Season 3 2 (New) Series 3 Episode 2 - The Boston Escape Attempt. (Transcript added).

© 20 26 The Rise of the Protestants., Author, Shaughan Holt.

Artwork: St Botolph's Church. The Anglican parish church of Boston, Lincolnshire, England.

It has been referred to as "Boston Stump" since it was constructed in the 16th century. The church is a Grade I listed building. The name "Boston" is thought to have evolved from "Botolph's Town".

Music: "And the Glory of the Lord", - Performed by the Boston Baroque.

The opening chorus from Part I of Messiah, the celebrated oratorio composed by the German-born British composer George Frideric Handel in 1741.

Handel completed the entire work in London in the remarkable space of just three weeks.

The chorus sets the words of Isaiah 40 : 5 from the King James Bible:

"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed".

"And all flesh shall see it together".

"For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it".

Named after the city of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Baroque is the oldest permanent period-instrument orchestra in North America. Founded in 19 73 by the American harpsichordist and conductor Martin Pearlman, it is renowned for its performances of Baroque and Classical music using authentic period instruments and historically informed performance practices.

An excerpt of approximately 1 minute 30 seconds is played at the beginning of the episode, while the complete piece is featured at the end, lasting 2 minutes 48 seconds.

Further details, including the lyrics, are provided in the epilogue.

Notes:

Why would ordinary families risk everything to flee their own country?

By 1607, the Scrooby Separatists believed they had reached a turning point. Convinced that the Church of England could no longer be reformed, and determined to worship according to what they believed Scripture required, they faced an impossible choice. They could remain in England and endure continued persecution, or leave behind their homes, possessions, families, and livelihoods in search of religious freedom.

Inspired by the safe arrival of John Smyth's congregation in Amsterdam, they chose exile. This is the story of that decision, and of their first desperate attempt to escape England from the Lincolnshire port of Boston.

© 20 26 The Rise of the Protestants., Author, Shaughan Holt.

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Your feedback matters, send me an email with any comments, suggestions, or criticisms.

© 20 26 The Rise of the Protestants. Author, Shaughan Holt.

"All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, translated, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law".

Requests regarding translation, licensing, or republication should be directed to: [email protected].

Series 3.

Episode 2.

The Boston Escape Attempt.

The year is 16 07.

While the English Separatists were secretly preparing to flee the country, another crisis was unfolding across the Midlands.

In the spring of 16 07, a popular uprising against the enclosure of common land, spread rapidly through the region.

Beginning in late April in the county of Northamptonshire, it quickly spread to Warwickshire and Leicestershire during May, drawing widespread support from labourers, tenant farmers and commoners protesting against the enclosure of common land.

The climax of the movement, came at the Newton Rebellion on 8 June 16 07.

More than a thousand protesters, including women and children, gathered near Newton, close to Kettering Northamptonshire, where they sought to reverse recent enclosures, by pulling down hedges and filling in ditches.

Enclosure, was the process of fencing off land that had traditionally been farmed in open fields, or used as common pasture and woodland.

For generations, local people had relied on these common areas to graze livestock, gather fuel and supplement their livelihoods.

By enclosing the land, landlords gained exclusive control, and could convert it to more profitable uses, particularly sheep farming, while many ordinary families, lost vital rights that had sustained them for centuries.

Although enclosure, had been taking place throughout the sixteenth century, it accelerated during the late 15 and early 16 00s.

Combined with poor harvests, rising grain prices and recurring food shortages, it left many rural communities facing severe hardship, and for some, the genuine threat of starvation.

The conflict between impoverished commoners, struggling for survival, and wealthy landowners, protecting their property, provides a striking historical parallel to Shakespeare's Coriolanus.

In Shakespeare's play, the hungry plebeians, the ordinary people of Rome, confront the patricians, the ancient ruling class, who control the city's grain supply.

Shakespeare is able to bring this conflict, vividly to life, through the character of Coriolanus, whose deep contempt for the common people, drives the struggle to the play's dramatic climax.

Written shortly after the Midland Revolt of 16 07, the play reflects, many of the same tensions over food shortages, authority, and social unrest that troubled England at the time.

Whether or not Shakespeare intended it as a direct commentary on contemporary events, his audience would almost certainly have recognised the parallels, giving the drama a powerful and immediate relevance.

