18 December – Heretic John Philpott’s sad end

On this day in Tudor history, 18th December 1555, John Philpott, former Archdeacon of Winchester, was burned at the stake for heresy at Smithfield.

Philpott had done a lot in his 40 years, including studying in Italy, upsetting Bishop Gardiner, and supporting fellow Protestants from his prison cell, and he died a courageous death at Smithfield in the reign of Queen Mary I. Find out more about him in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.

You can read records of his examinations, the ones he smuggled out of prison, at https://www.exclassics.com/foxe/foxe328.htm

Also on this day in history:

• 1575 - Nicholas Harpsfield, historian, Catholic apologist, priest and former Archdeacon of Canterbury, died in London. He had been released from Fleet prison four months earlier due to ill health. He and his brother, John, had been imprisoned since the early 1560s for refusing to swear the Oath of Supremacy.