Joan Bocher
Encyclopedia
Joan Bocher was an English
Anabaptist
burned at the stake
for heresy
. She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher, or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent
.
Bocher's origins are unclear, but it is known that families named Bocher and Knell lived in the area round Romney Marsh
. She was associated with Baptists and Anabaptist
s in Kent, some of them immigrants who had fled persecution in the low countries
. In the 1530s and 1540s she was "much in favour in reforming circles" in Canterbury
. Although there is a lack of definitive written evidence, there are long-standing traditions associating her with Eythorne Baptist Church
.
Her first conflict with church and state came after she spoke against the sacrament of the altar
, but she was released from imprisonment by a commissary of Thomas Cranmer
and Christopher Nevinson. This leniency was held against Nevinson when he was charged in 1543 with involvement in the Prebendaries' Plot
.
Bocher developed an interest in Anabaptist
ideas, and took up the idea of Christ's celestial flesh, "not incarnate of the Virgin Mary".. She was arrested as a heretic in 1548 and convicted in April 1549. Then followed a year's imprisonment during which various well-known religious figures were enlisted to try to persuade her to recant. She was unmoved, and Cranmer was involved in bringing her to the stake on 2 May 1550, though accounts of him forcing Edward VI to sanction this - with Edward "driven to pen the mandates", as Wordsworth put it - may be inaccurate.
Some well-known stories about Bocher were first recounted by Robert Parsons in 1599: for instance, Joan's friendship with Anne Askew
and her involvement in smuggling Tyndale
's New Testament
into England, and into the royal court under her skirts. According to Parsons in A temperate ward-word, he had learned these things from someone who had been present at her trial.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
burned at the stake
Burned at the Stake
Burned at the Stake is a 1981 film directed by Bert I. Gordon. It stars Susan Swift and Albert Salmi.-Cast:*Susan Swift as Loreen Graham / Ann Putnam*Albert Salmi as Captaiin Billingham*Guy Stockwell as Dr. Grossinger*Tisha Sterling as Karen Graham...
for heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher, or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Bocher's origins are unclear, but it is known that families named Bocher and Knell lived in the area round Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
. She was associated with Baptists and Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
s in Kent, some of them immigrants who had fled persecution in the low countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. In the 1530s and 1540s she was "much in favour in reforming circles" in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. Although there is a lack of definitive written evidence, there are long-standing traditions associating her with Eythorne Baptist Church
Eythorne Baptist Church
Eythorne Baptist Church originated in the meetings of early 16th century Baptists who had crossed the English Channel from the low countries to Kent to escape persecution. 19th century Baptist writer J. J...
.
Her first conflict with church and state came after she spoke against the sacrament of the altar
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, but she was released from imprisonment by a commissary of Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
and Christopher Nevinson. This leniency was held against Nevinson when he was charged in 1543 with involvement in the Prebendaries' Plot
Prebendaries' Plot
The Prebendaries' Plot was an attempt made by religious conservatives in England to oust Thomas Cranmer from office as archbishop of Canterbury. The events took place in 1543 and saw Cranmer formally accused of being a heretic...
.
Bocher developed an interest in Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
ideas, and took up the idea of Christ's celestial flesh, "not incarnate of the Virgin Mary".. She was arrested as a heretic in 1548 and convicted in April 1549. Then followed a year's imprisonment during which various well-known religious figures were enlisted to try to persuade her to recant. She was unmoved, and Cranmer was involved in bringing her to the stake on 2 May 1550, though accounts of him forcing Edward VI to sanction this - with Edward "driven to pen the mandates", as Wordsworth put it - may be inaccurate.
Some well-known stories about Bocher were first recounted by Robert Parsons in 1599: for instance, Joan's friendship with Anne Askew
Anne Askew
Anne Askew was an English poet and Protestant who was condemned as a heretic...
and her involvement in smuggling Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
's New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into England, and into the royal court under her skirts. According to Parsons in A temperate ward-word, he had learned these things from someone who had been present at her trial.
External links
- Boucher, Joan (d. 1550) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineThe Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on anabaptist-related topics....
- J. Newton Brown Memorials of Baptist Martyrs (1854)
- Anabaptists