Determined to restore order, King James I instructed his deputy lieutenants to suppress the disturbances.

At Newton, Sir Edward Montagu, Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, formally read the King's royal proclamation, ordering the crowd to disperse.

When the protesters refused, and with the local militia, reportedly unwilling to fight their own neighbours, a force of mounted landowners and their retainers, charged into the demonstrators.

The resulting confrontation became one of the bloodiest episodes of social unrest, in early Stuart England.

Around forty to fifty protesters were killed, many more were wounded, and the movement was crushed.

Several of the ringleaders, were later tried and executed by hanging, drawing and quartering, with parts of their bodies displayed publicly, as a warning to others.

The Newton Rebellion is widely regarded as one of the last occasions, on which the English rural poor and the landed gentry, confronted one another in open armed conflict.

A memorial to those who were executed still stands at St Faith's Church Newton, although the surviving parish and assize records relating to the rebellion are extremely limited.

By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Parliament had passed over 5,200 Enclosure Acts, enclosing nearly 10,000 square miles of land in England and Wales.

The events of 16 07 signalled the beginning of a much bigger change in the English countryside, a process that would last for centuries.

Among the most remarkable figures to emerge from the English Separatist movement, was William Bradford, who would later become the long-serving Governor of Plymouth Colony in America.

Born in the Yorkshire village of Austerfield in 15 90, Bradford lost both his parents while still a young child and was raised by relatives.

Frequently troubled by ill health, he spent much of his childhood reading, and developed a particular devotion to the Geneva Bible.

At about the age of twelve, Bradford began travelling to Babworth to hear Richard Clyfton, the Puritan rector of All Saints’ Church.

Clyfton's preaching, challenged many of the ceremonies and practices of the established Church, and drew in, many reform-minded believers from across the surrounding countryside.

Among them was the young William Bradford, who, through this congregation, first met William Brewster.

Brewster had formerly served as a diplomat's assistant, and was now the postmaster at Scrooby, living with his family at the nearby Manor.

Although more than twenty years older than Bradford, Brewster became a close friend and an important mentor, helping to shape Bradford’s faith and future as a young Separatist.

As Bradford's ties with his relatives weakened, his bond with William Brewster grew ever stronger.

Scrooby Manor became his spiritual home, where he found friendship, guidance, and a community of believers who would shape the course of his life.

Bradford also travelled to Gainsborough, where he heard John Smyth preach, and encountered the more radical ideas, of the emerging Separatist movement.

By 16 06, there were now, two separate congregations in the area.

Smyth led one at Gainsborough, while the other gathered secretly at Scrooby, under the leadership of Richard Clyfton, John Robinson, and William Brewster.

Bradford became part of the Scrooby congregation, its members gathering in secret for worship, at Brewster’s house.

However, their secrecy would not protect them for long.

The Flight from Boston.

Thankfully, by the winter of 16 07, most of the Gainsborough congregation had successfully reached Amsterdam.

Their safe arrival gave fresh hope to the Separatists at Scrooby.

If Smyth and his followers had found refuge in the Dutch Republic, perhaps they could do the same.

Under the leadership of Archbishop Tobias Matthew, the authorities had intensified their campaign against religious nonconformity.

Ministers were suspended, worshippers were fined and imprisoned, and the ecclesiastical courts pursued those suspected of supporting the Separatist cause.

The need to leave England was becoming increasingly urgent.

William Brewster himself became one of their principal targets.

In September 16 07, Brewster resigned as Master of the King's Posts at Scrooby.

The following month, he was dismissed from royal service because of his involvement with the Separatists.

Facing prosecution before the High Commission at York, he went into hiding, rather than submit to the court's authority.

For years, faithful Puritans had hoped the Church of England could still be reformed.

And, as that hope faded, many concluded that separation, rather than reform, was now the only faithful course.

More than a decade earlier, the Welsh preacher John Penry, had urged persecuted believers, to seek refuge abroad, if they could no longer worship God, according to their conscience.

It is unclear whether the Scrooby congregation knew about Penry's last appeal, but they had now reached the same decision.

England could no longer be their home.

After the successful departure of the Gainsborough church, the Scrooby congregation turned to Thomas Helwys for advice and practical assistance.

Their destination, they agreed, would also be Amsterdam, where John Smyth's congregation had already established it.

Yet this time, their journey would be far more difficult.

