Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Account 28
¶A note of Gertrude Crokehay.
IN the late dayes of queene Mary, among other straūge dealinge of the Papistes with the faythfull,Referre this to the page 1955. and to the yeare of the Lord 1556. this is not with the rest to be forgotten that a godly Matrone named Gertrude Crokhay, the wife of Mayster Robert Crokehay dwellinge then at S. Katherins by the Tower of London, absteyned her selfe from the Popish church. And she being in her husbands house it happened in an. 1556. that the foolish popishe Saynt Nicholas went aboute the Parish, which she vnderstanding shut her doores agaynst him, and would not suffer him to come within her house. Then Doctor Mallet hearing therof (and being thē maister of the sayd Saint Katherins) the next day came to her with xx. at his tayle, thinking belike to fray her, and asked why she would not the night before let in Saynt Nicholas, and receiue his blessing. &c. To whom she aunswered thus. Syr, I know no Saynt Nicholas, sayd she, that came hither, Yes quoth Mallet, here was one that represēted S. Nicolas. In deed sir, sayd she, here was one that is my neighbours childe, but not S. Nicholas. For S. Nicholas is in heauen, I was afrayd of them that came with him to hauehave had my purse cutte by them. For I hauehave heard of men robbed by Saint Nicholas Clerkes. &c. So Mallet perceiuing nothing to be gotten at her handes, went his way as he came, and she for that time so escaped.
Then in an. 1557. a litle before Whitsontide, it happened that the sayd Gertrude aunswered for a childe that was baptised of one Thomas Saunders, whiche childe was christened secretly in a house after the order of the seruice booke in king Edwardes time, and that being shortly knowne to her enemies, she was sought for, which vnderstanding nothing therof, wēt beyond the sea into Gelderland for to see certayne lands that should hauehave come to her childrē in the right of her first husband, who was a straū ger borne. And being there about a quarter of a yeare, at the length comming homeward by Antwarpe, chaunced to meet with one Iohn Iohnson, a dutch man, alias Iohn Dewille of Antwarpe, shipper, who seing her there, went of malice to the Margraue, and accused her to be an Anabaptist, whereby she was taken and caried to prison. The cause why this noughtye man did thus, was for that hee claymed of Mayster Crokhay her husband a piece of money which was not his due, for a shippe, that the sayd master Crokhay bought of him: and for that he could not get it, wrought this displeasure. Well, she being in prison, lay there a fortnight: in whiche time she sawe some, that were Prisoners there, who priuily were drowned in Renishe wine fattes, and after secretly put in sackes and cast into the Riuer. Now she, good woman, thinking to be so serued, tooke thereby such feare that it brought the beginning of her sickenes, of the which at length she dyed.
Then at the last she was called before the Margraue and charged with Anabaptistrye, which shee there vtterly denyed, & detested the error, declaring before him in dutch her fayth boldly, without any feare. So the Margraue hearing the same, in the ende being well pleased with her profession, at the sute of some of her frendes deliuered her out of prison, but tooke away her booke, and so she came ouer into England agayne. And being at home in her husbandes house, he thinking to finde meanes to gette her to go abroad, made one Uicars a yeoman of the Tower hys frend, who was great with Boner, to worke that liberty for her. Now this Uicars making meanes to Boner for the same, Boner put the matter ouer to Darbishyre hys Chauncellour, who enioyned her to geue certeyne money to poore folkes, and to goe on the Wednesday and sonday after to Church to Euensong, which she so did, and afterward had such trouble in her conscience thereby, that shee thought verely God had cast her off, and that she shoulde be damned and neuer saued, so not long after this it happened mayster Rough of whom mention is made Page 2034. came to her house,Read before pag. 2034. vntounto whō she made mone of her vnquietnes for going to Church, and desired his counsell what she might doe, that should best please God and ease her troubled soule &c. Unto whō M. Rough replied many comfortable sentences of scripture to comfort her, and in the end gaue her counsell to goe to the christian congregation, which secretly the persecuted had, and confesse her fault vntounto them, and so to be receiued into theyr felowship agayne: which hearing that, was glad and entended so to do, and so would hauehave done if sore sicknes had not immediatly preuented the same. But when doctor Mallet heard by one Robert Hemminges, Woodmonger, that she laye very sicke in deed, which Hemminges was her great enemy, he came to her twise to perswade her to recant and to receiue (as the Papistes terme it) the rites of the Church. Unto whom she aunswered she could not, nor would, for that she was subiect to vomet and therfore he would not, (she was sure she sayd) hauehave her, to cast vp theyr God agayne, as she should do if she did receiue it. And so immediatly vometed in deed, wherfore he seing that, went frō her into the hall to her daughter named Clare sacke, and tolde her, if her mother would not receiue, she should not be buryed in christian burial, as he termed it. Then Clare went and tolde her sicke mother what he sayde vntounto her. Which hearing the same, spake these wordes following. Oh (sayd she) how happy am I, that I shall not rise wyth them, but agaynst them. Well (quoth she) the earth is the Lordes and all that therein is, and therfore I commit the matter to him. &c.
