MysteryFamous
The arrow that killed a king
Glanced off the oak, they said. The oak never testified.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Iron-cased stone pillar in a forest glade
- Legend from
- History / local tradition
- Tone
- Dark history
An arrow, a glancing oak, a dead king, and a charcoal-burner's cart to Winchester.
The Rufus Stone in Canterton Glen near Minstead marks where King William II, called Rufus, is said to have been killed by an arrow while hunting on 2 August 1100. The inscription says Sir Walter Tyrrell shot at a stag, the arrow glanced off an oak and struck the king in the chest. His body was then carried to Winchester in a cart belonging to a man named Purkis. The claim that this is the spot dates only from Charles II's visit in the 17th century. Whether it was an accident or a murder that cleared the way for Henry I is still argued over.