William Pikes
Encyclopedia
William Pikes (also William Pickesse, Wyl Pyckes) was a tanner in Ipswich
, Suffolk who was arrested in Islington
during the Marian persecutions
as a member of a group studying the Bible
in English, and was burnt at the stake in Brentford. He is commemorated as one of the Ipswich Martyrs
.
and Park, which was built during Wyl Pyckes' lifetime. The Mansion stood on the site of the former Holy Trinity Priory, one of the two houses of Augustinian canons in the town, which was dissolved and became the property of Sir Thomas Pope
(friend of Thomas More
, Wolsey
's successor as Chancellor), before being demolished to make way for the new brick mansion built by Edmund Withypoll.
The christenings and deaths of the children of Wyl Pyckes are recorded in the register of St Margaret's Church, between 1541 and 1558. He may therefore have been born around 1520. he was a believer in the reformed faith, and was of a hospitable disposition, generous toward the poor, and often opened his doors to give comfort to those who were hunted for their beliefs. He had absented himself from public worship for three years, following the accession of Queen Mary
, since the Roman Mass was contrary to his conscience. His name appears in a list of dissenting persons of St Margaret's, drawn up on May 18, 1556, entitled A complaint against such as favoured the Gospell in Ipswich, exhibited to Queene Marie's Counsaile. Pyckes was a diligent student of the Bible, and possessed a copy of the Matthew Bible
, containing the translations of Tyndale and Coverdale
, which, although bearing King Henry VIII
's royal licence, had since been suppressed and became a forbidden book.
', the chosen place being a walled garden so that they would not be discovered. But a certain man looked over the wall and eventually greeted them, saying that 'they looked like men that meant no hurt.' One of their company then asked his permission for them to stay there, thinking perhaps he was the owner, and he repeated the same words and went away. They resumed their readings, and suddenly the Constable of Islington appeared among them, with six or seven other men, armed, and demanded that their books should be handed over.
. They went with their captors meekly, though it would not have been difficult to escape if they had wished. At first they were offered the opportunity to be released from the Newgate if they would hear a Mass. Those who remained obstinate were then presented an inquisition of fourteen articles, by Edmund Bonner
, to which they were required to make satisfactory answers or be condemned.
. One of their number, Roger Holland, embraced the stake and the bundles of reeds for the fire, making the following prayer:
The remaining five, of whom Wyl Pyckes the tanner of Ipswich was one, suffered in a similar way at Brentford on July 14, 1556. He prayed for 'grace to abide the trial', and animated by his faith he approached the stake 'joyfully'.
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk who was arrested in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
during the Marian persecutions
Marian Persecutions
The Marian Persecutions were carried out against religious reformers, Protestants, and other dissenters for their heretical beliefs during the reign of Mary I of England. The excesses of this period were mythologized in the historical record of Foxe's Book of Martyrs...
as a member of a group studying the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in English, and was burnt at the stake in Brentford. He is commemorated as one of the Ipswich Martyrs
Ipswich Martyrs
The Ipswich Martyrs were nine people burnt at the stake for their Protestant beliefs around 1538-1558. The executions were mainly carried out in the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk on The Cornhill, the square in front of Ipswich Town Hall. At that time the remains of the medieval church of St Mildred...
.
William Pyckes
He was a tanner, and lived in the parish of St Margaret's Ipswich, which occupies the area directly to the north of the town centre, outside the medieval earth rampart. The church of St Margaret's stands adjacent to Christchurch MansionChristchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house within Christchurch Park on the edge of the town centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
and Park, which was built during Wyl Pyckes' lifetime. The Mansion stood on the site of the former Holy Trinity Priory, one of the two houses of Augustinian canons in the town, which was dissolved and became the property of Sir Thomas Pope
Thomas Pope
Sir Thomas Pope , founder of Trinity College, Oxford, was born at Deddington, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, probably in 1507, for he was about sixteen years old when his father, a yeoman farmer, died in 1523....
(friend of Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, Wolsey
Wolsey
Wolsey may refer to:* Thomas Wolsey , English statesman and clergyman* Wolsey, South Dakota, United States* Wolsey , a Doctor Who spin-off companion* Wolsey , one of the oldest textile companies in the world...
's successor as Chancellor), before being demolished to make way for the new brick mansion built by Edmund Withypoll.