Following the successful escape of the Gainsborough Separatists, the Privy Council sharply criticised the authorities at Gainsborough, for allowing it to happen.

As a result, surveillance along the eastern ports was tightened, making another escape by the same route far more dangerous.

After careful thought, the Scrooby congregation, decided to attempt their own departure from the Lincolnshire port of Boston.

With its winding medieval streets, imposing Norman church, and busy harbour, and its remaining sense of its past Roman occupation, Boston had long been one of England's principal ports.

Its wealth came from the flourishing wool trade with the Low Countries, and ships sailed regularly, between England and the Continent.

To the Scrooby Separatists, Boston seemed to offer, their best chance of escape.

Amid the constant movement of merchants, sailors and cargo, they hoped a small band of religious refugees, might pass unnoticed, and begin their new life in Holland.

Throughout 16 07, the authorities increased their campaign, against religious nonconformity.

Members of the Scrooby congregation, were summoned before the ecclesiastical courts, fined, placed under surveillance, and threatened with imprisonment.

In November, Gervase Neville of Scrooby was prosecuted as a dangerous Separatist, and committed to York Castle.

He was not alone; other suspected members and supporters of the congregation, were soon brought before the ecclesiastical courts, as the campaign against religious nonconformity gathered pace.

Bradford later recalled that the persecution was not limited to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.

Separatists and other religious dissenters elsewhere in England were also being arrested and imprisoned, while some remained in confinement for long periods without trial.

As the pressure increased, the Scrooby congregation concluded, that remaining in England was no longer possible.

Determined to worship according to their understanding of Scripture, they resolved to abandon their homes and seek religious freedom in the Dutch Republic.

For the seventeen-year-old William Bradford, that decision, marked the start of an extraordinary journey, one that would first take him into exile in Amsterdam.

Years later, William Bradford would recount these events in his famous journal, “Of Plymouth Plantation”.

Written over several decades, it provides the most authoritative firsthand account, of the Pilgrims' journey, their years in exile, and the founding of Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts.

As pressure to conform to the established Church mounted, the Scrooby congregation increasingly looked towards exile, as the only way to preserve their faith.

Like many early Separatists, they were still refining their beliefs and church practices.

Yet despite their differences, they reached one shared conclusion: they must leave England, and seek a place where they could worship God freely, according to their understanding of Scripture.

They held firmly to their beliefs.

In their view, if someone understood what Scripture required but chose not to follow it, that person was knowingly disobeying God.

They worried that wilfully disobeying God, would bring His judgment upon themselves, and their children.

The Separatists believed their faith was being tested, and that they could only stay true to God by following His Word, no matter the cost.

To the Separatists, England had abandoned the purity of the Gospel by retaining ceremonies and practices; they believed were contrary to Scripture.

The familiar words taken from the Book of Common Prayer;, "Amend your lives; for the kingdom of God is at hand," served them as a constant reminder, that every believer would one day give an account before God.

Like Lot fleeing the doomed city of Sodom, they believed God was calling them to leave a land, where they could no longer worship Him, according to their conscience.

Their hope was to find a place where they could worship freely, and organise their churches, according to what they believed to be the pattern, set out in the New Testament.

By 16 07, their decision had been made, and there would be no turning back.

The choice before them was stark: remain in England and face continued persecution, or leave behind their homes, livelihoods, possessions, and the only country they had ever known.

Escape however, would be anything but straightforward.

The eastern ports were now under close surveillance, and the authorities remained alert to any attempt by religious dissenters to flee the kingdom.

To secure passage, trusted intermediaries had to be found, secret arrangements made, and considerable sums of money paid to ship masters, willing to risk carrying them across the North Sea.

Some demanded inflated fees, while others expected bribes to compensate them for the danger.

Even then, there would be no guarantee that they would honour their agreement.

Years later, William Bradford recalled this moment in his journal, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, describing why the congregation finally resolved to leave England.

"Yet seeing themselves thus molested, and that there was no hope of their continuance there, by a joint consent, they resolved to go into the Low Countries, where they heard was freedom of religion, for all men".

For the congregation, preparing to leave England would prove both costly and heartbreaking.

Families quietly sold their livestock, furniture, tools and whatever possessions they could spare, taking great care not to arouse suspicion.

Most of the congregation were tenant farmers or labourers and owned little or no land.

