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1254 [1253]

K. Hen. 8. Persecution in Scotland. Tho. Forret, with Vii. other, Martyrs.

MarginaliaSyr Ioh. Berthwicke knight cited and condēned of heresie being absent, and hys picture burned in Scotland. An. 1540. was condemned for the same, being absent by the sentence of Dauid Beaton Archbishop of saint Andrewes, & other prelates of Scotland, and all his goodes confiscate and his picture at last burned in the open market place. &c. But for so muche as the storye of hym, with his articles obiected agaynst hym, & his cōfutatiō of the same, is already expressed sufficiently in the Firste edition of Actes & monumentes, & because he being happily deliuered out of their handes, had no more but onely his picture burned, referring þe reader to þe booke aboue mentioned, we wyll now (the Lord willing) prosecute suche other as folowed, begynnyng firste in order with Thom. Forret and his felowes. Their story is this.

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Persecuters. Martyrs. Their Causes.

Dauid Be-
ton, Bishop
and Cardi-
nal of saint
Andrewes.
George
Treichton
Bishop of
Dunkelden.

MarginaliaThomas Forret, Priest. Tho. Forret,
priest.
Fryer Iohn
Kelowe.
Fryer Bena-
rage.
Duncane
Sympson,
priest.
Rob. Foster,
a gentlemā,
with three
or foure o-
ther men of
Striuelyng,
Martyrs.

NOt lōg after the bur
ning of Dauid Straton, and M. Gurlay a-
boue mentioned, in the dayes of Dauid Beaton
bishop and Cardinall of
s. Andrewes, & George
Treichton bish. of Dun
kelden, a Canon of S.
Colmes Inche & vicar
of Dolone, called Deane
Thomas Forret, prea-
ched euery sonday to his
parisheners
the Epistle
or Gospel, as it fell for þe
tyme: whiche then was
a great noueltie in Scot

lande, to see anye man
preach, except a Blacke
fryer or a gray frier: and

therefore the Fryers enuied hym and accused hym to the Bishop of Dunkelden (in whose Dioces he remayned) as an heretike and one that shewed the mysteries of the scriptures to the vulgare people in Englishe, to make the Clergie detestable in the sight of the people.MarginaliaGeorge Treichtō B. of Dunkeldē a persecuter. The bishop of Dūkelden moued by the Fryers instigation, called the sayde Deane Thomas and saide to hym: my Ioye Deane Thomas, I loue you well, and therefore I must geue you my counsaile how you shal rule and guide your selfe. To whō Thomas sayd, I thanke your Lordship hartily. Thē the bishop began his counsaile on this maner:

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MarginaliaTho. Forret preacheth and will take no [illegible text] Crisome of his parishioners.
Ergo, he is an hereticke against the Popes Catholicke Church.
My ioy Deane Thomas, I am enfourmed that you preache the Epistle or Gospell euery sonday to your Parishners, and that you take not the kowe, nor the vpmoste cloth from your Parishners, whiche thyng is very preiudicall to the Churche men: and therefore my ioye Deane Thomas, I would you tooke your kowe and your vpmost cloth as other church men do, or els it is to much to preach euery sonday, for in so doyng you may make the people think that we shoulde preache likewise. But it is enough for you, when you finde any good Epistle, or any good Gospel, that setteth foorth the libertie of the holy church, to preache that and let the rest be.

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Thomas answeared: My Lorde, I thinke that none of my parishners wyl complaine that I take not the kow nor þe vpermost cloth, but wyll gladly geue me the same together with any other thing that they haue, and I wyll geue and communicate with them any thyng that I haue, and so my Lord we agree right wel, and there is no discord among vs.MarginaliaIt is to much in the Popes Church to preach euery sonday. And where your Lordship sayth, it is too muche to preache euery sonday: in deede I thinke it to litle, and also woulde wishe that your Lordshyp dyd the like.MarginaliaThe Byshop of Dunkelden was not ordayned to preach. Nay, nay, Deane Thomas (sayth my Lord) let that bee, for we are not ordeyned to preache. Then said Thomas, when your Lordship byddeth me preach when I finde any good Epistle or a good Gospell, truely my Lorde, I haue readde the newe Testament and the olde, and all the Epistles and the Gospels, and among them all I coulde neuer finde any euyl Epistle, or any euyl Gospel: but if your Lordship wil shewe me the good Epistle and the good Gospell, and the euyll Epistle and euyll Gospel, then I shall preache the good and omyt the euyl.

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Then spake my Lord stoutly and said, I thanke God that I neuer knewe what the olde and newe Testament was (and of these wordes rose a Prouerbe which is common in Scotland: MarginaliaA prouerbe in Scotland. ye are like the Bishop of Dunkelden, that knewe neither newe nor olde lawe:) therefore Deane Thomas, I wyll knowe nothyng but my Portous and my Pontificall. Go your way and let be al these fantasies: for if you perseuer in these erroneous opinions, ye wyl repent it when you may not mende it.