Shortly hereupon, that is the 27. day of March 1558. the sayd Doctor Mallet came agayne to her with one D. West Queene Maryes Chapleyne. And comming in, hee saluted her, and tolde her that he had brought her a good learned man to perswade her, who was one of ye queenes Chapleines. &c. and therefore he desired her to heare and beleue him, in that he should say. &c. Then D. West exhorted her to receiue theyr Sacrament, and to be aneled, for he sayd, she was strong enough for it. &c. Unto whom she aunswered, that shee was able and strong enough to receiue it in deede, but she woulde not, for that it was abhominable. &c. Then sayd West, ye be in an ill minde: doe ye thinke to dye a christian woman? yea sayd she that I do. I pray you sayd West, how came you first into that opinion. Mary (sayd she) there he is that first taught it me (meaning D. Mallet) at the mariage of my brother & his sister, where I heard him earnestly preach this doctrine, whiche I now do holde. And if God shall lay our sinnes to our charge, if we repent not, muche more damnable is his offence, being once a publicke Preacher of the same, & nowe to turne from it. Then Mallet tolde her he was then deceiued, by little newfangled two peny bookes, as you bee now (sayd he) but now I am otherwise perswaded, as I would hauehave you, and to receiue the Sacrament, whiche if you would, you should, I warrant you be saued, my soule for yours. At those wordes she earnestly desired them to be content, for sayth she, ye be come to rob and to draw me from my Christ, which I tell you truth you shall not doe, for I will neuer consent to you while I liue. When West heard her saye so, he drewe his stoole nigher to heare her speake, and being dronken, he fell downe, whereby Mallet was fayne to helpe him vp agayne, and so immediatly after they departed thence. And the xiij. day of Aprill next after that, she dyed constantly in the Lord, and yelded her soule and life into his holy handes, with these wordes. Oh Lord into thy handes receiue my soule, and so immediatly gaue vp her life vntounto the Lord, to whome be prayse for euer. Amen.
While she was beyond sea, as is sayd before, Mayster Crokhay her husband, by the procurement of D. Mallet, was cited to come before Mayster Hussey the Commissary, who had it not bene for that he made meanes vntounto the sayd Hussey before) woulde hauehave sent him to prison, and bound him in recognisaunce to seeke her out. But he more easily escaped theyr handes by frendship, as before I hauehave sayd.
Now when D. Mallet heard of her death, M. Crokhay, and one Robert Hemminges, Bailiefe of S. Katherins, being before him for ye burying of her, he sayd plainely, she should be buried nigh to some high way, & a marke set vp, in token that an hereticke was buryed there. Then the sayd Hemminges tolde him, the hogges would scrape her vp, which were not decent nor best, and M. Crokhay intreated she might be buryed in his Garden, whiche at length he graunted, and willed the sayde Hemminges to set it done, and that he should be sure he buryed her there in deede.
After, when the corpes was brought to the sayd Garden, the sayd Robert Hemminges the Bailife would needes see it opened, which when the couer was taken of, the wife of the sayd Hemmings put her hand wtin the sheete, & felt the hayre of the sayde dead corpes, saying: now will I iustify that she is here, and so she did, telling Mallet that those her handes did feele her: this is the effecte of thys Story.
Now since the comming in of Queene Elizabeth the sayd D. Mallet came to the sayd M. Crokhay and asked him forgeuenes, alleadging this verse of the Poet.
¶Amantium irae amoris redintegratio est.
The Lord geue him repentaunce, and grace to seeke perfect frendwip with him, if it be his blessed will. Amen.