The christenings and deaths of the children of Wyl Pyckes are recorded in the register of St Margaret's Church, between 1541 and 1558. He may therefore have been born around 1520. he was a believer in the reformed faith, and was of a hospitable disposition, generous toward the poor, and often opened his doors to give comfort to those who were hunted for their beliefs. He had absented himself from public worship for three years, following the accession of Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, since the Roman Mass was contrary to his conscience. His name appears in a list of dissenting persons of St Margaret's, drawn up on May 18, 1556, entitled A complaint against such as favoured the Gospell in Ipswich, exhibited to Queene Marie's Counsaile. Pyckes was a diligent student of the Bible, and possessed a copy of the Matthew Bible
Matthew Bible
The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death...
, containing the translations of Tyndale and Coverdale
Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English.-Life:...
, which, although bearing King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's royal licence, had since been suppressed and became a forbidden book.
A presentiment of death
Shortly after Midsummer 1556, Wyl Pyckes was sitting in his garden, facing south, with the Bible open upon his knee. "Suddenly fell down upon his book, between eleven and twelve o'clock of the day, four drops of fresh blood, and he knew not from whence it came. Then he, seeing the same, was sore astonished, and could by no means learn from whence it should fall; and wiping out one of the drops with his finger, he called his wife and said, 'In the virtue of God, wife, what meaneth this? Will the Lord have four sacrifices? I see well enough the Lord will have blood. His will be done, and give me grace to abide the trial! Wife, let us pray, for I fear the day draweth nigh.'"The meeting at Islington
A few days after this, he went up to London to take part in a meeting with some forty men and women who met together for prayer and Bible study. This took place in a back close, 'in the field by the town of IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
', the chosen place being a walled garden so that they would not be discovered. But a certain man looked over the wall and eventually greeted them, saying that 'they looked like men that meant no hurt.' One of their company then asked his permission for them to stay there, thinking perhaps he was the owner, and he repeated the same words and went away. They resumed their readings, and suddenly the Constable of Islington appeared among them, with six or seven other men, armed, and demanded that their books should be handed over.
Arrest, imprisonment and inquisition
Various people, including the women present, escaped either from the close, or from the company as they were led away to the brew-house nearby. But the men were divided into groups and taken away among the soldiers, and twenty-seven were taken before Sir Roger Cholmley, and their names were demanded. Twenty-two willingly gave their names, and were immediately taken to the NewgateNewgate
Newgate at the west end of Newgate Street was one of the historic seven gates of London Wall round the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. From it a Roman road led west to Silchester...
. They went with their captors meekly, though it would not have been difficult to escape if they had wished. At first they were offered the opportunity to be released from the Newgate if they would hear a Mass. Those who remained obstinate were then presented an inquisition of fourteen articles, by Edmund Bonner
Edmund Bonner
Edmund Bonner , Bishop of London, was an English bishop. Initially an instrumental figure in the schism of Henry VIII from Rome, he was antagonized by the Protestant reforms introduced by Somerset and reconciled himself to Roman Catholicism...
, to which they were required to make satisfactory answers or be condemned.
Executions
Of the twenty-two who had given their names, thirteen remained constant to their principles and held out against the demands. They were condemned to die, and were executed in two separate groups. The first group, of seven, were burnt at SmithfieldSmithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
. One of their number, Roger Holland, embraced the stake and the bundles of reeds for the fire, making the following prayer:
And so, praying and praising God with his eyes raised to heaven, he ended his life.
"Lord, I most humbly thank Thy Majesty that Thou hast called me from the state of death, unto the Light of Thy Heavenly Word, and now unto the fellowship of Thy saints that I may sing and say, 'Holy holy holy, Lord God of hosts!' And Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. Lord bless these Thy people, and save them from idolatry."
The remaining five, of whom Wyl Pyckes the tanner of Ipswich was one, suffered in a similar way at Brentford on July 14, 1556. He prayed for 'grace to abide the trial', and animated by his faith he approached the stake 'joyfully'.
Sources
- John FoxeJohn FoxeJohn Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
, Booke of Martyrs - N.F. LayardNina Frances LayardNina Frances Layard was an English poetess, prehistorian, archaeologist and antiquary who made many important discoveries, and by winning the respect of contemporary academics helped to establish a role for women in her field of expertise...
, Seventeen Suffolk Martyrs (Smiths, Ipswich 1903)