Eustace Folville
c.13th-14th century A notorious gang that made innocent travellers tremble
Tired with the corrupt regime of Hugh Despenser the Younger, Eustace Folville, the son of a noble family, decided to do something about it. In 1326, he gathered together a gang of around 50 men and together they attacked and killed Sir Roger de Beler, the corrupt Baron of the Exchequer and a long-time enemy of the Folvilles.
Although initially outlawed for their crimes, the gang later received a pardon when Despenser’s regime fell. By this time, however, Folville and his men had become lauded as heroes for standing up to their tyrannical rulers. Like a Medieval A-team, they remained at large and accepted contracts from people who were seeking retribution or wanted to right a wrong.
With robbery, ransom and abduction the everyday work of the Folville Gang, they were soon making a habit of being outlawed and pardoned. Although Richard, one of Eustace’s younger brothers, was captured and beheaded, Eustace himself managed to escape punishment and even lived well on the proceeds of his commissions.
Mentioned in contemporary literature alongside Robin Hood, the Folvilles were regarded as heroes by some and villains by others. As one of the first named criminal gangs of the era, though, they marked an important entry in the annals of crime in the Middle Ages.