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Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions
Executions is in Death.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Crushed to death
On 25 Mar 1586 Margaret Middleton (age 30) was crushed to death at the Toll Booth on Ouse Bridge, York for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Drowned in a butt of wine
In 534 Muirchertach mac Muiredaig High King of Ireland was drowned in a butt of wine. The Annals of Ulster report ... The drowning of Muirchertach mac Muiredaig High King of Ireland in a vat full of wine on the hilltop of Cleitech above Bóinn ie at Newgrange Passage Tomb [Map].
On 18 Feb 1478 George York 1st Duke of Clarence (age 28) was drowned in a butt of wine (Malmsey) wine in the Bowyer Tower in the Tower of London [Map]. Duke Clarence, Earl Salisbury extinct. "in a butt of Malmsey wine" may refer to 1 a butt full of Malmsey wine or 2 a butt that once contained Malmsey wine that was subsequently re-used for another purpose such as washing or bathing.
William Hussey (age 35) conducted the impeachment of the Duke of Clarence for treason.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester (age 25) succeeded 2nd Earl Richmond.
The only other person known to have been executed, or ritually killed, by drowning in a butt of wine is Muirchertach mac Muiredaig High King of Ireland (as reported by the Annals of Ulster) in his case at Newgrange Passage Tomb [Map].
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Executed by Boiling
Chronicle of Greyfriars. 1522. And this yere was a man soddyne in a cautherne in Smythfelde, and lett up and downe dyvers tymes tyll he was dede, for because he wold a poyssynd dyvers persons.
Chronicle of Greyfriars. 06 Apr 1532. Also this yere was a coke boylyd in a cauderne in Smythfeld for he wolde a powsynd the byshoppe of Rochester Fycher (age 62) with dy vers of hys servanttes, and he was lockyd in a chayne and pullyd up and downe with a gybbyt at dyvers tymes tyll he was dede.
Note. Poisoning of the household of the bishop of Rochester, and the punishment by Boiling. This crime occasioned great popular excitement at the time, which was probably increased both by the supposition that the life of the bishop (John Fisher) had been attempted, and by the rumour that many of the poor which had partaken of his alms had died, which is directly asserted as the fact by Stowe. Such, however, was not actually the case : only one of the episcopal household, and one poor widow, lost their lives. As the parliament was sitting, the matter was brought before it, and an act (22 Hen. VIII. c. 9) was passed, reciting that " now in the tyme of this presente parliament, that is to saye, in the xviijth daye of Februarye in the xxij. yere of his moste victorious reygn, one Richard Roose late of Rouchester in the countie of Kent, coke, otherwyse called Richard Coke, of his moste wyked and dampnable dysposicyon dyd caste a certyne venym or poyson into a vessell replenysshed with yeste or barme stondyng in the kechyn of the Reverende Father in God John Bysshopp of Rochester at his place in Lamebyth Marsshe, wyth whych yeste or barme and other thynges convenyent porrage or gruell was forth wyth made for his famylye there beyng, wherby nat only the nombre of xvij. persons of his said famylie whych dyd eate of that porrage were mortally enfected and poysoned, and one of them, that is to say, Benett Curwen gentylman therof is deceassed, but also certeyne pore people which resorted to the sayde Bysshops place and were there charytably fedde wyth the remayne of the saide porrage and other vytayles, were in lyke wyse infected, and one pore woman of them, that is to saye, Alyce Tryppytt wydowe, is also thereof now deceassed : our sayde Sovereign Lorde the Kynge, of hys blessed disposicion inwardly abhorryng all such abhomynable offences because that in maner no persone can lyve in suertye out of daunger of death by that meane yf practyse therof should not be exchued, hath ordeyned and enacted by auctorytie of thys presente parlyament that the sayde poysonyng be adjudged and denied as high treason. And that the sayde Richard for the sayd murder and poysonynge of the said two persones as is aforesayde by auctoritie of this presente parlyament shall stande and be attaynted of highe treason : And by cause that detestable offence nowe newly practysed and comytted requyreth condygne punysshemente for the same; It is ordeyned and enacted by auctoritie of this present parlyament that the said Richard Roose shalbe therfore boyled to deathe withoute havynge any advauntage of his clargie. And that from hensforth every wylfull murder of any persone or persones by any whatsoever persone or persones herafter to be comytted and done by meane or waye of poysonyng shalbe reputed, denied, and juged in the lawe to be highe treason; And that all and every persone or persones which hereafter shalbe lawfully indyted, appeled and attaynted or condemned of such treson for any maner poysonyng shall not be admytted to the benefyte of hys or theyre clargye, but shalbe immedyatly committed to execucion of deth by boylynge for the same."
