The Murder of King Edward the 2nd. by Sir Thomas Gourney at Berkeley Castle, Gloucester. England.
Sir Thomas Trivett bc.1290 d.1316 m Joan ? His widow Joan Trivett then married Sir Thomas Gourney/Gurney that same year.
Edward 2nd B1284 -King 1307 - 1327 was disliked by the majority of Barons and Lords and certainly was not favourite of the people of the country whom he cared little for. This was caused by his constant actions of enjoying himself to extremes i.e. indulgent eating and drinking. His obvious liking of men as to women, with his favourites being Gaveston and Spencer. After the death of his father Edward 1st, he was made King and married Isabella daughter of Philip King of France ( supposedly the most beautiful woman in France) she bore one son, the future Edward 3rd. It soon became apparent to her that her husband Edward the 2nd preferred the company of his male favourites as to her, he also physically abused her quite often. Isabella became closely acquainted with Roger Lord Mortimer of Wigmore and Chirk. He had also gained Ludlow and half Meath by marriage, and made himself Earl of the Marches, and justiciar of Wales for life, which was to end on the gallows at Tyburn (now Marble Arch) in 1330.
Isabella soon had an ongoing affair with Lord Mortimer and found an excuse, much to the dislike of the king, to go back to France with her son and secretly with Mortimer. They gathered an army together paying for it with a betrothal between Edward and Philippa of Hainault. They crossed to England in September 1326, by November they had the king prisoner.
In 1327 Sir Thomas Lord Berkeley owner of Berkeley Castle was joined with Sir John Maltravers with the commission of guarding the captive monarch Edward the 2nd. Lord Berkeley was called away in Sept of that year and Sir Thomas Gourney together with William Ogle was put in charge of the situation of watching over the King.
One night the inmates of the castle were alarmed by the shrieks which came from the kings apartment. The king was found dead. His death had been brought about by the insertion of a red hot iron into his bowels. One wonders whether this may have been a disgust of his lifetime activity. Sir Thomas Gourney and William Ogle were accused of his murder but they made their escape. I don't know if Ogle was ever found, Sir Thomas was detained in Spain and was brought back to England, but I can find no record of his punishment, if there was any. Maltravers was falsely accused of this crime but he was executed for a similar offence elsewhere.
(New piece of information given by a Russell Gurney---There is a book published privately in c1848 (author Daniel Gurney) that implies that Thomas de Gournay was taken ill during his return to England (under guard).
According to this book-The Record of the House of Gournay- he died before he reached England, probably in France.)
It is obvious that the murder or execution? of Edward the 2nd by Sir Thomas Gourney and William Ogle was orchestrated by a much higher authority than them such as Mortimer and Isabella the Queen. After the kings death there was little remorse, especially from the people of the country.
Ref: Lingards History of England. 1883 Vol.111.
A History of England. Keith Feiling. 1948.
Harmsworth History of the World. 1909.
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