William de Tracy - Murder of Becket

Murder of Becket

William II de Tracy was one of the four knights who, supposedly at the behest of King Henry II, in 1170 murdered Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. His accomplices were Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Morville and Richard le Breton (or de Brito). They afterwards invaded the Archbishop's Palace plundering Papal Bulls and Charters, gold, silver, vestments, books, and utensils employed for the services of the church.

The following is a late 19th-century account of the murder of Thomas Beckett:

Sir William de Tracy was one of four knights who at the instigation of Henry II assassinated Thomas a Becket....he four conspirators, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Brey, entered the cathedral....The three knights...struggled violently to put him on Tracy’s shoulders.....In the scuffle Becket fastened upon Tracy’s shoulders, shook him by his coat of mail, and, exerting his strength, flung him down on the pavement....Fitzurse, glowing with rage...wav the sword over his head, cried, “Strike! strike!” but merely dashed off his cap....Meanwhile Tracy, who since his fall had thrown of his haubeck to move more easily, sprang forward and struck a more decided blow. Grim, the monk, who up to this moment, had his arm around Becket, threw it up, wrapped in a cloak, to intercept the blade, Becket exclaiming, “Spare the defence !” The sword lighted on the arm of the monk, which fell wounded or broken, and he fled, disabled....The next blow, whether struck by Tracy or Fitzurse, was only with the flat of the sword, and again on the bleeding head, which Becket drew back as if stunned, and then raised his clasped hands above it....e said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” At the third blow, which was also from Tracy, he sank on his knees, his arms falling, but his hands still joined as if in prayer.In this posture, he received from Richard Breton, a tremendous blow...aimed with such violence that the scalp or crown of the head, which it was remarked was of unusual size, was severed from the skull, and the sword snapped in two on the marble pavement....This story differs from those of the several writers of English history, insomuch, that Tracy simply put his hand on him, and arrested him in the name of the king, but did not strike him; but he was killed by Fitzurse. Before Becket died he put a curse on Tracey's family, a water curse. His family will always have too little or too much water. And believe it or not this has always happened to his family, now the Garnetts, Tracys, and Coogans.

Henry failed to arrest the knights, advising them to flee to Scotland. Whilst their lands technically escheated to the crown, they appear to have continued to enjoy use of them after only a short interruption, presumably as a favour from the king. They stayed only a short while in Scotland, returning to the castle of Knaresborough in Yorkshire the possession of Hugh de Morville, one of the assassins.