Running even later than usual this hideously sunny Macabre Monday, as I had to run an errand after work. That said I’m feeling extra macabre.

And, I have a cool thing to show you. There are plenty of murder maps on the internet. These plot murders over time in certain areas. They can be helpful for researchers looking into patterns or investigating old cold cases. Interesting stuff, to be sure, but I always feel a little bit ghoulish when I’m on the modern maps. Lurking there gets a little sad after a while. That said, if you want to get your fix of grisly murder without the guilt, you should give the Medieval Murder Map a try. This map tracks murders recorded in London, York, and Oxford during the 1300s and it’s wild.

Peruse, for example, the case of a young man who murdered a bystander at a urinal… with a poleax. Or read the tale of David Arpadaa, who, goaded on by fellow servants, fired an arrow out of a window into a crowd of angry law apprentices about to do battle amongst themselves, with swords drawn.

It’s quite entertaining and will definitely lead you down some interesting and educational, albeit dark, rabbit holes. I’ve gotten a few story ideas from the map and highly recommend spending some time there.

I also highly recommend these fine and dastardly writers. Please do check them out.