The Biggest Blag in History

It was the largest bullion heist in world history, one hundred thousand pounds, the equivalent of a years tax revenue for England.

While Edward I was away fighting in Scotland, unemployed clerk Richard of Pudlicott took it upon himself the raid the royal treasury. Assembling a crack gang of villains and having inside monks in Westminster Abbey where the haul was stashed. Richard gained entry to the secure abbey and in one night stole as much of the loot as they could carry, supposedly leaving more than half behind.

The job was so successful that it left authorities clueless as to who did it and Longshanks himself had to return from Scotland.

Having blagged the modern equivalent of a few hundred billion it was what to do with so much money that eventually brought the raiders down. Wads of cash, diamonds and royal gold began surfacing in brothels, boozers and gambling dens across London as the gang splashed out their new found wealth about.

Longshanks set his constables about arresting anyone found with the goods, which eventually led back to the fences and finally Richard of Pudlicott.

Tortured and imprisoned Richard refused to name his accomplices and went on to be tried in the most high profile trial of the middle ages. Richard of Pudlicott was hung and much of the loot recovered, but the monks who helped him and his gang got clean away.