St Swithun's Church, East Grinstead
The Martyrs
Outside the South Door of the Church there are stones laid in memory of 3
Protestant Martyrs, burned at the stake in 1556, during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor.
The inscription reads: “Beneath these stones are interred (as is believed) the ashes
of Thomas Dunngate, Anne Tree, and John Forman, who were burned to death in High
Street, East Grinstead in 1556, for adherance to the reformed faith: Fideles Usque Ad
Mortem; Faithful even unto Death.”
Mary Tudor came to the throne in 1553 on the death of her 16 year old half brother,
the Protestant Edward VI. She was welcomed by her people, despite an attempt to put the
Protestant Lady Jane Grey, (The 9 Days Queen) on the throne. Mary was the rightful
Queen, according to the Will of Henry VIII. Tudor people had a strong belief in the right
order of things and in The Chain of Being.
Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. Mary was
staunchly Roman Catholic. She set about restoring the Latin Mass and disallowing married
clergy. She actively persecuted Protestants, believing that they must turn from their
“heretical” ways or face the flames of hell. Her reign saw more earthly burnings of
“heretics” than any of the other Tudors- an estimated 284, including 56 women - in less
than 5 years, compared to 81 in her Father's 38 year reign and 10 in her Grandfather's 24
year reign. Another 30 people probably died while in prison for their beliefs.
Mary married King Philip of Spain, the son of her cousin, the Emperor Charles V.
Philip was 11 years her junior. Twice, Mary thought herself pregnant and went through the
“confinement” ritual of weeks spent in darkened rooms with only her ladies- but there were
no babies.
Queen Mary is also famous for losing Calais, England's last foothold in France.
John Foxe wrote his Book of Martyrs, recording the burning of Protestants. The 1563
version dates the burning of the East Grinstead Martyrs as taking place on Saturday, 18 th
July 1556. This would have been traditionally a market day and it was perhaps chosen for
the burnings to have maximum impact upon the local people.
© Caroline Metcalfe 2009
St Swithun's Church, East Grinstead
The Martyrs
Burning at the stake must have been a truly horrible death in the damp English
climate.
The 3 were burnt to death in East Grinstead, but may not have been residents of
East Grinstead. Others were burnt at Lewes and again may not have lived in Lewes.
We do not know what happened to their ashes. Such ashes were not usually buried
in consecrated ground.
These 3 deaths are an important part of East Grinstead's History. The devotion to
their Faith is extraordinary and courageous.
Only 2 years later, in 1558, Queen Mary Tudor was dead and her Protestant half
sister Elizabeth I succeeded her.
For more details, please see the leaflet written by Mr. M.J. Leppard and published by
the East Grinstead Society.
Other useful books are:
John Jones:The Early Modern World 1450-1700, History in the Making, Macmillan
A.G.Dickens: The English Reformation (Fontana Collins)
Linda Porter: Mary Tudor, The First Queen (Portrait, Piatkus Books Ltd)
Robert Tittler: The Reign of Mary I, Seminar Studies in History, Longman.
Jasper Ridley: Bloody Mary's Martyrs. The Story of England's Terror. (Constable)
© Caroline Metcalfe 2009
Education
St Swithun's Church, East Grinstead
The Martyrs
Outside the South Door of the Church there are stones laid in memory of 3
Protestant Martyrs, burned at the stake in 1556, during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor.
The inscription reads: “Beneath these stones are interred (as is believed) the ashes
of Thomas Dunngate, Anne Tree, and John Forman, who were burned to death in High
Street, East Grinstead in 1556, for adherance to the reformed faith: Fideles Usque Ad
Mortem; Faithful even unto Death.”
Mary Tudor came to the throne in 1553 on the death of her 16 year old half brother,
the Protestant Edward VI. She was welcomed by her people, despite an attempt to put the
Protestant Lady Jane Grey, (The 9 Days Queen) on the throne. Mary was the rightful
Queen, according to the Will of Henry VIII. Tudor people had a strong belief in the right
order of things and in The Chain of Being.
Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. Mary was
staunchly Roman Catholic. She set about restoring the Latin Mass and disallowing married
clergy. She actively persecuted Protestants, believing that they must turn from their
“heretical” ways or face the flames of hell. Her reign saw more earthly burnings of
“heretics” than any of the other Tudors- an estimated 284, including 56 women - in less
than 5 years, compared to 81 in her Father's 38 year reign and 10 in her Grandfather's 24
year reign. Another 30 people probably died while in prison for their beliefs.
Mary married King Philip of Spain, the son of her cousin, the Emperor Charles V.
Philip was 11 years her junior. Twice, Mary thought herself pregnant and went through the
“confinement” ritual of weeks spent in darkened rooms with only her ladies- but there were
no babies.
Queen Mary is also famous for losing Calais, England's last foothold in France.
John Foxe wrote his Book of Martyrs, recording the burning of Protestants. The 1563
version dates the burning of the East Grinstead Martyrs as taking place on Saturday, 18 th
July 1556. This would have been traditionally a market day and it was perhaps chosen for
the burnings to have maximum impact upon the local people.
© Caroline Metcalfe 2009
St Swithun's Church, East Grinstead
The Martyrs
Burning at the stake must have been a truly horrible death in the damp English
climate.
The 3 were burnt to death in East Grinstead, but may not have been residents of
East Grinstead. Others were burnt at Lewes and again may not have lived in Lewes.
We do not know what happened to their ashes. Such ashes were not usually buried
in consecrated ground.
These 3 deaths are an important part of East Grinstead's History. The devotion to
their Faith is extraordinary and courageous.
Only 2 years later, in 1558, Queen Mary Tudor was dead and her Protestant half
sister Elizabeth I succeeded her.
For more details, please see the leaflet written by Mr. M.J. Leppard and published by
the East Grinstead Society.
Other useful books are:
John Jones:The Early Modern World 1450-1700, History in the Making, Macmillan
A.G.Dickens: The English Reformation (Fontana Collins)
Linda Porter: Mary Tudor, The First Queen (Portrait, Piatkus Books Ltd)
Robert Tittler: The Reign of Mary I, Seminar Studies in History, Longman.
Jasper Ridley: Bloody Mary's Martyrs. The Story of England's Terror. (Constable)
© Caroline Metcalfe 2009
Education