Fry's Island

Fry's Island is an island in the River Thames in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Fry's Island is sometimes known by the alternative name of De Montfort Island.

History

Fry's Island is famous as the location of the duel between Robert de Montfort and Henry of Essex, the standard bearer to King Henry II. Whilst the court was in residence at Reading Abbey in 1163, Robert had accused Henry of Essex of cowardice and treason, because he dropped the standard and called out the King was dead during a previous battle with the Welsh, charges Henry of Essex denied. King Henry decreed that this dispute must be resolved in a trial by combat, to be undertaken on what is now Fry's Island. At the height of the combat, Henry of Essex fell wounded and, in the belief he was dead, the King ordered the monks to carry him away and bury him. However he was not dead, and the monks nursed him back to health. Because he had lost the combat he was adjudged guilty and stripped of his lands; however he was permitted to become a monk at the abbey where he remained for the rest of his life.

Location

Fry's Island is a natural island located in the middle of the Thames where it flows near the centre of Reading. The only access to the island is by boat. It is home to a private house, two boatyards and the Island Bohemian Club, perhaps the only bowling club in the world that runs its own ferry service.

Grid reference: SU714743

See also

• Islands in the River Thames

Sources

• David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History article on Trial by combat at Reading, retrieved December 1, 2004.