Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 78
¶The Martyrdome of fiue constant Christians, which suffered the last of all other in the time of Queene Mary.
… 10.THe last that suffred in Queene Maries time, were fiue at Caunterburye, burned about sixe dayes before the death of Queene Mary, whose names follow here vnderunder written.
Iohn Corneford, of Wortham.
Christopher Browne, of Maydstone.
Iohn Herst, of Ashford.
Martyrs.Alice Snoth.
Katherine Knight, otherwise called Katherine Tynley, an aged woman.
These fiue, to close vp the finall rage of queene Maries persecution,…. Last Martyrs that were burned in Queene Maryes tyme. for the testimony of that word, for whiche so many had died before, gaue vp theyr liues, meekly and paciently suffering the violent malice of the Papistes. Which Papists although they then might hauehave either well spared them, or els deferred theyr death, knowing of the sicknesse of Queene Mary: yet such was the implacable despite of that generation, that some there be that say, the Archdeacō of Canterbury the same time being at London, & vnderstanding the daunger of the Queene, incontinently made al post hast home to dispatch these, whom before he had thē in his cruell custody.
The matter why they were iudged to the fire, was for beleuing the body not to be in the sacrament of the aulter,Their articles why they were condemned. vnlesse it be receiued, saying moreouer that we receiue an other thing also beside Christes body, which we see, and is a temporall thing, according to S. Paule: The thinges that be sene, be temporall. &c.
Item, for confessing that an euill man doth not receiue Christes body: Because no man hath the sonne, except it be geuen him of the father.
Item, that it is Idolatry to creepe to the crosse and S. Iohn forbidding it, sayth, Beware of Images.
Itē, for confessing that we should not pray to our Lady and other Sayntes, because they be not omnipotent.
For these and such other articles of Christian doctrine, were these fiue committed to the fire. Agaynst whom whē the sentence shoulde be read, and they excommunicate, after the maner of the papistes,… one of them, Iohn Cornford by name, styrred with a vehemēt spirit of the zeale of god, proceeding in a more true excōmunication agaynst the papistes, in the name of them all, pronounced sentēce against them, in these wordes as folow.
In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of the most mighty God, and by the power of his holy spirite,Sentence of condemnation pronounced by Iohn Cornford against the Papists. & the authority of his holy catholick & Apostolick church, we do geue here into th… handes of Satan, to be destroyed, the bodies of all those blasphemers & hereticks, that do mainteine any error agaynst his most holy word, or do cōdemne his most holy truth for heresy, to the mainteinaunce of any false Churche or fayned Religion, so that by this thy iuste iudgement, O most mighty God, against thy aduersaries, thy true religion may be knowne, to thy great glory, and our comfort, and to the edifying of al our natiō. Good Lord so be it. Amen.
This sentence of excommunication beyng the same time openly pronounced and registred, proceeding so, as it seemeth from an inwarde fayth and hartye zeale to Gods trueth and Religion, tooke such effect agaynst the enemye, that within sixe dayes after, Queene Mary dyed, and the tyranny of all Englishe Papistes with her. Albeit, notwithstanding the sicknes and death of that queene, wherof they were not ignorant, yet the Archdeacon, with other of Caunterbury,The cruell dealing of M. Harpsfield the Archdeacon of Canterbury. thought to dispatch the Martyrdome of these men before.
¶The burning of fiue Martyrs at Caunterbury.
The Martyrdome of 3. men and 2. women at Canterbury. Anno 1558. Nouem. 10.In the which fact, the tyranny of this Archdeacon seemeth to exceede the crueltye of Boner: who notwithstanding he had certayne the same time vnderunder his custodye, yet he was not so importune in haling them to the fire, as appeareth by father Liuing and his wife, and diuers other, who being the same time vnderunder the custody and daūger of Boner, deliuered by the death of Queene Mary, remayne yet some of them aliue.
These godly martirs in theyr prayers which they made before their martirdome, desired God yt theyr bloud might be the last that should be shed, and so it was.
This Katherine Tynley was the mother of one Robert Tynley now dwelling in Maydstone, which Robert was in trouble all Queene Maryes time. To whom hys Mother comming to visite him, asked him how he tooke this place of Scripture (which she had seene, not by reading of the Scripture, for she had yet in maner no taste of Religion, but had found it by chaunce in a Booke of prayers: I will poure out my spirite vponupon all flesh, and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesy: your olde men shall dreame dreames, and your young men shall see visions. Ioell. 2.And also vponupon the seruantes, and vponupon the maydes in those dayes will I poure my spirite. &c. Which place after that he had expounded to her, she began to take hold on the Gospell, growing more and more in zeale and louelove thereof, and so continued vntounto her Martyrdome.
Among such young women as were burned at Caunterbury, it is recorded of a certayne mayd, and supposed to be this Alice Snoth here in this story mentioned,A note of Alice Snoth. or els to be Agnes Snoth aboue storied, pag. 1751. (for they were both burned) that when she was brought to bee executed, she being at the stake, called for her godfather and godmothers. The Iustice hearing her, sent for thē, but they durste not come. Notwithstanding the Iustice willed the messē ger to go agayne, and to shew them that they should incur no daunger therfore.
Then they hearing that, came to knowe the matter of theyr sending for.Hereby B. Boner may see, that the Martyrs dyed in the same fayth wherein they were baptised by their Godfathers and Godmothers. When the maide saw them, she asked thē what they had promised for her: and so she immediatly rehearsed her fayth, and the commaundements of God, and required of them, if there were any more that they had promised in her behalfe: and they sayd no.
Then sayd shee: I dye a Christian woman: beare witnes of me, and so cruelly in fire was she consumed, & gaue ioyfully her life vp for the testimony of Christes Gospell, to the terrour of the wicked, and comfort of the godly, and also to the stopping of the sclaunderous mouthes of suche, as falsly doe quarrell agaynst these faythfull Martyrs for going from that religion wherein by theyr Godfathers & Godmothers they were first baptised.