On this week in 1555…

Religious persecution under Mary 1 in the Mersea area

This week Christians remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ – the two most central aspects of the Christian faith
Yesterday (Good Friday 29th March) I walked past this plaque on the old Ironworks near the bottom of Market Hill in Maldon and noticed it referred to an event which happened the previous day (28th March) in 1555:

“Near this place Stephen Knight suffered for his Protestant Faith. He was burnt at the stake on March 28th 1555.”.

It set me thinking about what was happening at the time in our area. The English Bible had been legalised in England by Henry VIII at the instigation of Thomas Cromwell and Archbishop Cranmer in 1537 and under Henry’s son Edward (1547-53) England had become officially Protestant. But the accession of Mary 1 whilst initially promising religious toleration quickly led to persecution of Protestants. Essex, particularly the Colchester area became a hive a clandestine Protestant activity due to its close proximity and sea links to the low countries. English Bibles were smuggled in barrels, while people being persecuted secretly fled to the continent.

Great Wigborough seems to have been a particular centre of underground Protestant activity. John Mott fled to the continent to escape execution, which left his farm liable to confiscation by the crown – although his father managed to avoid this by claiming he had given it to him. John Simpson and John Ardleigh – both described as husbandmen of Wigborough were both later burnt at the stake.

The situation on Mersea is less clear – as we only know about persecution when people were actually captured and brought to trial – and Mersea as a bit of backwater possibly escaped the level of scrutiny the mainland was subjected to. However, the capture and execution in Colchester of a preacher called George Eagles (aka Trudge) who lived in the woods, travelling around encouraging and teaching Protestant congregations led to the arrest of 20 “accomplices” of his at West Mersea and Dedham – including John Geffrye, who is described as “husbandman of West Merseaa”. However, before the case came to trial, shortly before the end of Mary’s reign, Geffrye had died.
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Elizabeth then came to the throne – and there was a period of greater toleration for at least a decade. However, meeting for worship outside the established church remained – at least on paper- a capital offence until the 1689 Toleration Act. It is possible that the non-conformist meeting house on Meeting Lane, East Mersea which has now disappeared emerged towards the end of this period - although there is no definite evidence to prove this.