The Downfall of Germain Gardiner, John Larke & the Prebendaries’ Plot

By the early 1540s, England’s religious landscape was a minefield. The dissolution of the monasteries had shaken traditional Catholic structures, and Protestant reformers like Archbishop Thomas Cranmer were pushing Henry VIII’s Church further from Rome.

Not everyone was on board.

A faction of conservative clergy and laymen began working covertly to stop these changes. This movement, known as the Prebendaries' Plot, was centred around five prebendary canons of Canterbury Cathedral, including William Hadleigh, a former monk of Christchurch Canterbury.

The plot had two fronts:

1. At court in Windsor, where Catholic nobles sought to weaken Cranmer’s influence.
2. In Kent, where conservative clergy and gentry conspired to remove Protestant preachers and discredit Cranmer.

The plan was exposed in 1543, leading to a crackdown. Richard Cox, Henry VIII’s chaplain, was tasked with suppressing the conspiracy, and over 240 priests and 60 laypeople—including men and women—were accused. Among those caught in the fallout was Germain Gardiner, the nephew and secretary of Bishop Stephen Gardiner. Unlike his powerful uncle, he was not spared.

Germain Gardiner was deeply devoted to the old faith and fiercely opposed Henry VIII’s supremacy over the church. As the trusted secretary and intermediary of his uncle, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, he allegedly helped coordinate with the conspirators in Kent. When the plot was crushed, Henry VIII had to make an example of someone. Bishop Stephen Gardiner was too valuable to execute—he had supported Henry in breaking from Rome and had been an ally in the king’s political struggles. Instead, his nephew Germain took the fall. He was arrested, tried for treason, and sentenced to the horrific traitor’s death: Hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on 7th March 1544.

But he wasn’t alone on the scaffold that day. Alongside Germain Gardiner, three other men were condemned for rejecting the Royal Supremacy:

• John Larke – A respected priest, former rector of Chelsea, and friend of St. Thomas More.
• John Ireland – Once More’s chaplain, executed for resisting Henry’s reforms.
• Robert Singleton – A parish priest charged with treason, though he was never beatified like the others.

All died brutal deaths at Tyburn. Larke’s execution was particularly tragic—he had once been aligned with reformists like Cranmer but had returned to his Catholic faith, sealing his fate.

While these men perished, one individual on the scaffold was spared at the last moment: The playwright John Heywood. John Heywood was not a priest or a theologian, but a playwright and satirist known for his sharp wit and court connections. He was also deeply connected to the Catholic resistance, associated with St. Thomas More and Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Heywood was sentenced to death at Tyburn that day, standing on the scaffold alongside Germain Gardiner and the others. But he did something they refused to do: He recanted. By publicly accepting Henry VIII’s supremacy, Heywood was pardoned and spared execution. Unlike many conservatives, he survived the Tudor reigns, navigating the religious swings from Henry to Edward to Mary to Elizabeth. Eventually, under Elizabeth I, he went into exile in Mechelen, Belgium, where he died around 1580. His survival was a rare twist of fortune in an era where religious loyalties could mean life or death.

The Prebendaries’ Plot failed. Cranmer survived and kept the king’s favour. Stephen Gardiner remained in power, though later, during Edward VI’s reign, he was imprisoned. The English Church moved further away from Rome, as Protestant influences continued to grow.

But what did it cost?

The men who stood by their faith—Germain Gardiner, John Larke, and others—were brutally executed. Even those who had once served the king’s reforms, like Dr. John London, found themselves crushed when they outlived their usefulness.

Henry VIII’s reign had one unforgiving rule: No one was indispensable.

But they are remembered by the Catholic Church. Germain Gardiner and John Larke were beatified in 1886, and John Ireland in 1929.