Even so, selling their few possessions meant leaving behind their homes, their livelihoods, and a way of life their families had known for generations.

Space aboard the ship would be limited, so they carried only the bare essentials, clothing, a few household goods, treasured books, and above all, the hope of finding a place where they could worship God in freedom.

Every detail of their plan had been carefully concealed.

They had secured a ship, found trusted contacts, and at last everything seemed ready.

More than sixty members of the congregation, set out for the Lincolnshire port of Boston some sixty-five miles away.

To avoid attracting attention, they travelled in small, inconspicuous groups.

Some went on foot, others rode on horseback, while a few travelled by cart.

By travelling separately, they reduced the risk of being recognised by local officials, or betrayed by informers.

Some members of the congregation may also have used the region's waterways for part of the journey.

One possible route followed the River Idle to the River Trent, joined the Foss Dyke at Torksey, continued to Lincoln, and then followed the navigable River Witham to Boston.

Although there is no evidence that the Separatists travelled this way, it would have provided a practical and discreet alternative to the main roads.

The Foss Dyke, linking the River Trent with Lincoln, is widely regarded as England's oldest canal still in use.

Although some members of the congregation, may have travelled part of the journey by boat, most of the company probably made the journey on foot.

Their few possessions would have been loaded onto horse-drawn farm carts and wagons, the most practical means of carrying families, and everything they hoped to take with them into exile.

As they drew nearer to Boston, they would eventually have caught sight of the Stump, the magnificent 272-foot tower of St Botolph's Church.

Rising high above the flat Lincolnshire landscape, it served for centuries as both a landmark for travellers, and a beacon for ships, approaching the Wash.

Boston was also the birthplace of the Protestant reformer John Foxe, author of Acts and Monuments, better known as the Book of Martyrs.

First published in 15 63, it recounted the sufferings of Protestant martyrs and became one of the most influential books of the English Reformation.

Second only to the Bible, it became one of the most widely read books in Protestant England, with copies in parish churches and many ordinary homes.

English exiles also carried the book with them to the Dutch Republic, where it continued to strengthen Protestant identity.

Our knowledge of the attempted escape comes mainly from William Bradford, who later recorded the events in his own words, leaving a detailed first-hand account of the congregation's ordeal.

Explaining, that the congregation hired an entire ship, arranging to meet its captain, at a secluded landing place near Boston Lincolnshire, at an agreed time and place.

Although Bradford does not identify who arranged the voyage, many historians believe Thomas Helwys played a leading role in organising the escape.

As a wealthy member of John Smyth's congregation, Helwys almost certainly had both the financial resources and the practical ability, to negotiate with the captain, and hire the ship.

The ship was to collect them, from a secluded landing place on The Haven, Boston's tidal river, under cover of darkness.

They brought their families and everything they owned, expecting to sail straight to the Dutch Republic.

The congregation planned to board the ship at night, so they would not attract attention.

They moved quietly through the streets of Boston to meet at Scotia Creek, close to Fishtoft.

This was a quiet, remote inlet just outside the town, on the edge of The Wash.

The Wash is a broad tidal bay on England's east coast, where Lincolnshire and Norfolk meet the North Sea.

For centuries, the winding creeks and marshes here offered hidden spots to land, which made the area a good place for a secret departure.

When they arrived at the quiet landing place, the men, women, and children stood in the dark, waiting anxiously beside their belongings.

They did not know if they would soon travel safely to the Dutch Republic or be caught by the authorities.

Every sound heightened their fears until; at last, they caught sight of the ship slowly making its way up the inlet towards them.

Ferried from the shore in small hired boats, the congregation finally climbed aboard with their families and possessions.

After paying the captain the agreed fare, together with the cost of the small boats that ferried them from the shore, they finally believed their escape had begun.

Instead of sailing to safety, the congregation suddenly realised they had been betrayed, as the crew quietly locked them below deck.

Having accepted their payment, the captain had secretly informed the authorities of their plans, hoping, as William Bradford later wrote, "to get a greater sum", than the emigrants themselves had paid for their passage.

Bradford would later write, "A large number of them had decided to take passage from Boston in Lincolnshire, and for that purpose had hired a ship wholly to themselves, and made agreement with the captain, to be ready at a convenient place, on a certain day, to take them and their belongings".

Bradford does not identify the exact location, and there is no surviving evidence to pinpoint it.

