The Tale Of William Page
I haven't done an article about one of my relatives for a while; but recently I discovered a story about a man called William Page while researching my Plymouth Pages. I found this story incredibly interesting and is why I am sharing it with you today!
To start I will give a little insight to my Page family of Plymouth. My Page line, that you'll know if you have read and remembered the article a few months ago 'Using A Will', came through my Shire line of Crewkerne and then into Plymouth. Following this line back got me to a William Page, a merchant, who had 3 'fully known' children that I can tell from the parish records baptised in the 1580's. It is likely he had a few more possibly including Gilbert Page, who may have become well known in Barnstaple - but that's another story!
This story may or may not be about my ancestor - but it is interesting and I can't seem to find a, suitable, alternative William for my one to be. But I believe it is still a good read! The story takes place in February & March 1590(/1)
After many failed attempts to poison her elderly husband, William Page, whom she was forced into marriage with by her father, Ulalia and her real love, George Strangwidge, came up with a plan to do away with William so that they could marry each other. They persuaded one of the house servants, Robert Prideaux (Priddy), a total of £147 and hired Thomas (Tom) Stone to be an actor. However, things didn't quite go to plan for the four of them...
At around 10 O'Clock at night on the 8th of February, while the wealthy merchant was in his bedroom, Tom knocked quietly on the door of the house in Woolster Street, to which Robert answered and let him in and Ulalia gave them the go ahead to do it on the night. William, being awake, asked Robert who was at the door and at which point Robert pounced on William and put up a fair fight between the two but with Tom entering the fight - it was too much for the elderly miser. Robert grabbed a handkerchief and tied it around William's neck to which he kept scratching at the handkerchief and his neck until he had passed out from suffocation. To make sure he was dead they went on to brake his neck against the side of the bed before laying him out onto the bed as if nothing had happened. Robert then went into Ulalia's chamber (not the same bedroom as she had recently just given birth to a still born child) to tell her that the deed was done and Tom left the scene.
About an hour later, Robert called out to Ulalia "Mistress, let somebody look into my master's chamber, methinks I heard him groan" - to which she got her maid to check on him. She first felt his dead head which was cold and stiff so asked Ulalia to get a warm cloth, to which she got and gave to the maid to place on his feet. She then felt his cold and stiff legs to which she stated that her master was dead. Ulalia asked Robert to get her father, Nicholas Glanville, and one of William's sisters to which she told Robert to say "make haste if ever she would see her brother alive, for he has been taken with the pull".
There was no idea of any murder that had taken place, until Mrs Harris, one of William's sisters noticed there was blood on his body and traced it back to his neck. Nicholas and Mrs Harris then moved his neck and noticed it was broken. Mrs Harris immediately went to the Mayor, Walter Peperell, who came with some of the town people to the house and found that the dead man had been killed that night. Upon discovering this, the mayor sent Robert to prison.
On the following day, the 9th, Robert was questioned and admitted that Tom and himself were paid to do so by George and Ulalia. Also on this day Tom got married to Isett Saunders and in the midst of the celebrations was arrested and also taken to prison. George was on his way back from London, where he had written and sent a letter to try and stop the murder but it didn’t arrive until after the murder was committed, and he was also taken to prison, in Exeter, with the rest. Ulalia also was questioned, but not just by the Mayor but Sir Francis Drake (yes him) and other local magistrates as well, to which she responded that “I would rather die with George than live with William” or words to that effect. She was also taken to prison ready for The Lent Assizes which would take place in Barnstaple rather than Exeter due to the plague that year.
George’s lamentation of the murder:
To start I will give a little insight to my Page family of Plymouth. My Page line, that you'll know if you have read and remembered the article a few months ago 'Using A Will', came through my Shire line of Crewkerne and then into Plymouth. Following this line back got me to a William Page, a merchant, who had 3 'fully known' children that I can tell from the parish records baptised in the 1580's. It is likely he had a few more possibly including Gilbert Page, who may have become well known in Barnstaple - but that's another story!
This story may or may not be about my ancestor - but it is interesting and I can't seem to find a, suitable, alternative William for my one to be. But I believe it is still a good read! The story takes place in February & March 1590(/1)
After many failed attempts to poison her elderly husband, William Page, whom she was forced into marriage with by her father, Ulalia and her real love, George Strangwidge, came up with a plan to do away with William so that they could marry each other. They persuaded one of the house servants, Robert Prideaux (Priddy), a total of £147 and hired Thomas (Tom) Stone to be an actor. However, things didn't quite go to plan for the four of them...
At around 10 O'Clock at night on the 8th of February, while the wealthy merchant was in his bedroom, Tom knocked quietly on the door of the house in Woolster Street, to which Robert answered and let him in and Ulalia gave them the go ahead to do it on the night. William, being awake, asked Robert who was at the door and at which point Robert pounced on William and put up a fair fight between the two but with Tom entering the fight - it was too much for the elderly miser. Robert grabbed a handkerchief and tied it around William's neck to which he kept scratching at the handkerchief and his neck until he had passed out from suffocation. To make sure he was dead they went on to brake his neck against the side of the bed before laying him out onto the bed as if nothing had happened. Robert then went into Ulalia's chamber (not the same bedroom as she had recently just given birth to a still born child) to tell her that the deed was done and Tom left the scene.
