When most people think of medieval knights, they immediately visualize cinematic versions of these fabled warriors, believing their lives were lived on East Street. Reality tells a much different tale.
Recently, the corpse of a medieval knight was discovered near a chapel in England, the same place where medieval tournaments were held. In fact, the corpse belongs to one Robert Morley, who died in 1388. Archaeologists have determined Robert Morley was in his mid-20s, heavily muscled and littered with wounds.
Morley was one tough cookie. It appears he lived a number of years with an arrowhead lodged in his chest and, to make matters worse, evidence suggests his skull had recovered from a hefty axe blow. This would be enough to kill most of us, but not Robert Morley. So what did kill him? A sword that cut through his nose and jaw. Owww.
However, it was only recently re-examined following advances in laser scanning techniques that not only revealed the nature of the three wounds, but also showed that the knight had lost teeth, probably from another blow or from falling from his horse.
Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, which carried out the excavation for Historic Scotland, said: “This is a remarkable and important set of discoveries.
“At first we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he had survived it and may have had his chest bound up.”
Mr Ewart said that Morley was by far the most likely candidate. His skeleton also shows the effects of riding on the ankles and muscle injuries caused by lifting heavy loads.
His sturdy upper body and upper right arm are consistent with wielding heavy swords, and his injuries suggest a hard life of hunting, jousting and foot tournaments.
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