William Thorpe Put to Death and Burnt for the Faith, in the Year 1407

Now, when the abomination of desolation, through the papists, began to exalt itself more and more over the true faith, it happened, about the year 1397, that a God-fearing, pious man named William Thorpe, formerly a priest, was severely persecuted for the truth of the Gospel, especially for his belief against the sacrament of the altar, image worship, pilgrimages, the power of the priests, the swearing of oaths, and so on.

Of these articles of his accusation, and especially of his belief against the swearing of oaths, and of what is alleged against it by opponents, we have already given an explanation in the presentation of his faith.

However, although he was already imprisoned, the intercession of some well-disposed persons, together with the fact that the archbishop of Canterbury, who had arrested him, had fallen into disfavor with the king, brought about his release after the first persecution. But since this pious witness of God did not stop preaching against the Roman church, and especially against the swearing of oaths (as various old writers note), he was at length, about the year 1407, arrested at Salopia, brought from there to Canterbury, and finally imprisoned in the castle of Saltwoden, where the archbishop and the prelates pressed him very hard, in order to draw him away from his faith.

In the meantime, a number of disorderly persons had crowded into the prison, some demanding that he should be burnt at once; others, that he should immediately be thrown into the sea, which was nearby, and drowned. In this dreadful uproar, a priest from among them fell on his knees before the archbishop, begging him that he might do his utmost for this William Thorpe, to convert him by the reading of his matins, or morning prayers, which he would perform for him, saying: "I venture to promise that after three days he will be so remarkably changed that he will not refuse to do anything for the archbishop."

But the archbishop, filled with anger, raged on with undiminished fury, threatening the martyr that he would see to it that he got what he deserved. After this, since this pious witness of Jesus refused to apostatize, he was most cruelly abused in the prison, in the castle of Saltwoden. Some hold that he was burnt soon after that severe examination, in the month of August of that year 1407. See Vignier, in the year 1407, from Guil. Tindal; but Baleus is of the former opinion. Century 7, Script. Britt., chapter 42, in Guil. Thorp., page 538. [n502-1]

NOTE. In the Year 1410. At this time a tradesman was condemned as a heretic by the (Roman) bishops, and handed over to the secular judge, because he believed and said that the bread in the Lord's Supper was given for a memorial, thus denying transubstantiation, or the essential change of the bread into the body of Christ. For this he had to suffer the slow and dreadful death by fire. Compare Fasc. Temp., folio 118. Hist. of the Mart. Adri., folio 52, with P. J. Twisck's Chron., page 763. [n502-2]

That all this happened to him because he, besides opposing the Roman superstitions, also held that men may not swear at all, has already been stated, and is confirmed by F. H. H., van den Loop der Werelt, page 99. Also, P. J. Twisck, Chron., page 758.