About an hour later, Robert called out to Ulalia "Mistress, let somebody look into my master's chamber, methinks I heard him groan" - to which she got her maid to check on him. She first felt his dead head which was cold and stiff so asked Ulalia to get a warm cloth, to which she got and gave to the maid to place on his feet. She then felt his cold and stiff legs to which she stated that her master was dead. Ulalia asked Robert to get her father, Nicholas Glanville, and one of William's sisters to which she told Robert to say "make haste if ever she would see her brother alive, for he has been taken with the pull".
There was no idea of any murder that had taken place, until Mrs Harris, one of William's sisters noticed there was blood on his body and traced it back to his neck. Nicholas and Mrs Harris then moved his neck and noticed it was broken. Mrs Harris immediately went to the Mayor, Walter Peperell, who came with some of the town people to the house and found that the dead man had been killed that night. Upon discovering this, the mayor sent Robert to prison.
On the following day, the 9th, Robert was questioned and admitted that Tom and himself were paid to do so by George and Ulalia. Also on this day Tom got married to Isett Saunders and in the midst of the celebrations was arrested and also taken to prison. George was on his way back from London, where he had written and sent a letter to try and stop the murder but it didn’t arrive until after the murder was committed, and he was also taken to prison, in Exeter, with the rest. Ulalia also was questioned, but not just by the Mayor but Sir Francis Drake (yes him) and other local magistrates as well, to which she responded that “I would rather die with George than live with William” or words to that effect. She was also taken to prison ready for The Lent Assizes which would take place in Barnstaple rather than Exeter due to the plague that year.
George’s lamentation of the murder:
O Glandfield, cause of my committed crime,
Snared in wealth, as Birds in bush of lime,
I would to God thy wisdome had been more,
Or that I had not entered in the door ;
Or that thou hadst a kinder Father beene
Unto thy Child, whose yeares are yet but greene.
The match unmeete which thou for much didst make,
When aged Page thy Daughter home did take,
Well maist thou rue with teares that cannot dry.
Which was the cause that foure of us must dye.
Ulalia faire, more bright than Summer's sunne,
Whose beauty hath my heart for ever won,
My soule more sobs to thinke of thy disgrace,
Than to behold mine own untimely race.
Snared in wealth, as Birds in bush of lime,
I would to God thy wisdome had been more,
Or that I had not entered in the door ;
Or that thou hadst a kinder Father beene
Unto thy Child, whose yeares are yet but greene.
The match unmeete which thou for much didst make,
When aged Page thy Daughter home did take,
Well maist thou rue with teares that cannot dry.
Which was the cause that foure of us must dye.
Ulalia faire, more bright than Summer's sunne,
Whose beauty hath my heart for ever won,
My soule more sobs to thinke of thy disgrace,
Than to behold mine own untimely race.
The prisoners to be trailed arrived in Barnstaple, about a month after, on the Monday 16th March, including the four from the murder of William, and were held at the Castle Green and some at the bailiff’s house. On the 18th, Judge Edmund Anderson took charge of the trails and sent a total of 18 people to the death penalty, including Ulalia for petty treason with George, Robert and Thomas for murder. Ulalia’s Uncle Judge Glanville was present at the trial but did not send any of them to death as that was Anderson’s job.
On the 20th March, George, Robert and Thomas were lead up to the gallows and hanged for their part in the murder. Ulalia was burnt at the stake as that was the punishment for petty treason at the time. George, Robert and Thomas were buried on the same day in Barnstaple and what was left of Ulalia in Bishop Tawton also on the 20th.
It is also said by Shakespeareans that William Shakespeare (yes him, also) wrote the play 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' based on this - obviously changing a few details as the story passed to him and twisting it himself to make it into the play. This story has been passed around since then which has caused variants to the story but using records from the time I have created this version based on records and the outline of story to be more accurate.
I hope that you have found this story interesting and if you know anything about the Plymouth Pages or/and related to them feel free to comment below!
Published: 14 January 2016
On the 20th March, George, Robert and Thomas were lead up to the gallows and hanged for their part in the murder. Ulalia was burnt at the stake as that was the punishment for petty treason at the time. George, Robert and Thomas were buried on the same day in Barnstaple and what was left of Ulalia in Bishop Tawton also on the 20th.
It is also said by Shakespeareans that William Shakespeare (yes him, also) wrote the play 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' based on this - obviously changing a few details as the story passed to him and twisting it himself to make it into the play. This story has been passed around since then which has caused variants to the story but using records from the time I have created this version based on records and the outline of story to be more accurate.
I hope that you have found this story interesting and if you know anything about the Plymouth Pages or/and related to them feel free to comment below!
Published: 14 January 2016
Comment Box is loading comments...
*Note - No copyright infringement was intended. If there is a breach in copyright contact me through the 'Contact' section so it can be removed. All photos are Copyright © 2015 Harry Clarke. All Rights Reserved. The homepage photo and the photos included in this article is courtesy of Eupedia.