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Thomas said, I trust my cause be iust in the presence of God, and therefore I passe not muche what doo folowe thereupon, and so my Lorde and he departed at that tyme. And soone after  

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According to different witnesses, the executions took place on 28 February or 1 March 1539.

a Summons was directed from the Cardinall of saint Andrewes and the said Bishop of Dunkelden MarginaliaThomas Forret, Fryer.
Iohn Delow Fryer.
Benarage,
Duncane Sympson Priest,
Robert Foster gentleman, with iij. or iiij. other of Striueling, Martyrs.
vpon the said Deane Thomas Forret, vpō two blacke Fryers called fryer Iohn Kelow, and an other called Benarage, and vpō one priest of Striuelyng called Duncane Sympson, and one Gentleman called Robert Foster in Striuelyng, with other three or foure  
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No other witness records the execution of anyone other than the five persons Foxe names. Cf. John Knox, The Works of John Knox, ed. David Laing, 6 vols (Edinburgh, 1846-64), vol. I pp. 62-3; David Calderwood, The History of the Kirk of Scotland, ed. Thomas Thomson (Edinburgh, 1842), vol. I p. 124.

, with them of the towne of Striuelyng: who at the day of their appearaunce after their summonyng, were cōdemned to the death without any place of recantation, because (as was alleged) they were heresiarkes or chiefe heretikes and teachers of heresies, and especially because many of them were at the bridal and marriage of a Priest, who was vicar of Twybodye beside Striuelyng, and did eate fleshe in Lent at the said brydal, and so they were altogether burnt vpon the castle hyll of Edenbrough, where they that were first bounde to the stake, godly and merueylously dyd comfort them that came behynde.

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¶ Here followeth the maner of persecution vsed by the Cardinall of Scotland agaynst certaine persons in Perth.  
Commentary   *   Close

On this episode see Mary Verschuur, Politics or Religion? The Reformation in Perth 1540-1570 (Edinburgh, 2006), pp. 74-9.

Marginalia1543. Persecuters Martyrs.
Their Causes.

Dauid Be-
ton Bishop
and Cardi-
nall of saint
Andrewes.

Robert
Lambe.
William
Anderson.
Iames Hun-
ter.
Iames Ra-
ueleson.
Iames Foū-
leson.
Hellen
Stirke his
wyfe.

FIrst there was a cer-
tayne Acte  
Commentary   *   Close

March 1543. The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. II: 1424-1567 (1814), p. 415.

of Paral-
mente made in the go-
uernment of the Lorde
Hamleton Earle of MarginaliaProclamation in Scotland permitting the priuate reading of scripture. Ar-
ran, and Gouernour of
Scotlande, geuyng pri-
uilege to all men of the
Realme of Scotlande,
to reade the scriptures
in their mother tounge,
and language, secluding
neuerthelesse all reaso-
nyng, conference, conuo-
cation of people to heare
the scriptures readde or
expounded. Which liber-
ty of priuate reading be-
ing graunted by publike
proclamation, lacked not
his own fruit, so that in
sundry partes of Scot-
lande thereby were ope-

ned the eyes of the elect of God to see the truth, & abhorre the papisticall abominations. Amongest the which were certaine persons in saint Iohnston, as after is declared.

MarginaliaBlasphemous doctrine of a Papist. At this tyme  

Commentary   *   Close

This sermon was preached on 1 November 1543.

there was a Sermon made by Fryer Spense, in saint Iohnston, aliás called Perth, affirmyng prayer made to saintes to be so necessarye, that without it there coulde be no hope of saluation to man. Whiche blasphemous doctrine a Burges of the saide towne calledMarginaliaRobert Lambe, Martyr. Robert Lambe, could not abide, but accused hym in open audience, of erroneous doctrine, & adiured hym in Gods name to vtter þe truth. The which þe Fryer beyng stricken with feare, promised to do, but the trouble, tumult, and sturre of þe people encreased so, that the fryer could haue no audience,MarginaliaRobert Lambe in great daunger. and yet the saide Robert with great daunger of his life escaped the handes of the multitude, namely of the women, who contrary to nature, addressed them to extreme cruelty agaynst hym.

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At this tyme in the yeare of our Lord. 1543. the enemies of the truth procured Iohn Chartuous, who fauoured the truth, and was Prouost of the saide citie & towne of Perth, to be deposed from his office by the sayd Gouernours authoritie,MarginaliaA Papist set in office. and a Papist called Master Alexander Marbecke to be chosen in his roume, that they might bring the more easily their wicked enterprise to an ende.

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After the deposing of the former Prouost, and election of the other, in the moneth of Ianuary the yeare aforesaid  

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January 1544.

, on saint Paules day, came to saint Iohnston, the Gouernour, the Cardinall, the Earle of Argile Iustice, sir Iohn Campel of Lunde knight, and Iustice Defort, the Lord Borthwyke, þe bishop of Dūblane & Orkney, wt certeyne others of the Nobilitie. And although there were many accused for the crime of heresie (as they terme it)MarginaliaRobert Lambe,
Will. Anderson,
Iames Hunter
Iames Raueleson
Iames Foūleson
Hellen Styrke his wyfe cast in prison.
yet these persons were only apprehēded vpon the said saint Paules day Robert Lambe, Wil. Anderson, Iames Hunter, Iames Raueleson, Iames Founleson, & Hellen Stirke his wife, and cast that night in the Spay tower of the said citie, the morowe to abide iudgement.

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Upon