this was a simple piece of paper covered with simple writing and had a square whole for a nail to pin it up – clearly a very temporary document. However, its miraculous survival over the centuries has raised its value from worthless to rare and valuable. The rest of the morning held two more activities: forensic analysis and code breaking. The first of these was a practical insight into some of the ways in which chemists identify different substances, which can prove invaluable in an investigation if the cause of death or a link with the murderer can be shown. In our investigation, we had an unknown salt, and three identified salts. Test results from the unknown salt could be compared to those from the known ones, and we eventually worked out its composition. Run by the Classics department, the code-breaking task was to identify the meaning of each word in a series of fictional Elizabethan restaurant reviews. In the afternoon, after writing up a sensational report of the murder in the style of a modern tabloid, complete with head and strapline, introduction, main body and conclusion, we returned to the Great Hall to see the sword fighting re-enactment that we had all directed at different stages. There were two versions acted out: the first was where a drunken Marlowe was asked to pay for the drinks for himself and his friends, leading him to try to stab one of his companions. When they
“There were two versions acted out: the first was where a drunken Marlowe was asked to pay for the drinks for himself and his friends, leading him to try to stab one of his companions.”
then tried to restrain him, one involuntarily stabbed him through the eye with his dagger. All were shocked. In the second, perhaps less likely, scenario, Marlowe’s companions were plotting against him while he was buying drinks. When he returned, their plan went wrong, and out of frustration they started fighting each other as well as Marlowe. As well as Marlowe being stabbed fatally in the eye, all but one person ended up dying from subsequent fights. Finally, the archaeologist Simon Blatherwick gave a talk about the kind of sites and items from centuries ago that are found buried beneath London. It was a truly interesting day, with fascinating talks and a variety of different angles of looking at an event that, originally, must have just seemed like another murder in Elizabethan London.
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