Noel Radford leaves wife Sue squirming in tonight’s 22 Kids and Counting after uncovering the grisly details of a brutal murder in his family.
The dad-of-22 is left stunned when he learns the horrific way his relative was killed while researching his adoptive ancestors.
Keen to dig deeper into his family tree, Noel meets with a historian to find out more about his past.
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However, he’s completely unprepared for the shocking story she’s about to share.
22 Kids and Counting: Noel Radford discovers brutal murder
Noel is delighted to discover one of his ancestors was Nicholas Radford, a Member of Parliament in the 1400s.
But the discovery quickly takes a dark turn when he learns Nicholas’ death was described as “the murder of the century”.
Noel admits: “It’s really shocking to find out one of my relatives was murdered.”
Historian Dr Sophie Therese Ambler explains: “This was the murder of the century.
“I think we can safely say this was the most notorious crime of the 15th century.”
She reveals Nicholas Radford was a wealthy and influential figure who represented several aristocrats. In today’s money, his fortune would have been worth around £2 million.
But his success eventually led to a violent feud with a rival family.
According to an account presented to Parliament, a group of men “armed for war” targeted Nicholas’ home.
The attackers ransacked the property and stole valuables including money and jewellery.
During the raid, one of the men turned on Nicholas with a glaive, a single-edged bladed weapon.
“It was used to strike a hideous deadly stroke over his face and felled him to the ground,” Dr Ambler reads from the historical record.
She adds that Nicholas was then attacked again from behind, suffering another blow to the head.
Dr Ambler then reveals his “brain fell out”.
Sue Radford left horrified by gruesome details
Later, Noel shares what he’s learned with Sue at home – but the graphic details quickly prove too much for her.
“I’m going to tell you this. It’s quite gory,” he warns.
“This guy got a big glaive and slashed it down the front of his face, right?”
Sue immediately winces, covering her eyes before placing her hands over her ears as Noel continues the story.
“They chopped the back of his head off and then his brain fell out,” Noel says.
Clearly horrified, Sue pleads: “No, no, stop. No. His brain fell out?”
Noel simply replies: “Yep.”
Despite the grisly details, Noel also learns the killing played a significant role in British history.
According to Dr Ambler, the murder marked one of the opening moments of the Wars of the Roses.
Reflecting on the discovery, Noel says: “When I first started researching my family history, I didn’t expect I’d come across wealthy landowners and murders of the century!”
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