The Coventry Martyrs
Encyclopedia
The Coventry
Martyrs
were a disparate group of Protestant
Christians
executed in the city between 1512 – 1522 (seven men and two women) and in 1555 (three men). Eleven of them are commemorated by a six-metre high monument, erected in 1910 in a public garden in the city, between Little Park Street and Mile Lane; and by a mosaic
constructed in 1953 inside the entrance to Broadgate House in the city centre. Some of the streets in the city’s Cheylesmore
suburb are named after them.
and historian Alan Munden has made the case for the number of martyrs to be increased to thirteen, if a woman burned in 1432 for Lollardy
is included among their number. Lollards were known to be active in the city as early as 1414, and sources of the time record Lollardy-related public order incidents in 1424 and 1431. In 1432, the wife of a mayor
was executed at Coventry for Lollardy, with further ecclesiastical court trials recorded for 1445 and 1486.
of Coventry and Lichfield
, most of them from Coventry and the surrounding area. It is likely they were interrogated either at the bishop’s manor at Maxstoke
, or at the Greyfriars
monastery
in the city itself. Those who confessed were forced to sign an abjuration
, to be read by the accused bare-legged and bare-headed in the Cathedral
. However, the bishop’s campaign appears to have been unsuccessful, and the following year nine people were burned in the city, most of them individuals who had abjured and done penance
the previous year, but had since returned to their sincerely-held Lollard views. Records suggest that the possession of Protestant literature, and of the Scriptures
in English (illegal at the time), were a significant part of the case against them.
Those martyred were as follows:
Joan Ward (or Washingby), who had been a Lollard, for 20 years, but had also previously abjured (about 1495) in Maidstone
. She was burnt at Coventry on 12 March 1512, though there is some dispute about the date. The monument has 1510 (it was erected to mark the 400th anniversary of her death), the mosaic has 1511, and Mozley has 1512.
Master Archer (a shoemaker), Thomas Bond (a shoemaker), Master Hawkins (a shoemaker or skinner), Robert Hockett, or Hatchet, or Hatchets (a shoemaker or leather-dresser), Thomas Lansdail or Lansdale (a hosier) and Master Wrigsham (a glover) were all burned on 4 April 1520. The monument gives a date of 1519 for these deaths.
A widow, Mistress Smith, was due to be discharged when a document was discovered in her sleeve, containing (in English) the Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments and Apostles’ Creed. For this, she was immediately condemned and burnt with the others. The memorial names her ‘Mistress Lansdail (or Smith)’.
Robert Silkeby (or Silkby or Silkesby) was burnt on 13 January 1522, having previously escaped after being apprehended with those burned in 1520. He appears to have acted as librarian
to the group, keeping tracts
, English scripture portions, commentaries and mystical writings on their behalf.
were executed not for Lollardy (many of Lollardy’s values having by then found expression in the ideas of the Reformation), but for continuing to hold Protestant views after the Catholic faith was restored under Mary.
Laurence Saunders
was burnt in the city on 8 February 1555. Educated at Cambridge University, he was ordained
during the time of Henry VIII
, and by 1553 was a ‘prominent London cleric’. When Mary succeeded to the throne, he was imprisoned for 15 months, for belief in two (instead of seven) sacraments
, and for refusal to hold to the doctrines of transubstantiation
, the necessity of confession
to a priest
, and the universal authority of the Pope
. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that, at the stake, he said ‘Welcome the cross
of Christ
, welcome everlasting life’.
Robert Glover was also educated at Cambridge University, and was a fellow of King's College. He was tried at Lichfield, and burnt in Coventry on 20 September 1555.
Cornelius Bongey, or Bungey, was a tradesman (hatmaker), and was executed on the same day as Glover.
In 1953, the mosaic was designed by Hugh Hosking, and created by Geneva artist Rene Antoinetti. A street in the city’s Radford
suburb was named after Laurence Saunders at this time, and a Baptist
church
bearing his name was founded and opened there in 1990.
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
Martyrs
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
were a disparate group of Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Christians
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
executed in the city between 1512 – 1522 (seven men and two women) and in 1555 (three men). Eleven of them are commemorated by a six-metre high monument, erected in 1910 in a public garden in the city, between Little Park Street and Mile Lane; and by a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
constructed in 1953 inside the entrance to Broadgate House in the city centre. Some of the streets in the city’s Cheylesmore
Cheylesmore
Cheylesmore is a suburb in the southern half of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is one of Coventry's largest suburbs, sharing borders with Whitley and Stivichall in the South, extending into Coventry city centre and bordering with Earlsdon in the North. Cheylesmore has two...
suburb are named after them.
