17 May 1541. About the latter end of this yeare, doctor Samson bishop of Chichester, and doctor Wilson, which had béene committed to the tower (as before ye haue heard) were now pardoned of the king, and set againe at libertie. In the beginning of this yeare, fiue priests in Yorkeshire began a new rebellion, with the assent of one Leigh, a gentleman, and nine temporall men, all which persons were apprehended, and in diuers places put to execution. The said Leigh and two other, the one named Taterfall a clothier, & the other Thornton a yeoman, on the seuentéenth of Maie, were drawne through London to Tiburne, and there executed. And sir Iohn Neuill knight, and ten other persons,

09 Jun 1541. Sir Iohn Neuill executed. The same daie, Margaret countesse of Salisburie, that had remained a long time prisoner in the tower, was beheaded there within the tower. She was the last of the right line and name of Plantagenet. The ninth of Iune for example sake, two of the kings gard, the one named Damport, and the other Chapman, were hanged at Greenwich by the friers wall, for robberies which they had committed.

10 Jun 1541. On the tenth of Iune, Sir Edmund Kneuet arreigned for striking in the court. sir Edmund Kneuet knight, of Norffolke, was arreigned before the kings iustices (sitting in the great hall at Gréenewich) maister Gage, comptrollor of the kings household, maister Southwell, sir Anthonie Browne, sir Anthonie Winke [...]ield, maister Wrisleie, and Edmund Peckham, cofferer of the kings houshold, for striking of one maister Clers of Norffolke, seruant with the earle of Surrie, within the kings house in the tenis court. There was first chosen to go vpon the said Edmund, a quest of gentlemen and a quest of yeomen, to inquire of the said stripe, by the which inquests he was found giltie, and had iudgement to lose his right hand. Wherevpon was called to doo the execution, first the sergeant surgion with his instruments apperteining to his office: the sergeant of the woodyard with the mallet, and a blocke wherevpon the hand should lie: the maister cooke for the king, with the knife: the sergeant of the larder, to set the knife right on the ioint: the sergeant ferrer, with the searing irons to seare the veines: the sergeant of the poultrie, with a cocke, which cocke should haue his head smitten off vpon the same blocke, and with the same knife: the yeoman of the chandrie, with seare cloths: the yeoman of the skullerie, with a pan of fire to heate the irons, a chafer of water to coole the ends of the irons, and two formes for all officers to set their stuffe on: the sergeant of the cellar, with wine, ale, and béere: the yeoman of the yewrie in the sergeants stead, who was absent, with bason, ewre, and towels.

Thus euerie man in his office readie to doo the execution, there was called foorth sir William Pickering knight marshall, to bring in the said Edmund Kneuet; and when he was brought to the bar, the chiefe iustice declared to him his trespasse, and the said Kneuet confessing himselfe to be giltie, humblie submitted him to the kings mercie: for this offense he was not onelie iudged to lose his hand, but also his bodie to remaine in prison, and his lands and goods at the kings pleasure. Then the said sir Edmund Kneuet desired that the king of his benigne grace would pardon him of his right hand, and take the left, for (quoth he) if my right hand be spared, I maie hereafter doo such good seruice to his grace, as shall please him to appoint. Of this submission and request the iustices foorthwith informed the king, who of his goodnesse, considering the gentle heart of the said Edmund, and the good report of the lords, granted him his pardon, that he should lose neither hand, lands, nor goods, but should go frée at libertie.

28 Jun 1541. The lord Leonard Greie being indicted of certeine points of treason by him committed, as was alledged against him, during the season that he was the kings lieutenant in Ireland, to wit, for deliuering his nephew Girald Fitzgerard brother vnto Thomas Fitzgerard before executed, and also for that he caused certeine Irishmen to inuade the lands of the kings friends, whome he fauoured not: on the fiue and twentith of Iune he was arreigned at Westminster in the kings bench, and appointed to be tried by knights, because he was a lord by name, and no lord of the parlement; but he discharged the iurie, and confessed the indictement, wherevpon he had iudgement, and on the eight and twentith of Iune being saint Peters euen, he was beheaded at tower hill, where he ended his life verie quietlie and godlie.

This noble man as he was come of high linage, so was he a right valiant and hardie personage, hauing in his time doone his prince and countrie good seruice, both in Ireland, France, and other places, greatlie to his commendation, although now his hap was thus to loose his head, as conuicted by law, and his renowme (ouercast with a cloud of disgrace) vanished, as future chances befell, to the abolishing of the present honor which sometime he inioied. Howbeit, his estimation he might haue preserued vnblemished, had prouident circumspection vndertaken the direction of his dooings, and that he had borne his eies in his forehead, to foresee all afterclaps, which a wise man will in no case neglect:

Nam sapiens in fronte oculos habet, omnia spectans,

Omnia prudenti cum ratione videns.

