Edward 1 and Crown Jewels Robbery
How the English royal treasure was ransacked from Westminster Abbey
In 1303, a criminal gang broke into the vault of Westminster Abbey and stole as much as they could take of the English Crown Jewels, while Edward 1 was fighting the Scots
Edward 1 was a very capable king of England. His father had had to pawn the Crown Jewels on a regular basis, but Edward had put his finances on a sound footing, and began to accumulate great wealth.
Edward used his wealth to finance his main passion – violence.
He overran Wales, and started a major programme of castle building to keep the natives downtrodden. This did not come cheap.
Then he planned a further excursion to take on Scotland, which meant he needed more money.
Edward never paid a debt if he could avoid it, and taxed his subjects to the hilt. Failure to pay taxes was punished by forfeit of property to the crown, which swelled Edward's coffers even further.
Edward had a gift for organisation, and so nobody escaped the tax net, even those out of the country.
However, Edward had a weak spot. He kept his crown jewels, and almost all his royal wealth, in the vaults at Westminster Abbey, protected by the Church. Edward believed his wealth was safe. The Church was universally trusted without question, and the vaults under Westminster Abbey were the most secure depository in the country.
So, he set off on his expedition against the Scots secure in the knowledge that his funds were safe, and he could easily afford his war.
However, he was reckoning without Richard de Podelicote and his gang.
Richard was a man with a grudge against Edward, and his robbery had as much to do with revenge as greed.
It took months of planning and work, but the Podelicote gang broke into the Westminster Abbey vaults, the most secure treasure house in England, without being noticed.
According to Richard de Podlicote's confession, they commenced work on the robbery at Christmas, and commenced removing goods from the vault in late April or early May, and the robbery was not discovered until around mid May 1303.
However, although they had ample opportunity, they did not empty the vaults, as they could only take what they could turn into cash, and some of the items were just too recognisable.
As part of the plan, during the spring they had arranged for the Abbey cemetary to be sewn with hemp, which grew very tall and bushy, so they had a place to stash goods and tools without being seen.
Edward was first told of the robbery in early June, and his letters sent to London from Scotland were sharp and to the point. He wanted his money back, and the criminals caught and punished.
Most historians believe that they had help from at least some of, if not all, the monks, who shared in the proceeds.
In many ways the break in was the perfect bank job. However, as with most criminal gangs, they were eventually discovered through trying to dispose of the goods. Laundering the proceeds of crime has always been the major problem of thieves throughout history, and the Podelicote gang was no exception.
Several gang members were seen flaunting suddenly acquired great wealth, and some of the more recognisable items stolen were recovered, and traced back to the gang.
Richard de Podelicote himself was in possession of over two thousand pounds when he was captured. That was the equivalent of around one million pounds today.
Interestingly, when he was captured, Richard de Podelicote confessed to the crime in full. He claimed the idea was his, the guilt was his. Certainly he was executed, while the clergy involved went free, simply because they were churchmen.
Sources:
How Much Is That? - Economic History Services
Old and Sold - Antiques Digest
The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303 - Paul Doherty
Heist - BBC Television
