William Sawtrey
Encyclopedia
William Sawtrey was an English Roman Catholic priest who was executed for heresy
.
Sawtrey was born in Norfolk, England. He was a follower of John Wycliffe
, the leader of an early reformation movement called Lollardy
. Sawtrey was a priest at two churches, St. Margaret’s in Lynn
and Tilney in Norfolk
.
saints and the sacrament of Eucharist
. Of the latter, he claimed that "after the consecration [of the host] by the priest there remaineth true material bread" (Trevelyan 334).
As a result of spreading these views, Sawtrey was taken to Henry le Despenser on 30 April 1399. Le Despenser, a bishop then based in North Elmham
, ordered an examination of Sawtrey. The examination lasted for two days. Sawtrey’s examiners claimed that he rejected free will, and that he did not believe in venerating
images and embarking on pilgrimages. He was therefore charged with heresy
and sent to an Episcopal
prison. Sawtrey denounced Lollardy upon his release. He abjured privately at first, but then publicly in Lynn on May 25, 1399. He appeared before le Despenser in St. John’s Hospital the next day, and swore on the Gospels that he would never again preach Lollardy. He also promised to never hear confession without a license from le Despenser.
In 1401, Sawtrey moved to London and began working as a parish-priest at St. Osyth’s, where he continued to preach Lollard beliefs. It is possible that he moved to London in order to distance himself from le Despencer, but he had not removed himself from the anti-Lollard sentiment of the Catholic Church. One year earlier, De heretico comburendo
(Statute of Heresies) was passed. The statute calls for the burning of heretics either plainly rejecting Catholicism, or accepting Catholic beliefs but return to their previous heretical beliefs. Sawtrey was summoned to appear at St. Paul’s on 12 February 1402.
Sawtrey appeared before Archbishop Thomas Arundel
. Before convocation, Sawtrey was delivered the following heretical charges: failure to “adore the true cross” (National Biography 869), belief that a priest’s time spent in hourly prayers could be better spent preaching and spreading the word of God, his opinion on the temporalities of the church and on how the money could be put to better use, preaching on adoration of mankind over angels, and finally his belief in consubstantiation
. Sawtrey resisted, and was once again charged with heresy.
Sawtrey demanded a copy of his charges and was given 18 February to make an appeal. At his appeal before Parliament he defended his beliefs with quotes from St. John, St. Paul, and St. Augustine. His defense was heavily questioned by Arundel, who spent three hours questioning of the topic of the Eucharist alone, all the while trying to convert him back to Catholicism. Sawtrey resisted, and on 23 February charges were once again made against him. He was condemned and “through seven successive stages he was degraded from priest to doorkeeper, then stripped of every clerical function, attribute, and vestment
”. 870)
Sawtrey was convicted and sentenced to death on 26 February 1401. In March, he was taken to Smithfield
, and publicly burned at the stake. He was the first follower of Lollardy to die for his beliefs. He and John Purvey, a friend and follower of John Wycliffe who also was tortured for his beliefs, were the two most egregious cases against Lollardy committed under the Statute of Heresy.
and Parliament to appropriate the Church’s money and to use it for the people of England. The Church reacted against this proposal and, with the help of the King, set forth a number of statutes to protect Church temporalities. Among these orders was the Statute De heretico comburendo
, which stated that heresy was punishable by means of public burning.
The severity of Sawtrey and Purvey’s punishments created a wave of Lollard supporters. Among them was John Oldcastle
, a knight and captain for the Prince of Wales
. He protected and hid preachers from the Statute of Heresy. Oldcastle and other Lollard-sympathizing knights pleaded with King Henry IV to change the law. They argued that the King should take the money the Church was wasting and put it into England's armory, almshouses, and universities. Many students of Oxford University were also Lollard sympathizers. Students translated Wycliffe's work and began to debate the lawfulness of Bible translations.
However, despite their efforts, the persecution of Lollards continued. The knights' arguments were shot down, and Oxford was discredited by the Church. Nevertheless, Lollard believers continued practicing their faith in an underground network below the Church’s radar.
began to defend his beliefs in 1382. He argued concepts such as consubstantiation
, the belief that the Eucharist
is still indeed bread and that body of Christ
exists simultaneously with the bread. He also used the Bible to explain that certain mass ceremonies were not specifically ordered by Christ. He defended the belief that, “a priest in mortal sin could not administer the Sacraments." He also supported Wycliffe in his opinion about confession, which was that if a man is truly contrite after his verbal confession, then no other action is necessary. The final point he argued was that of papacy. In his life Wycliffe had proposed that Pope Urban VI
should be the last pope and that people govern themselves under their own laws.
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
.
Sawtrey was born in Norfolk, England. He was a follower of John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
, the leader of an early reformation movement called Lollardy
Lollardy
Lollardy was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformation. The term "Lollard" refers to the followers of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially his...
. Sawtrey was a priest at two churches, St. Margaret’s in Lynn
Lynn
Lynn commonly refers to:* Lynn , a given name* Lynn , a surnameLynn may also refer to- Places :United States* Lynn, Alabama* Lynn, Arkansas* Lynn, California* Lynn, Indiana* Lynn, Massachusetts** Lynn...
and Tilney in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
Sawtrey's association with Lollardy
Sawtrey preached and endorsed Lollard beliefs, including the rejection of CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
saints and the sacrament of Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. Of the latter, he claimed that "after the consecration [of the host] by the priest there remaineth true material bread" (Trevelyan 334).
