Marian Persecutions - Observations

Observations

It can be noted that from 2 August 1556 until 14 January 1557 there seems to be no recorded 'burnings' or martyr deaths.

It maybe significant that when they recommenced, they did so at Canterbury on 15 January 1557, at the seat of the nations official religious life, with the burning of six individuals. Additionally four other individuals, also in Kent, in two different locations within some 20 miles radius of Canterbury, where also burnt on the following day 16 January 1556.

On 31 July 1556 St Ignatius of Loyola died. A religious hero to the devout. A Spanish soldier turned religious hermit and founder of the Jesuits. His death may have been reported by Papal courier to Queen Mary 1st within a regular exchange of documents from Rome to Heads of State. Queen Mary 1st was also profoundly linked to Spain by her marriage to King Philip of Spain at Winchester Cathedral on 25 July 1554. It might be possible to imagine that the effect of Ignatius of Loyola death on Mary 1st, had she held him in extreme esteem, may have been one of mercy on her hitheto persecuted subjects?

It is likely that Queen Mary 1st would have had some notion of the extend and number of individuals executed from month to month across her realm. These individuals would have probably been named, when it came to the executions of priests and other ranking officials or citizens. Court records are likely to have been kept that maybe crossed referenced with Cathedral and Church episcopal records. Access to these should be available under the 'Freedom of Information Act' although this may not apply to Church law and access to documents or episcopal records.

It may also seem likely that every Cathedral in Mary's kingdom may have been expected to meet it's obligation in rooting out heretics and that in the absence of evidence of doing so, the Bishop of that Cathedral and diocese might be bought under the suspicion of leniency. This would hold fatal consequences if proven. Under these pressures there seems to be a distinct lack of executions in a great many Cathedral towns and cities. This poses the question whether any records may have been disposed of, for fear that when Queen Elizabeth 1st took the throne, the new regime may have sought redress on Mary 1st clergy.

The broad figure of 300 victims of the Marian Persecutions as listed by Foxe and later by Thomas Brice in his poem, "The Regester" seems to be potentially on the low side. On the other hand, as stated by the Dominican historian 'Fernandez', suggests "more than 30,000 heretics were either burnt, or reconciled, or banished from England" as stated by Hugh James Rose & Samuel Roffey Maitland, in the 'British Magazine & Monthly Register of Religious and Ecclesiastica"...Vol.XVI page 489, Nov.1st 1839, might be exaggerated. However without a reliable breakdown of the numbers variously executed, recanted and freed, with those who fled to Protestant Europe, the statement at such high numeric levels is hard to validate. Using statistical variance the lower estimate of 300 executions may extend to some 1472 victims throughout Mary 1st, 64 month reign, equating to some 23 individual executions a month.

Notable gaps without recorded executions are

• 19 July 1553 – 3 February 1555
• 2 August 1556 – 14 January 1557
• 17 January 1557 - 11 April 1557
• 24 September 1557 – 17 November 1557
• 23 December 1557 - 27 March 1558
• 15 July 1558 – 3 November 1558