Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 39 – Account 40
¶The Lordes faythfull prisoners in Colchester Castle.
W. Munt condemned.WIlliam Munt of Muchbentley in Essex, of the age of 61. yeares, sayde: that the sacrament of the Aultar was an abhominable Idoll, and that if he should obserue any part of their popish proceedinges, he should dysplease God, and bring his curse vponupon him, and therfore for feare of his vengeāce he durst not doe it. This good father was examined of many thinges, but God be thanked, he stoode to the truth and in the end therfore had sentence of condemnation read agaynst hym.
Iohn Iohnson of Thorpe in Essex, wydower of ye age of xxxiiii. yeares, was examined as the rest, and made answere in suche sorte,…hn Iohn…on condem…d. as the Papistes counted them none of theirs, and therefore condemned him with theyr bloudye sentēce, as they had done the rest before. This Ioh. Iohnson affirmed, that in the receauing of the sacrament, accordyng to Christes institution, he receiueth the body of christ spiritually. &c.
Alice Munt, the wife of the sayde William Munt, of ye age of xli. yeares,Alice Munt …ondemned. being also examined as the rest, sayd and confirmed the same in effect as her husband dyd, and was therefore also condemned by their bloudy sentence in lyke maner.
Rose Allyn mayd, the daughter of the sayd Alice Munt of the age of twenty yeares,Rose Allen. being examined of auricular confession, goyng to the church to heare Masse, of the Popish seuen sacramentes &c. aunswered stoutlye that they stanke in the face of God, and she durst not hauehave to do with them for her life,… Allins answeres. neyther was she (she sayde) anye member of theirs: for they were the members of Antichriste, and so shuld hauehave (if they repented not) the reward of Antichrist. Being asked further, what she could saye of the Sea of the Bishop of Rome, whethere she would obey hys authoritie or no: she aunswered boldly, that she was none of hys. As for hys See (quoth she) it is for Crowes,Rose Allin condemned kytes, owles and Rauens to swimme in, such as you be, for by ye grace of God I shall not swimme in that See, while I lyue, neither will I hauehave any thing to doe therewith. Then read they the sentence of condemnation agaynst her, and so sent her vntounto prison agayne vntounto the rest, where she song with great ioy, to the wonder of many.
Thus these poore condemned Lambes, beyng deliuered into the handes of the secular power, were committed agayn eueryevery one vntounto ye Prison from whence they came, where they remayned wt much ioy & great comfort (in continuall reading, and inuocating the name of God) euer looking and expecting the happy day of their dissolution. In which time the cruell Papistes left not their mischieuous attemptes agaynst them (although they would seeme now to hauehave no more to doe with thē) for bloudy Boner, whose throte neuer cryed ho, shortly a…ter got a writ for the burning of the foresayd ten good creatures, and to shewe the more dilligence in the cause, he sent hys owne trusty man downe with it, named Edward Cosin, and with hym also his letter for the furtheraunce of the matter, the thirtye day of Iuly, the next month after the condemnation.
The writ being thus receiued of the sayde Bayliffes, & they hauing then no leysure thereaboutes, appoynted the day of ye executiō therof, to be ye second day of August next following. And because the faythfull soules were in two seuerall Prisons, as the Castle was for the Countrey and Mote Hall for the Towne, therfore it was agreed among them, that they in Mote Hall should be burnt in the forenoone and those at the Castle, by the Sheriffe of ye Shyre, in the after noone, as here thou mayest see it more playne how it came to passe accordingly.
The second day of August. 1557. betwixt sixe and seuen of ye clock in ye morning, was brought from Mote Hal vntounto a plat of ground hard by the towne wall of Colchester on the outward side, William Bongeor, William Purcas Thomas Benold, Agnes Siluerside aliâs Smith. Helene Euring & Elizab. Folkes aforenamed, which being there, & al things prepared for theyr martyrdome at the last these said constant martyrs kneeled downe and made theyr hū ble prayers to God, but not in such sorte as they woulde: for the cruel tyrants would not suffer them: especially one Mayster Clere among the rest (who sometyme had bene a Gospeller) shewed hymselfe very extreme vntounto them: the Lord geue him repentaunce (if it be hys good will) & grace to be a better man. Whē they had made their prayers, they rose, & made them ready to the fire. And Elizabeth Folkes when she had pluckt off her Peticote, woulde hauehave geuen it to her mother, (which came and kist her at the stake, and exhorted her to be strong in the Lord) but the wicked there attending, woulde not suffer her to geue it. Therefore taking the sayd peticote in her hand, she threw it away from her saying: Farewell all the world farewell fayth, farewel hope: and so taking the stake in her hand, sayde: Welcome louelove &c. Now she being at the stake, and one of the Officers nayling the chayne about her, in the striking of ye staple, he mist the place and strake her with a great stroke of the hammer on the shoulder bone: wherat she sodenly turned her head lifting vp her eyes to the Lorde, and prayed
¶The martyrdome of three men and three women at Colchester, burned in the forenoone, besides 4 other burned at after noone.
The Martyrdome of Williā Bongor, Will. Purcas, Tho. Benold, Agnes Siluerside, alias Smith, Helene Ewring, Elizabeth Folkes, at Colchester in the forenone. Anno. 1557. August. 2.smilingly, and gaue her selfe to exhortyng the people agayne.
When all sixe were also nayled likewise at their stakes and the fire about them, they clapped their handes for ioy in the fire, that the standers by (which were by estimation thousandes) cryed generally all almost: The Lord strengthē them, the Lord comfort them, the Lord poure his mercies vponupon them, with such like wordes, as was wonderfull to heare.
Thus yealded they vp theyr soules and bodyes into ye Lordes handes, for the true testimony of his trueth. The Lord graunt we may imitate the same in the like quarrell (if hee so vouche vsus worthye) for hys mercies sake. Amen.
In like manner, the sayde day in the afternoone, was brought forth into the Castle yard, to a place appoynted for the same,W. Munt, Alice his wyfe, Rose Allin their daughter, Iohn Iohnson, burnt the same day at afternoone. W. Munt. Iohn Iohnson, Alice Munt, and Rose Allyn aforesayd, which godly constant persons, after they had made theyr praiers, and were ioyfully …yed to the stakes, calling vponupon the name of God, and exhorting the people earnestly to flee from Idolatry, suffered their martyrdome with such triumphe and ioye, that the people did no lesse showte therat to see it, then at the other that were burnt the same day in the morning.
Thus ended all these glorious x. soules that day, their happy liues vntounto the Lord,The age of these Tenne made the summe of 406. whose ages all did growe to ye summe of 406. yeares or thereaboutes. The Lord graunt we may well spend our yeares and dayes likewise to his glory. Amen.
¶Iohn Thurston dyed in Colchester Castle.
BEfore you hauehave heard of ye taking of one I. Thurston at Muchbentley,Iohn Thurston a confessor of Christ. August. …. in the house of one William Munt of the same towne: which sayd Iohn Thurston afterwarde, about the monethmonth of Maye, in the yeare aforesayde, dyed in Colchester Castle, a constaunt confessour of Iesus Christ.