However, many historians believe he was referring to Scotia Creek, or another secluded creek along The Haven, just outside Boston.

A place like this would have let the group board the ship in secret at night, making it less likely they would be notice.

However, before the ship could weigh anchor, the captain secretly alerted the local authorities.

Constables and bailiffs soon descended upon the vessel, seized the congregation, and carried them ashore in small groups aboard open boats.

Once on shore and at the mercy of their captives, they could only watch on helplessly, as their luggage was ransacked in search of cash, immodestly searching both men and women to the inner garments, for any valuables they could find.

Their possessions were seized, and the congregation was marched through the streets of Boston, before being brought before the local magistrates, to answer for their attempted escape.

The Boston magistrates had no authority to decide a case of this importance, and referred the matter to the Privy Council in London.

Ultimately, the Separatists' fate would rest with the ecclesiastical authorities and the higher courts.

Around fifteen members of the congregation, including several of its principal leaders, were detained on charges arising from their unlawful religious assembly and attempted departure from the kingdom.

While the Privy Council considered the case, at least seven of the leading Separatists were held for about a month in the stone cells of Boston Guildhall, then the town's court and prison.

Among those imprisoned were Richard Clyfton, Thomas Helwys, his trusted servant Edward Armfield, together with William Brewster, and Leonard Bessey.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the company, consisting largely of women and children, were left to fend for themselves, relying upon the kindness of local Puritans and other sympathisers, for food, shelter and support.

The authorities intended to bring the principal prisoners before the Lincoln Assizes.

However, before the case could proceed, they were released, probably due to legal uncertainty, local influence and growing awareness and sympathy for their situation.

The congregation was forced to make the long journey back to Scrooby and the surrounding villages, returning to a home that, in many ways, no longer existed.

There they spent the winter hidden among friends and relatives, living under the constant threat of discovery.

Their first attempt had ended in failure, but their resolve remained unbroken.

With the arrival of spring, they prepared for another desperate attempt to escape England, knowing that this might be their last realistic opportunity.

Much of their money had already been spent on the failed Boston venture, their plans were now known to the authorities, and another arrest could bring imprisonment, financial ruin, or even the complete destruction of their congregation.

This time, their departure would be attempted from the lonely shores of the Stallingborough Flats on the River Humber Estuary.

What followed would test the congregation's faith, courage, and determination more severely than ever before, as they made another attempt to escape England and seek refuge in the Dutch Republic.

Families would be torn apart, many would once again fall into the hands of the authorities, and only a handful would succeed in reaching the safety of the Dutch Republic.

Thank you for listening.

The accompanying transcript also includes an epilogue with additional historical notes for those who would like to explore the story further.

Epilogue.

Some pieces of music stay with us long after they finish.

For me today, that piece is "And the Glory of the Lord," the fourth movement from George Frideric Handel's Messiah, which many consider one of the greatest choral works ever written.

Messiah has 53 movements and is divided into three parts.

Handel wrote the entire piece in London in just 24 days in 17 41, though he drew on ideas from his earlier works.

Part I tells the story of the Messiah, starting with Old Testament prophecies and ending with the Nativity.

Part II covers Christ's ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, and ends with the famous "Hallelujah" chorus.

Part III looks forward to judgment and redemption, and is based mostly on the Book of Revelation.

Drawing on Isaiah 40 : 5, the chorus joyfully proclaims the Christian belief that God's glory would be revealed to all people through the coming of Jesus Christ.

George Frideric Handel (16 85–17 59) was a German-born British Baroque composer and is seen as one of the greatest musicians of his time.

Handel first became successful with Italian opera, but later turned to English oratorio, writing some of the most famous choral music ever.

Handel was born in Halle, Germany. He moved to London in 17 12 and became a British citizen in 17 27.

Some of Handel’s best-known works are Messiah, Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, and the Coronation anthem Zadok the Priest, which has been played at every British coronation since 17 27.

The chorus uses the words of Isaiah 40 : 5 from the King James Version.

The complete text is:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

And all flesh shall see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The town of Boston Lincolnshire.

Boston is a small port town set on the edge of the Wash where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire.

The name Boston is believed to be a contraction of "St Botolph's Town", named after the Anglo-Saxon saint Botolph.

Founded in the late eleventh or early twelfth century, Boston quickly grew into one of England's most important medieval towns and ports.

