#OTD in Tudor history – 4 July

On this day in Tudor history, 4th July, reformer and theologian John Frith was burnt at the stake for heresy; Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, died of sweating sickness; and Elizabethan composer William Byrd died...

• 1533 – Burning of John Frith, reformer, theologian and martyr, at Smithfield for heresy. Frith was charged with heresy because of his religious views, which included his belief that Christ's words about the sacrament, “This is my body”, were not to be taken literally. Frith was given the chance to recant, but he refused. See video below.
• 1550 – Appointment of Dr Robert Huick (Hewicke) as Physician Extraordinary to Edward VI by letters patent. His annual stipend was £50. Huick had served Edward's father, Henry VIII, during his final illness, and he also went on to serve Elizabeth I.
• 1551 - Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell and son of the late Thomas Cromwell, died of sweating sickness at Launde Abbey in Leicestershire. He was laid to rest at the abbey’s chapel on 7th July. See video below.
• 1597 – Executions of Catholic priest and martyr William Anlaby with Thomas Warcop, who had been charged with harbouring him, and layman Edward Fulthrop. Click here to read more.
• 1623 – Death of William Byrd, the famous Elizabethan English composer. He was buried next to his wife in the parish of Stondon Massey in Essex. See video below.