It has been supposed that this was an ex-post facto enactment, so far as Richard Roose was concerned; and yet we find by the present chronicle, p. 30, that, at an earlier period of Henry's reign, nine years before, a man was sodden in a cauldron at Smithfield, "because he would have poisoned divers persons." Therefore the same punishment appears to have previously attached to the offence. It has not, however, been traced to still earlier times. (See "Notes and Queries," 1852, vol. v. pp. 32, 112, 184.) A third instance of its execution has been found in the chronicle of King's Lynn, about the same time as Roose's case: "1531. This year here was a maid boiled to death in the Market-place for poisoning her mistress." (Ibid. p.355.) A fourth occurs in 1542, which is briefly mentioned in p. 45 of the present volume, and somewhat differently by Stowe, as follows : " The 17 March [i.e. a week later] Margaret Davy, a maid, was boiled in Smithfield for poisoning of the household that she had dwelled in." Sir Walter Scott, in his Border Minstrelsy (notes to Leyden's ballad of Lord Soulis), gives this passage with the erroneous date of 1524, following a misprint in Stowe's margin. The punishment by boiling is supposed to have been repealed by the statute 1 Edward VI. c. 12, by which all new treasons were abolished.
Chronicle of Greyfriars. 10 Mar 1542. And the 10th day of March was a maid boiled in Smithfield for poisoning of diverse persons.
Notes and Queries 1852 Volume 5 Number 118. "The punishment of boiling," adds Sir Walter, "seems to have been in use among the English at a very late period, as appears from the following passage in Stowe's Chronicle:—'The 17th March (1542) Margaret Davy, a maid, was boiled at Smithfield for poisoning of three households that she had dwelled in.'"
Holinshed's Chronicle 1542. 17 Mar 1542. The seuenteenth of March one Margaret Dauie a yoong woman, being a servant, was boiled in Smithfield for poisoning of hir mistres with whome she dwelt, and diuerse other persons.
Notes and Queries 1852 Volume 5 Number 115. Boiling to death as a punishment. (Vol. ii., p. 519.)
L. H. K. gives an extract from Howe's Chronicle, detailing the punishment of one Richard Rose (as also of another person) in the above manner for the crime of poisoning, and inquires if this was a peculiar mode of punishing of cooks. No reply to this having yet appeared, and the subject being only incidentally mentioned at Vol. iii., p. 153., I venture to submit to you the following Notes I have made upon it.
The crime of poisoning was always considered as most detestable, "because it can, of all others, be the least prevented either by manhood or forethought." Nevertheless, prior to the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. c. 9. there was no peculiarity in the mode of punishment. The occurrence to which Howe refers, appears to have excited considerable attention, probably on account of the supposition that the life of the bishop was aimed at; so much so, that the extraordinary step was taken of passing an Act of Parliament, retrospective in its enactments as against the culprit (who is variously [33]described as Rose, Roose, otherwise Cooke, and Rouse), prescribing the mode of punishment as above, and declaring the crime of poisoning to be treason for the future. The occurrence is thus related in a foot-note to Rapin, 2nd edit. vol. i. p. 792.:—
"During this Session of Parliament [1531] one Richard Rouse, a cook, on the 16th February poisoned some soop in the Bishop of Rochester's kitchen, with which seventeen persons were mortally infected; and one of the gentlemen died of it, and some poor people that were charitably fed with the remainder were also infected, one woman dying. The person was apprehended; and by Act of Parliament poisoning was declared treason, and Rouse was attainted and sentenced to be boiled to death, which was to be the punishment of poisoning for all times to come. The sentence was executed in Smithfield soon after."
This horrible punishment did not remain on the Statute Books for any very lengthened period, the above statute of Henry being repealed by statutes 1 Edw. VI. c. 12., and 1 Mary, stat. I. c. 1., by which all new treasons were abolished, since which the punishment has been the same as in other cases of murder. If within the reach of any correspondent, an extract from the statute of Henry would be interesting.
J. B. Colman.
Eye, Dec. 16. 1851.
[The Act of 22 Hen. VIII. c. 9. recites, that "nowe in the tyme of this presente parliament, that is to saye, in the xviijth daye of Februarye in the xxij yere of his moste victorious reygn, one Richard Roose late of Rouchester in the countie of Kent, coke, otherwyse called Richard Coke, of his moste wyked and dampnable dysposicyon dyd caste a certyne venym or poyson into a vessell replenysshed with yeste or barme stondyng in the kechyn of the Reverende Father in God John Bysshopp of Rochester at his place in Lamebyth Marsshe, wyth whych yeste or barme and other thynges convenyent porrage or gruel was forthwyth made for his famylye there beyng, wherby nat only the nombre of xvij persons of his said famylie whych dyd eate of that porrage were mortally enfected and poysoned, and one of them, that is to say, Benett Curwen gentylman therof is deceassed, but also certeyne pore people which resorted to the sayde Bysshops place and were there charytably fedde wyth the remayne of the saide porrage and other vytayles, were in lyke wyse infected, and one pore woman of them, that is to saye, Alyce Tryppytt wydowe, is also thereof now deceassed: our sayde Sovereign Lorde the Kynge of hys blessed disposicion inwardly abhorryng all such abhomynable offences because that in maner no persone can lyve in suertye out of daunger of death by that meane yf practyse therof should not be exchued, hath ordeyned and enacted by auctorytie of thys presente parlyament that the sayde poysonyng be adjudged and demed as high treason. And that the sayde Richard [Rose or Roose] for the sayd murder and poysonynge of the said two persones as is aforesayde by auctoritie of this presente parlyament shall stande and be attaynted of highe treason: And by cause that detestable offence nowe newly practysed and com̅ytted requyreth condign̅e punysshemente for the same; It is ordeyned and enacted by auctoritie of this present parlyament that the said Richard Roose shalbe therfore boyled to deathe withoute havynge any advauntage of his clargie. And that from hensforth every wylfull murder of any persone or persones by any whatsoever persone or persones herafter to be com̅ytted and done by meane or waye of poysonyng shalbe reputed, demed, and juged in the lawe to be highe treason; And that all and every persone or persones which hereafter shalbe lawfully indyted appeled and attaynted or condemned of such treson for any maner poysonyng shall not be admytted to the benefyte of hys or theyre clargye, but shalbe immedyatly committed to execucion of deth by boylynge for the same.]
