Thomas A Becket was King Henry II's friend and was also Lord Chancellor. When the Archbishop of Canterbury became vacant, Henry persuaded Thomas to take up the job. Henry thought having a friend as Archbishop would ease the usual tension between Church and Crown. But Thomas resigned as Lord Chancellor and took his new religious position very seriously. He came into conflict with the King because Henry II tried to assert authority over the Church in England. One argument was the treatment of 'criminous clerks'. A clergyman and clerks who had been taught to read and write by the Church could claim 'benefit of the clergy'. This meant they would be tried in an ecclesiastical (church) court not a royal court.

Punishments in the two courts were different: the ecclesiastical court could be far more lenient. The punishment for murder in the King's court was death, in the ecclesiastical court the punishment for the same crime was to be 'defrocked' (thrown out of the priest hood). Henry wanted the right for all punishment to be the same, Thomas defended the rights of the church to remain independent. At first, Thomas reluctantly accepted Henry's rights. But later, with the support of the Pope, he publicly stated the rights of the Church to remain independent of royal authority.

Henry claimed Thomas had stolen £300 (more than £150, 000 in today's money) from government funds. Thomas denied the charge but offered to repay the money regardless to settle the argument quickly. Henry refused and demanded a trial. This led to a confrontation at Northampton Castle. On 8th October 1164, Thomas was tried and convicted for contempt of royal authority and malfeasance whilst Lord Chancellor. Fearing the consequences (Henry was mentioning other charges including treason), Thomas went on the run to France, where he remained for many years while the conflict between church and state continued. In 1170 he returned to England but was assassinated soon afterwards. This violent act shocked the Christian world and ensured Thomas A Becket's place in history.

Want to see more?
Visit Becket's Well on the Bedford Road, near Becket's Park