Forty days after he was crowned king of England, Sweyn Forkbeard was apparently murdered in his bed. The weapon was allegedly a spear. But the killer? Folklore has it as the ghost of St Edmund, seeking revenge for his own death at the hands of the monarch's Viking predecessors. Is there any truth to the legend?

As improbable as it might sound, Darron Childs believes there is.

The historian, who has spent more than 30 years researching Gainsborough's Viking history and is due to publish his latest research in his book, Touched by the Hand of Christ, believes politics and taxes both played a part in Forkbeard's downfall. But it was perhaps ignoring the warning of a monk that truly sealed his fate.

Forkbeard had, in his short time on the throne, demanded taxes be paid across the realm, Childs explained, including from those under the patronage of St Edmund, who had previously enjoyed exemption.

If they were not paid promptly, Forkbeard threatened that Bury St Edmunds (or Boedericsworth, as it was then known) would be set on fire and the priests put to death.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

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