On this day in Tudor history, 28th May 1582, Roman Catholic priests Thomas Forde, John Shert and Robert Johnson suffered full traitors' deaths at Tyburn.
The three men had been condemned for their alleged implication in the Rome and Reims Plot of 1580, but many believe that this plot wasn't actually real.
In today's video, I explain exactly what led to these men's executions in 1582, why Roman Catholic priests were persecuted in this manner, and what the plot was all about.
Also on this day in history:
- 1509 – Death of Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon. He was buried at Tiverton.
- 1533 - Archbishop Cranmer proclaimed the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn.
- 1535 – Birth of Sir Thomas North, translator, in London.
- 1611 – Funeral of Thomas Sutton, founder of the London Charterhouse.
May the three blessed martyrs rest in peace, killed for ministering to persecuted Catholics and not for any invented plots. Of course it was a stitch up. The English Government were obsessed and paranoid at this time. May perpetual light shine upon them.
Elizabeth was excommunicated for killing 700 northern Catholics in 1569 after a rebellion.