two-year-old son and daughter with an axe. Due to her mental instability, she was pardoned for her crimes and sent into the care of twelve of her kinsmen. 14 According to the Bedfordshire Coroner’ s Rolls, on 15 th June 1316, Emma le Bere was suffering from a frenzy, she rose from her sick bed, took an axe and she cut the throats of her four children, named in the record as John, Helen, Felise and Maud. Emma did not appear in court as she hanged herself following the attack, though it is specified that at the time she was suffering from insanity. 15 In the first decade of the 14 th century, Margery, wife of William Calbot, appeared before jurors accused of fatally stabbing her two-year-old daughter( no name specified). Further to this, she forced her four-year-old child( sex not given) to sit on the hearth fire flames. Despite the barbarity of these acts, Margery was declared insane and was pardoned. 16 In 1327, Juliana Matte of Killingbry was driven out of her mind. In this period of madness, she was caught drowning her one-year-old son in a well. Once more, Juliana was found to be insane and acquitted as well as pardoned for the crime. 17
For further examples of the relationship between insanity and infanticide, the indictment against Matilda, the widow of Mark le Waleys de Buchamwell, in 1329 is valuable. Matilda was indicted before Peter Bozum, coroner in the county of Norfolk. She was accused of killing her children Thomas, Robert and Anastasia [ felonice interfecit Thomam et Robertum filios suos et Anastasiam filam suam ]. The record states that at the time of the killing Matilda was in a state of fury and had been for a month prior to the event. When she recovered her sense, Matilda was said to be so distraught at her actions that she sought to drown herself in a ditch of water and would have succeeded in doing so had neighbours not intervened [ volebat in stagne fossatis aquasis nisi ipsa per vicionos suos fuisset impedita ]. The jury declared that at the time of the killings, Matilda had been out of her mind, they returned her to prison to await pardon from the King [ quod tempore quo ipsa predictos pueros suos interfeceratur extitit furiosa ideo ispa remitatur prisone ad voluntatem domini Regis expectans ]. 18
In a similar fashion, Goda, the wife of John Attebek, was indicted in the same county and by the same coronor as Matilda, just one year later in 1330. Goda was accused of killing her two children John and Beatrice in the village of Horsham Saint Faith. Goda defended herself against all charges and maintained that she was not capable of this in any way [ predicta Goda venit et quesivit qualiter se velit inde acquietare defendit omnem feloniam etc et dicit quod in nullo est inde culpabilis ]. The jury of the hundred of Taverham said upon their oath that Goda did kill her two children but insisted that at the time, Goda was out of her mind and insane. The jury asked if Goda had experienced any other periods of madness. It was said
14
Naomi. D. Hurnard, The King’ s Pardon for Homicide before 1307 A. D,( Oxford, 1969), 162
15
R. F. Hunissett( ed.), Bedforshire Coroner’ s Rolls,( Bedfordshire, 1961), 277
16
The National Archives( Hereafter TNA): Justice Itinerant( Hereafter JUST) 3 / 48, m. 6, 1400-1410.
17
TNA: JUST 3 / 119, m. 13, 1327.
18
TNA: JUST 3 / 119, m. 14d, 1329.
10