Recently I came across several King’s Bench records that refer to a case between the Coterels, the Bradbournes and Matilda the wife of Bartholomew Sudle in 1325, several years before the Coterels heinous period.
In the spring of that year we find Matilda seeking remedy for ‘trangressions’ allegedly committed by James Coterel and John & William Bradbourne, et al. James is distrained by the sheriff of goods worth a mere 20 pence (almost certainly he had concealed his other assets and made them inaccessible), the Bradbournes cannot be found.
Later that year, Matilda is seeking remedy against Roger & Richard Bradbourne for ‘rapuit et abduxit’. Whilst this may look sinister, it is often misinterpreted as sexual violation. (Eustace Folville is an unfortunate example of this) In this context it should be interpreted as ‘seized and abducted’. They took her away to a place called ‘Hough’ in Derbyshire.
To link these two records together is speculation (at present), but it appears that the Bradbournes may have carried out this act as a way of intimidating Matilda to drop her pursuit, an act that the gang would repeat in later years when under scrutiny. Hopefully there is more to context to come.