19 June 1535 – 3 Carthusian monks martyred
Posted By Claire on June 19, 2016
On 19 June 1535, three monks, Sebastian Newdigate, William Exmew and Humphrey Middlemore, of the Carthusian Order of London Charterhouse, were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Their executions were witnessed by George Boleyn and Thomas Boleyn, Queen Anne Boleyn’s brother and father; Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk; Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, and the King’s illegitimate son, and Sir Henry Norris, the King’s Groom of the Stool.
The three monks were executed after refusing to accept King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church. Between May 1535 and August 1540, 18 Carthusian monks were put to death for this crime, some being hanged, drawn and quartered, some being hanged in chains and others being starved to death. All 18 are recognised as martyrs by the Catholic Church.
Click here to read more about these men.
Other articles you might be interested in:
19th June 1535 – 3 Cathusian Monks Martyred
10 June 1537 – Deaths of Two Carthusian Monks from Starvation
19 June 1535 – 3 Carthusian Monks Hanged, Drawn and Quartered
19 June 1535 – The Executions of Three Carthusian Monks
19 June 1535 – The Executions of Sebastian Newdigate, William Exmew and Humphrey Middlemore
4 May 1535 – The Executions of the Carthusian Martyrs
Rest in peace dear brothers and martyrs, who fell asleep in Christ having kept the faith. Your sacrifice will always be remembered. You defied tyranny and refused to b forced to deny the faith of your fathers, even though Henry Viii took your lives. YNWA
One of the best arguments for separation of Church and State going, as well as freedom of conscience.
I wonder what drove Henry to be the monster he became. His treatment of the Carthusians in particular and other members of religious orders was truly ghastly. They were also executed in their religious habits which would have been an affront to the enitre religious community in England at the time. He had to make an example of these men because of the esteem in which they were held. Had they agreed to the Act of Seppremacy then Henry & the rest of the country would have seen that as approval for his actions. There is an excellent book titled
‘ Bare Ruined Choirs’ (The Dissolution of the English Monasteries) by David Knowles if anyone is interested….it gives an excellent account of the dissolution of the London Charterhouse in particular.