The town is steeped in fascinating history, and was once one of England’s “Staple Towns” authorised by the crown to carry on the import and export trade, as well as being a place of religious dissent in the 16th century.

Boston’s most notable landmark is St Botolph’s Church , known locally as “The Stump”, which is said to be the largest parish church in England, with one of the taller towers in England, visible for miles around from the flat lands of Lincolnshire.

Also impressive in its history is the Guildhall, built in the 13 90’s for the Guild of St. Mary, making it a survivor the medieval period.

Handed over to the borough by Henry VIII in 15 45, the building has been used for meetings, as a courtroom, a gaol, and many other purposes.

Boston was the birthplace of the Protestant reformer and historian John Foxe, whose famous work Acts and Monuments, popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, became one of the most influential books of the English Reformation.

First published in 15 63, John Foxe's Actes and Monuments is a Protestant martyrology and history of the Christian Church.

The publisher produced and illustrated the book with over sixty distinctive woodcut impressions.

At the time, it was the most significant publishing project ever undertaken in England.

Known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, this remarkable piece of literature stands out for its powerful anti-Catholic bias, using unprecedented documentary sources in English writing.

Foxe describes King John's sudden death in 12 16, portraying him in a favourable light as a noble monarch who defied the papacy, a portrayal that contrasts with later historical accounts.

In it, Foxe restated the 13th-century accusation that monks loyal to the Pope had poisoned King John.

An accompanying woodcut tells the story in six separate scenes.

After testing the venom on a frog, a fanatical monk from Swineshead Abbey Lincolnshire, poisoned King John before committing suicide, a sacrifice for which his fraternity eternally praised him.

The book had a profound impact and played a significant role in forming enduring negative perceptions of Catholicism among the populace.

It presented compelling narratives detailing the hardships endured by Protestants under the Catholic Church, with a notable focus on England and Scotland.

The story of Boston did not end with the failed escape of the Scrooby congregation.

Just over twenty years later, another group of English Puritans crossed the Atlantic and founded a new settlement in Massachusetts.

They named it Boston, after the Lincolnshire town from which so many reformers and religious exiles had once hoped to depart.

Today, the American city has grown into one of the best-known cities in the world, while its English namesake remains a quiet reminder of the turbulent years that shaped the early history of Protestantism.

The Wash.

The Wash is the name given to a large shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuaries on the east coast of England. , a major inlet of the North Sea.

Separating the counties of Lincolnshire and Norfolk, it is known for its wide sand flats, rich wildlife, and major rivers.

The name The Wash comes from Old English words describing its muddy, water-covered shores, specifically wāse , meaning mud, slime, or ooze, or wæsc , meaning a sandbank washed by the sea.

The Foss Dyke.

The Foss Dyke, generally regarded as the oldest canal in England still in use, was probably constructed by the Romans around 120 CE, though some historians believe they may have enlarged or improved an existing natural waterway.

Linking the River Trent with Lincoln and the River Witham, it formed a vital inland waterway for transporting troops and supplies across Roman Britain.

Restored during the reign of Henry I in 11 21, it remained an important commercial waterway, throughout the medieval and early modern periods.

Its name combines the Latin, "fossa", and the Old English, "dīc", both meaning a ditch or watercourse, reflecting its Roman origins and later Anglo-Saxon history.

John Foxe.

John Foxe (15 16–15 87) was an English Protestant historian and clergyman.

He wrote Actes and Monuments, widely known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which was first published in 15 63.

The famous text chronicles Christian martyrs and the persecution of English Protestants, especially during the reign of Queen Mary I.

Foxe's book was published in four editions during his lifetime, and later versions and abridgements followed.

Some of these were shortened into what became known as the Book of Martyrs.

After it was first published in 15 62, a larger and updated edition of Knox’s Book of Common Order was printed in Edinburgh in 15 64.

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland once required every parish church to keep a copy of Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

This was similar to rules in England, where churches were told to display the book to strengthen Protestant history and identity.

Parishes were told to get and display the large book so that local congregations could read about Protestant suffering and church history.

John Foxe's Acts and Monuments was written from a strongly Protestant perspective and was never intended to be an impartial history.

Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important contemporary sources for the English Reformation.

Modern historians regard it as highly valuable, while recognising that some of its accounts should be read alongside other contemporary sources.