21 March 1556 – The burning of Thomas Cranmer, one of the Oxford Martyrs

| March 21, 2018

21 March 1556 – The burning of Thomas Cranmer, one of the Oxford Martyrs

On this day in history, 21st March 1556, the third of the Oxford Martyrs, Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the English Reformation and ‘architect’ of the Book of Common Prayer, was burnt at the stake in Oxford. Cranmer had been found guilty of heresy at a trial in September 1555 and […]

21 March 1556 – Thomas Cranmer’s martyrdom

| March 21, 2017

21 March 1556 – Thomas Cranmer’s martyrdom

On this day in history, 21st March 1556, Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, was burned at the stake in Oxford after being found guilty of heresy in the reign of Mary I. He is one of three Protestant bishops who were executed in Mary I’s reign and who have become known as the Oxford […]

Me and Thomas Cranmer

| March 21, 2016

Me and Thomas Cranmer

If you have been following this website for a while, you will have gathered that I am a practising Christian. My faith is real and true, but it’s far from perfect. I doubt, I question, I rant and I rave, and I often wonder when I’m writing about martyrs of the 16th century what I […]

21 March 1556 – The glorious martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer

| March 21, 2016

21 March 1556 – The glorious martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer

On this day in history, 21 March 1556, in the words of martyrologist John Foxe, Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, “closed a life of high sublunary elevation, of constant uneasiness, and of glorious martyrdom” when he was burnt at the stake in Oxford in the reign of Queen Mary I. Cranmer’s execution was a […]

21 March 1556 – The Burning of Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury

| March 21, 2015

21 March 1556 – The Burning of Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury

Every year on 21st March, I spare a thought (or actually quite a few!) for Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, who was burnt at the stake on 21st March 1556 at Oxford. He has gone down in history as one of the Oxford Martyrs, along with […]

Remembering Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

| March 21, 2014

Remembering Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Today I will be remembering Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was burned at the stake on 21st March 1556 after being found guilty of heresy and treason. Martyrologist John Foxe recorded his execution in his Book of Martyrs: “With thoughts intent upon a far higher object than the empty threats of man, he reached […]

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