August 1 – The birth of an alchemist, and a young blind woman is burnt,

On this day in history, 1st August 1555, Sir Edward Kelley, apothecary, alchemist and medium, was born in Worcester.

Kelley was a fascinating man. He worked with Dr John Dee and the men believed that they communicated with angels. Kelley also claimed that he was an alchemist and he wrote a treatise on the Philosopher's Stone.

Find out more about Kelley and his work...

You can read Kelley's treatises at https://ia902704.us.archive.org/19/items/AlchemicalWritingsOfEdwardKelly1893/Alchemical-Writings-of-Edward-Kelly-1893.pdf

Dr John Dee video - https://youtu.be/A5hy__pKZuQ

And on this day in Tudor history, 1st August 1556, a blind woman named Joan Waste was burnt in Derby for heresy after she refused to recant her Protestant faith.

Joan was just twenty-two when she died and had learnt the New Testament by having people read it to her.

Find out more about Protestant martyr, Joan Waste, her short life and her sad end...