The Matchless murder

The Matchless murder

giving an account of the most horrible and bloody murthering of the most worthy gentleman Thomas Thin, Esq., who was on Sunday, February the twelfth, 1682 barbarously killed in his own coach ... : and the names of the murtherers now lying in Newgate, who have confessed the same, are as followeth, Capt. Christopher Furatz, a German, George Boroskie, a Polander, John Stern a German, Fredrick Harder, and Amien Berg, accessaries : to the tune of Troy town.

British Library - Roxburghe, C.20.f.10.60; Bodleian, Wing M1078; EBBA 31359

Troy Town

Come and assist my trembling Pen,
while I endeavour to explain
The bloody minds of cruel men,
That will no wickedness refrain,
But bloody Humors to fulfill
Innocent blood they daily spill.

Now my sad story Ile begin,
The like I think you ner did hear,
How that Renowned Squire Thin
Was murtherd it doth plain appear; Their bloody minds for to fulfill, This squire most horridly they kill.

On Sunday last this Gentleman
Clear of all Scandals or Reproach,
At severall places he had been
With Noble Monmouth in his Coach, This worthy person thought no ill, Whilst Villians sought his blood to spill

And thus they passd the Streets along
Till seven or eight a Clock at night,
& then great Monmouth would be gone
In whom so much he did delight, Poor soul he little thought of ill, while villains sought his blood to spil.

His Grace he was no sooner gone,
But this sad accident befell,
By Villains he was set upon
Neer to a place thats call[]d Pell-mell, Their Hellish minds they did fulfill and there his precious blood did spill.

Up to his Coach these Villains ride,
As by his Servants it is said,
With Weapons which they did provide
Whilst he poor soul was not afraid, For harmless souls ner fear no ill. while villains seek their blood to spill

Meeting with him as they desired,
Their Hellish courage then grew hot,
Into his Coach at him they fired,
And into his belly him they shot, And so like Villains him they killd, & his most precious blood they spilld.

Away like Villains then they fled;
With horror doubtless in their mind,
This worthy soul three quarters dead,
Bleeding ith Coach they left behind: Now had the Villains got their will That sought his precious blood to spill

When these unwelcome tydings came
To Noble Monmouths wondring ear,
His courage which none er could tame
Did on a suddain plain appear, He strait pursud those that did spill. His precious blood that thought no ill

This Noble Hero did all night
Pursue these murtherers all in vain,
Till Sol with his resplendant light
Did to our sight return again, But could not find those that did kill That harmless soul as thought no ill

But Heaven did presently find out
What lovely Monmouth could not do,
Twas well he was the Coach gone out,
Or he might have been murthered too, I fear that they who this squire killd Poor Jameys blood would feign have spilld

These Villains they were seiz[]d at last,
And brought before his Majesty,
This horrid thing they then confest
Now Prisoners they in Newgate lie, And be condemned no doubt they will, that squire Thins sweet blood did spill

hanging

murder

London : Printed for J. Conyers at the Black Raven in Duck Lane

Wikipedia: Thomas Thynne (1647/8-12 February 1682) was an English landowner of the family that is now headed by the Marquess of Bath and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1670 to 1682. He went by the nickname "Tom of Ten Thousand" due to his great wealth. He was a friend of the Duke of Monmouth, a relationship referred to in John Dryden's satirical work Absalom and Achitophel where Thynne is described as "Issachar, his wealthy western friend".

Thynne was the son of Sir Thomas Thynne, and his wife Stuarta Balquanquill, daughter of Dr. Walter Balquanquill. His father was a younger son of Sir Thomas Thynne of Longleat, Wiltshire. In 1670 Thynne succeeded to the family estates at Longleat on the death of his uncle Sir James Thynne without issue. He also succeeded his uncle as Member of Parliament for Wiltshire, and sat until his death in 1682.

On 15 November 1681 Thynne married the wealthy Lady Elizabeth Percy, only child of Joceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland. Thynne was murdered on 12 February 1682 after the Swedish Count Karl Johann von Königsmarck began to pursue his wife. He was shot while riding in his coach in Pall Mall, London, by Königsmark and his three accomplices Christopher Vratz, John Stern and Charles George Borosky. The four were soon arrested; however Königsmark was acquitted of the murder (due to the corruption of the jury according to diarist John Evelyn) but Vratz, Stern and Borosky were hanged on 10 March 1682.

Thynne's remains were interred in a marble tomb in Westminster Abbey. The tomb is decorated in part with a representation of the murder of Thynne in 1682. A popular ballad summed up the episode in form of a mock epitaph:
"Here lies Tom Thynne of Longleat Hall
Who ne'er would have miscarried;
Had he married the woman he slept withal
Or slept with the woman he married."