow was shot by a nobleman named Walter Tirel, and, although the description of events was later embroidered with more information, the earliest statement of the event was in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which noted that the king was "shot by an arrow by one of his own men". Later chroniclers added the name of the killer – Walter Tirel, and a number of other details which may or may not be true. The first mention of any location more exact than the New Forest comes from John Leland writing in 1530 who stated that the king died at Thorougham, a placename which has since fallen into disuse but was probably located at what is now Park Farm on the Beaulieu estates.

William's body was abandoned by the nobles at the place where he fell. William's younger brother, Henry, hastened to Winchester to secure the royal treasury, then to London, where he was crowned within days, before either archbishop could arrive. William of Malmesbury in his account of William's death stated that the body was taken to Winchester Cathedral by a few countrymen.

To the chroniclers – men of the Church – such an 'act of God' was a just end for a wicked king. Over the following centuries, the obvious suggestion that one of William's enemies may have had a hand in this extraordinary event has repeatedly been made: chroniclers of the time point out themselves that Walter was renowned as a keen bowman, and thus was unlikely to have loosed such an impetuous shot. Moreover, William's brother Henry, who was among the hunting party that day, benefited directly from William's death, shortly thereafter being crowned king. Modern scholars have reopened the question and some have found the assassination theory credible or compelling, but the theory is not universally accepted.

William's remains are in Winchester Cathedral, scattered among royal mortuary chests positioned on the presbytery screen, flanking the choir.His skull appears to be missing but some long bones may remain.