‘This cannibal in three years space three hundred martyrs slew’. Torture and Treason at Fulham Palace

About the talk

This lecture will focus upon the religious turbulence of the 16th century and the impact this had upon the Church and the Bishops of London. It was during this period that King Henry VIII split from Rome. Dissatisfied with the Catholic Church in his attempts to divorce Katherine of Aragon, the nation witnessed a shift towards anti-clericalism with the perceived corruption of the Church eventually leading to the dissolution of the monasteries.

Pope Clement VII had made the mistake of appointing Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury who annulled Henry’s marriage to Katherine.  Henry was succeeded by his son, Edward VI whose support of Protestantism led to widescale changes within the Church. The resident Bishop of London, Edmund Bonner, was a dogmatic Catholic although he had not raised concerns about Henry’s split from Rome. Edward wanted new Bishops to preach the new faith, yet Bonner’s refusal to bow to Edmund and Protestantism resulted in his imprisonment within the Marshalsea. Edward chose Nicolas Ridley as the new Bishop of London, a keen and somewhat fierce Protestant. Ridley did however keep in contact with Bonner’s family and regularly invited them to dine at the Palace.

Unfortunately for Ridley, following the death of Edward, Mary came to the throne bringing with her the return of Catholicism, the eventual execution of Ridley (who was burnt at the stake as one of the ‘Oxford Martyrs’) and the return of Bonner. The Marian persecutions soon began and Bonner was more than happy to play his part. The final twist in the saga followed the death of Mary and the coronation of the more religiously tolerant Elizabeth. This would mark the return of Bonner to jail and the appointment of the Protestant Edmund Grindal to the see of London.

About the speaker

Alexis Haslam, community archaeologist, joined Fulham Palace Trust in May 2017. He holds a BA in History and is a Member of the Institute for Archaeologists. He began working in archaeology upon graduating in 2000, working his way up from a field technician to a project officer. He has directed and published numerous archaeological excavations including his most recent work ‘Tales from the Vaults and other Newington Horror Stories’. After 16 years he left Pre-Construct Archaeology to join Fulham Palace Trust and is currently working on writing up the Palace’s long and complex history for a monograph due to be published in 2024.