April 5 – A cook is boiled to death and a pope is wrong!

| April 5, 2022

April 5 – A cook is boiled to death and a pope is wrong!

On this day in Tudor history, 5th April 1531, Richard Roose, the cook of Bishop John Fisher’s household, was boiled to death for high treason at Smithfield. He was found guilty of high treason by an act of Parliament, but why? What happened and why did King Henry VIII take a personal interest in this […]

5 April 1531 – The boiling to death of Richard Roose, Bishop Fisher’s cook

| April 5, 2019

5 April 1531 – The boiling to death of Richard Roose, Bishop Fisher’s cook

On this day in history, in the reign of Henry VIII, Richard Roose was boiled to death at Smithfield. The former cook of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, had been attainted of high treason by a new bill, the “Acte for Poysoning”. You can find out more about what brought him to this awful end, […]

Poisoned pottage and a man boiled to death

| April 5, 2017

Poisoned pottage and a man boiled to death

On this day in history, 5th April 1531, Richard Roose (Rouse) was boiled to death at Smithfield after being attainted of high treason. Roose was the former cook of the household of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, and he’d been attainted after Parliament had passed a new bill, the “Acte for Poysoning”, which made it […]

5 April 1531 – The cook who was boiled to death

| April 5, 2016

5 April 1531 – The cook who was boiled to death

On 5th April 1531, Richard Roose (or Rouse), the cook in the household of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, was boiled to death after being attainted of high treason. It was claimed that Roose had poisoned a porridge (or pottage* served to Fisher and his guests on 18th February 1531. All who ate the porridge became […]

5 April 1531 – The Boiling of Richard Roose, Bishop John Fisher’s Cook

| April 5, 2014

5 April 1531 – The Boiling of Richard Roose, Bishop John Fisher’s Cook

On 5th April 1531, Richard Roose (or Rouse), the cook in the household of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, was boiled to death after being attainted of high treason. It was claimed that Roose had poisoned a porridge (or pottage)* served to Fisher and his guests on 18th February 1531. All who ate the porridge […]

The Boiling of Richard Roose – 5th April 1531

| April 5, 2013

The Boiling of Richard Roose – 5th April 1531

On this day in 1531, Richard Roose (or Rouse), Bishop John Fisher’s cook, was boiled to death after confessing to poisoning the soup (or porridge) that was served to the Bishop and his guests. Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester, survived, but some of his guests, who’d eaten more of the soup, died. People were quick […]

Richard Roose Boiled to Death – 5 April 1531

| April 5, 2011

Richard Roose Boiled to Death – 5 April 1531

On this day in history, 5th April 1531, Richard Roose (or Rouse), Bishop John Fisher’s cook, was boiled to death after confessing to poisoning the soup* that was served to the Bishop and his guests. Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester, survived but some of his guests, who’d eaten more of the soup, died. People were […]

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