As a result of spreading these views, Sawtrey was taken to Henry le Despenser on 30 April 1399. Le Despenser, a bishop then based in North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, ordered an examination of Sawtrey. The examination lasted for two days. Sawtrey’s examiners claimed that he rejected free will, and that he did not believe in venerating
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
images and embarking on pilgrimages. He was therefore charged with heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
and sent to an Episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
prison. Sawtrey denounced Lollardy upon his release. He abjured privately at first, but then publicly in Lynn on May 25, 1399. He appeared before le Despenser in St. John’s Hospital the next day, and swore on the Gospels that he would never again preach Lollardy. He also promised to never hear confession without a license from le Despenser.
In 1401, Sawtrey moved to London and began working as a parish-priest at St. Osyth’s, where he continued to preach Lollard beliefs. It is possible that he moved to London in order to distance himself from le Despencer, but he had not removed himself from the anti-Lollard sentiment of the Catholic Church. One year earlier, De heretico comburendo
De heretico comburendo
The De heretico comburendo was a law passed by King Henry IV of England in 1401 punishing heretics with burning at the stake. This law was one of the strictest religious censorship statutes ever enacted in England....
(Statute of Heresies) was passed. The statute calls for the burning of heretics either plainly rejecting Catholicism, or accepting Catholic beliefs but return to their previous heretical beliefs. Sawtrey was summoned to appear at St. Paul’s on 12 February 1402.
Sawtrey appeared before Archbishop Thomas Arundel
Thomas Arundel
Thomas Arundel was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards.-Family background:...
. Before convocation, Sawtrey was delivered the following heretical charges: failure to “adore the true cross” (National Biography 869), belief that a priest’s time spent in hourly prayers could be better spent preaching and spreading the word of God, his opinion on the temporalities of the church and on how the money could be put to better use, preaching on adoration of mankind over angels, and finally his belief in consubstantiation
Consubstantiation
Consubstantiation is a theological doctrine that attempts to describe the nature of the Christian Eucharist in concrete metaphysical terms. It holds that during the sacrament, the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine,...
. Sawtrey resisted, and was once again charged with heresy.
Sawtrey demanded a copy of his charges and was given 18 February to make an appeal. At his appeal before Parliament he defended his beliefs with quotes from St. John, St. Paul, and St. Augustine. His defense was heavily questioned by Arundel, who spent three hours questioning of the topic of the Eucharist alone, all the while trying to convert him back to Catholicism. Sawtrey resisted, and on 23 February charges were once again made against him. He was condemned and “through seven successive stages he was degraded from priest to doorkeeper, then stripped of every clerical function, attribute, and vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
”. 870)
Sawtrey was convicted and sentenced to death on 26 February 1401. In March, he was taken to Smithfield
Smithfield
Smithfield is the name of several places:In Australia:* Smithfield, New South Wales* Smithfield, Queensland, near Cairns* Smithfield, South Australia, a northern suburb of Adelaide**Smithfield railway station, Adelaide...
, and publicly burned at the stake. He was the first follower of Lollardy to die for his beliefs. He and John Purvey, a friend and follower of John Wycliffe who also was tortured for his beliefs, were the two most egregious cases against Lollardy committed under the Statute of Heresy.
Aftereffects
The lower classes of England were quick to catch on to Lollard ideas, especially about dispersing Church funds to aid people in need and to ease lower class financial stresses caused by heavy taxation. The representatives of the lower class made efforts on two occasions to convince King Henry IVHenry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and Parliament to appropriate the Church’s money and to use it for the people of England. The Church reacted against this proposal and, with the help of the King, set forth a number of statutes to protect Church temporalities. Among these orders was the Statute De heretico comburendo
De heretico comburendo
The De heretico comburendo was a law passed by King Henry IV of England in 1401 punishing heretics with burning at the stake. This law was one of the strictest religious censorship statutes ever enacted in England....
, which stated that heresy was punishable by means of public burning.
The severity of Sawtrey and Purvey’s punishments created a wave of Lollard supporters. Among them was John Oldcastle
John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle , English Lollard leader, was son of Sir Richard Oldcastle of Almeley in northwest Herefordshire and grandson of another Sir John Oldcastle....
, a knight and captain for the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. He protected and hid preachers from the Statute of Heresy. Oldcastle and other Lollard-sympathizing knights pleaded with King Henry IV to change the law. They argued that the King should take the money the Church was wasting and put it into England's armory, almshouses, and universities. Many students of Oxford University were also Lollard sympathizers. Students translated Wycliffe's work and began to debate the lawfulness of Bible translations.
However, despite their efforts, the persecution of Lollards continued. The knights' arguments were shot down, and Oxford was discredited by the Church. Nevertheless, Lollard believers continued practicing their faith in an underground network below the Church’s radar.
Other supporters
After John Wycliffe's death, Archbishop William CourtenayWilliam Courtenay
William Courtenay , English prelate, was Archbishop of Canterbury, having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.-Life:...
began to defend his beliefs in 1382. He argued concepts such as consubstantiation
Consubstantiation
Consubstantiation is a theological doctrine that attempts to describe the nature of the Christian Eucharist in concrete metaphysical terms. It holds that during the sacrament, the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine,...
, the belief that the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
is still indeed bread and that body of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
exists simultaneously with the bread. He also used the Bible to explain that certain mass ceremonies were not specifically ordered by Christ. He defended the belief that, “a priest in mortal sin could not administer the Sacraments." He also supported Wycliffe in his opinion about confession, which was that if a man is truly contrite after his verbal confession, then no other action is necessary. The final point he argued was that of papacy. In his life Wycliffe had proposed that Pope Urban VI
Pope Urban VI
Pope Urban VI , born Bartolomeo Prignano, was Pope from 1378 to 1389.-Biography:Born in Itri, he was a devout monk and learned casuist, trained at Avignon. On March 21, 1364, he was consecrated Archbishop of Acerenza in the Kingdom of Naples...
should be the last pope and that people govern themselves under their own laws.