Lollardy in 15th-century Coventry
Former Coventry vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
and historian Alan Munden has made the case for the number of martyrs to be increased to thirteen, if a woman burned in 1432 for Lollardy
Lollardy
Lollardy was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformation. The term "Lollard" refers to the followers of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially his...
is included among their number. Lollards were known to be active in the city as early as 1414, and sources of the time record Lollardy-related public order incidents in 1424 and 1431. In 1432, the wife of a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
was executed at Coventry for Lollardy, with further ecclesiastical court trials recorded for 1445 and 1486.
Lollardy in 16th-century Coventry – the first martyrs
In 1511–12, some 74 Lollards appeared before the court of the BishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Coventry and Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, most of them from Coventry and the surrounding area. It is likely they were interrogated either at the bishop’s manor at Maxstoke
Maxstoke
Maxstoke is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire, England.-Maxstoke:Maxstoke is a small residential area.In the fields around the priory can be seen traces of medieval earthworks for fish farming and water control....
, or at the Greyfriars
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in the city itself. Those who confessed were forced to sign an abjuration
Abjuration
Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. .-Abjuration of the realm:...
, to be read by the accused bare-legged and bare-headed in the Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
. However, the bishop’s campaign appears to have been unsuccessful, and the following year nine people were burned in the city, most of them individuals who had abjured and done penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
the previous year, but had since returned to their sincerely-held Lollard views. Records suggest that the possession of Protestant literature, and of the Scriptures
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in English (illegal at the time), were a significant part of the case against them.
Those martyred were as follows:
Joan Ward (or Washingby), who had been a Lollard, for 20 years, but had also previously abjured (about 1495) in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. She was burnt at Coventry on 12 March 1512, though there is some dispute about the date. The monument has 1510 (it was erected to mark the 400th anniversary of her death), the mosaic has 1511, and Mozley has 1512.
Master Archer (a shoemaker), Thomas Bond (a shoemaker), Master Hawkins (a shoemaker or skinner), Robert Hockett, or Hatchet, or Hatchets (a shoemaker or leather-dresser), Thomas Lansdail or Lansdale (a hosier) and Master Wrigsham (a glover) were all burned on 4 April 1520. The monument gives a date of 1519 for these deaths.
A widow, Mistress Smith, was due to be discharged when a document was discovered in her sleeve, containing (in English) the Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments and Apostles’ Creed. For this, she was immediately condemned and burnt with the others. The memorial names her ‘Mistress Lansdail (or Smith)’.
Robert Silkeby (or Silkby or Silkesby) was burnt on 13 January 1522, having previously escaped after being apprehended with those burned in 1520. He appears to have acted as librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
to the group, keeping tracts
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
, English scripture portions, commentaries and mystical writings on their behalf.
Persecution under Mary Tudor
The three martyrs burnt during the reign of Mary TudorMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
were executed not for Lollardy (many of Lollardy’s values having by then found expression in the ideas of the Reformation), but for continuing to hold Protestant views after the Catholic faith was restored under Mary.
Laurence Saunders
Laurence Saunders
Laurence Saunders England was an English Protestant martyr, whose story is recorded in Foxe's Book of Martyrs...
was burnt in the city on 8 February 1555. Educated at Cambridge University, he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
during the time of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and by 1553 was a ‘prominent London cleric’. When Mary succeeded to the throne, he was imprisoned for 15 months, for belief in two (instead of seven) sacraments
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
, and for refusal to hold to the doctrines of transubstantiation
Transubstantiation
In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change, in the Eucharist, of the substance of wheat bread and grape wine into the substance of the Body and Blood, respectively, of Jesus, while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.The Eastern Orthodox...
, the necessity of confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
to a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, and the universal authority of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that, at the stake, he said ‘Welcome the cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, welcome everlasting life’.
Robert Glover was also educated at Cambridge University, and was a fellow of King's College. He was tried at Lichfield, and burnt in Coventry on 20 September 1555.
Cornelius Bongey, or Bungey, was a tradesman (hatmaker), and was executed on the same day as Glover.
Commemorating the martyrs
The site of the executions in the manorial park at Cheylesmore, just south of the city wall at the time, was known into the nineteenth century. But it was not until the early part of the twentieth century that public pressure for a monument led to a mayoral committee being formed in 1908, and the erection of the monument in 1910. Carved in Cornish granite, it was funded from an appeal that raised £200, a significant sum of money at the time. Just before the Second World War, a number of streets in the area were named after the martyrs (all except Archer, Bond and Hawkins). In addition, two streets were named after the movement and bore witness to their fate – Lollard Croft and Martyrs Close. In addition, John Grace Street bears the name of one of the 15th-century Lollard preachers tried in the city, and released after doing penance.In 1953, the mosaic was designed by Hugh Hosking, and created by Geneva artist Rene Antoinetti. A street in the city’s Radford
Radford, Coventry
Radford is a suburb and electoral ward of Coventry, located approximately 2 miles north of Coventry city centre. It is covered by the Coventry North West constituency.-Geography:...
suburb was named after Laurence Saunders at this time, and a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
bearing his name was founded and opened there in 1990.