On Monday September 22 , a group of Year 8 Rye College drama students went to Rye Town Hall to watch the play called Murder Aforesaid. Here’s what that thought of the play – and the story.
The play is based on a man called John Breads who was on trial in 1743. His skull is still in Rye Town Hall today and this was an important part of the play as it is part of Rye’s history. John Breads was a butcher in Rye. He was accused of murdering the mayor’s brother-in-law, Allen Grebell. One of the main reasons why the witnesses thought it was him is because the knife that was used to murder Allen Grebell was a butcher’s knife. The play focused on whether Breads was guilty of murder, manslaughter or was insane. All of which could have had consequences for him and his family.
The play was very dramatic and mysterious. It was set in the room where the actual trial of John Breads took place, and it felt that we were experiencing a real court trial from the early 1740s. The Rye Players’ acting was phenomenal. It really made us feel as if we were there at the trial of Breads. Above us, still in the roof of Rye Town Hall, was John Breads’ skull, which only added to the drama.
The play was focused on whether it was a fair trial for John Breads. James Lamb was a very important figure in 1743 for the people of Rye, being the mayor, coroner and also the prosecutor! James Lamb was heavily biased because it came across in the play that he didn’t like John Breads and thought that he was a wrongdoer. Additionally, the other members of the jury voted against Breads because they feared upsetting Lamb. In the end Breads was hung on Gibbet Marsh.
At the end of the performance, a vote was taken with the audience: was John Breads guilty of the murder of Allen Grebell? It was a unanimous vote: NO!
Reporters: Tasmin Davies, Nancy Redsull-Green, Natalia McKinley, Dora Land.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
At the riveting performance I saw, the majority verdict of the jury (audience) was also ‘not guilty’ of murder.
He was, in my opinion, guilty of killing Allan Grebell by mistake, but I think a modern jury would have found him unfit to plead because of insanity, brought on by heavy drinking following the death of his wife.
The killing is still a hot topic in Rye, nearly 300 years later!