The same daie that he suffered, there was executed at saint Thomas Waterings thrée gentlemen, Iohn Mantell, Iohn Frowds, and george Roidon: they died for a murther committed in Sussex (as their indictement imported) in companie of Thomas Fines lord Dacres of the south. The truth whereof was thus. The said lord Dacres, through the lewd persuasion of some of them, as hath béene reported, meaning to hunt in the parke of Nicholas Pelham esquire at Laughton, in the same countie of Sussex, being accompanied with the said Mantell, Frowds, and Roidon, Iohn Cheinie and Thomas Isleie gentlemen, Richard Middleton and Iohn Goldwell yeomen, passed from his house of Hurstmonseux, the last of Aprill in the night season, toward the same parke, where they intended so to hunt; and comming vnto a place called Pikehaie in the parish of Hillingleie, they found one Iohn Busbrig, Iames Busbrig, and Richard Sumner standing togither; and as it fell out through quarelling, there insued a fraie betwixt the said lord Dacres and his companie on the one partie, and the said Iohn and Iames Busbrig and Richard Sumner on the other: insomuch that the said Iohn Busbrig receiued such hurt, that he died thereof the second of Maie next insuing.

27 Jun 1541. Wherevpon, as well the said lord Dacres as those that were there with him, and diuerse other likewise that were appointed to go an other waie to méet them at the said parke, were indicted of murther: and the seauen and twentith of Iune the lord Dacres himselfe was arreigned before the lord Audleie of Walden then lord chancellor, sitting that daie as high steward of England, with other péeces of the realme about him, who then and there condemned the said lord Dacres to die for that transgression. And afterward the nine and twentith of Iune being saint Peters daie, at eleuen of the clocke in the forenoone, the shiriffs of London, accordinglie as they were appointed, were readie at the tower to haue receiued the said prisoner, and him to haue lead to execution on the tower hill. But as the prisoner should come forth of the tower, one Heire a gentleman of the lord chancellors house came, and in the kings name commanded to staie the execution till two of the clocke in the afternoone, which caused manie to thinke that the king would haue granted his pardon. But neuerthelesse, at three of the clocke in the same afternoone, he was brought forth of the tower, and deliuered to the shiriffs, who lead him on foot betwixt them vnto Tiburne, where he died. His bodie was buried in the church of saint Sepulchers. He was not past foure and twentie years of age, when he came through this great mishap to his end, for whome manie sore lamented, and likewise for the other thrée gentlemen, Mantell, Frowds, and Roidon. But for the sad yoong lord, being a right towardlie gentleman, and such a one, as manie had conceiued great hope of better proofe, no small mone and lamentation was made; the more indéed, for that it was thought he was induced to attempt such follie, which occasioned his death, by some light heads that were then about him.

01 Jul 1541. The first of Julie a Welshman a minstrell was hanged and quartered for singing of songs, which were interpreted to be prophesies against the king. This summer the king tooke his progresse to Yorke, and passed through Lincolneshire, where was made to him an humble submission by the temporaltie, and confessing their faults, they humblie thanked him for his pardon, which he had granted them. The towne of Stanford gaue to him twentie pounds, the citie of Lincoln fortie pounds, Boston fiftie pounds, that part of the shire which is called Linscie gaue thrée hundred pounds, and Kesterne and the church of Lincolne presented him with fiftie pounds. At his entring into Yorkeshire, he was met with two hundred gentlemen of the same shire, in cotes of veluet, and foure thousand tall yeomen and seruing men well horssed, which on their knees made their submission, by the mouth of sir Robert Bowes, and gaue to the king nine hundred pounds. On Barnesdale the archbishop of Yorke, with thrée hundred priests and more met the king, and making a like submission, gaue to him six hundred pounds. The like submission was made by the maiors of Yorke, Newcastell, and Hull, and ech of them gaue to the king an hundred pounds.

01 Dec 1541. The first of December, Culpeper (age 27) and Diram (age 28) were arreigned at the Guildhall in London, before the lord maior sitting there in iudgement as chéefe iudge, hauing the lord chancellor vpon his right hand, and the duke of Norffolke vpon his left hand, the duke of Suffolke the lord priuie seale, the earles of Sussex and Hereford, with diuerse other of the councell sitting there as iudges in commission that daie: the prisoners in the end confessed the indictement, and had iudgement to die, as in cases of treason.