Notes and Queries 1852 Volume 5 Number 118. The Crime of Poisoning by Boiling [Page 112]
Mr. J. B. Colman has directed attention to the special act of attainder passed in 22 Hen. VIII. in order to punish Richard Roose for poisoning the family of the Bishop of Rochester; but I have reason to believe that he is wrong in his assertion that, prior to that statute, "there was no peculiarity in the mode of punishment" for the crime in question. In the Chronicle of the Grey Friars of London, which I am now engaged in editing for the Camden Society, I find an instance of the like punishment being inflicted for the same crime in the 13th Hen. VIII.:
"And this yere was a man soddyne in a cautherne (sc. a cauldron) in Smythfelde, and lett up and downe dyvers tymes tyll he was dede, for because he wold a poyssynd dyvers persons."
I would therefore beg to inquire whether Mr. Colman has taken a correct view of the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. as prescribing a new punishment, retrospective to the case of Richard Roose; and whether the act was not, so far as he was concerned, simply one of attainder, to deprive the culprit of the "advantage of his clargie," whereby he might otherwise have escaped the legal punishment already provided for the crime. Having declared Roose attainted of high treason, the statute proceeds to enact that all future poisoners shall also be debarred of the benefit of clergy, and immediately committed to death by boiling. Roose's own case is recorded in the Grey Friars' Chronicle with the same horrible circumstances as those related in the former instance, of his life being gradually destroyed:
"He was lockyd in a chayne and pullyd up and downe with a gybbyt at dyvers tymes tyll he was dede."
A third instance occurs in 1542, when—
"The x day of March was a mayde boyllyd in Smythfelde for poysynyng of dyvers persons."
This last is the same case which is cited by L. H. K. in your Vol. ii., p. 519. If my view of the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. be the right one, it still remains to be ascertained when this barbarous punishment was first adopted; and is it certain that it ceased with the reign of Hen. VIII.?
John Gough Nichols.
Notes and Queries 1852 Volume 5 Number 121. Boiling Criminals to Death. (Vol. v., pp. 32. 112.)
Mr. John Gough Nichols's observations upon the reply you favoured me by publishing upon this subject, require from me some few observations in further support of it. When I wrote the article in question, I had not had an opportunity of consulting the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. itself. In making the assertion that, prior to the case of Roose, "there was no peculiarity in the mode of punishment," I did so principally on the authority of Blackstone, who says—
"Of all species of deaths the most detestable is that of poison, because it can of all others be the least prevented either by manhood or forethought, and therefore by the statute of 22 Hen. VIII. c. 9. it was made treason, and a more grievous and lingering kind of death was inflicted on it than the common law allowed, namely, boiling to death."
Upon a perusal of the statute (as published by you at p. 33.), I am confirmed in my opinion that the statute was "retrospective in its enactments as against" Roose, and was more extensive in its operation than (as Mr. Nichols appears to consider) merely depriving the culprit of the "advantage of his clargie." The Act, after reciting the facts of the case, enacted that the particular act of poisoning should be deemed high treason; and that the said "Richard" should be attainted of high treason: and because that offence, then "newly practised," required condign punishment, it was further enacted, that the said Richard Roose should be boiled to death without benefit of clergy.
If this particular punishment already existed for the crime stated in the Act to be "new," why the necessity for thus particularising the mode of punishment? The conclusion of the Act (differing much in the verbiage from that part relating to Roose) confirms me in my opinion, for it enacts that all future poisoners should not only be adjudged guilty of high treason, and not be admitted to the benefit of clergy, but also provides for the punishment in the mode in question.
With regard to the case instanced by Mr. Nichols, in the 13th Hen., I merely observe that it appears to have escaped the attention of Blackstone, and others who have written upon the subject. Assuming that case to have happened, a reference to the statutes of Henry of that period might probably show that an Act was passed for the punishment of that particular offence; but not extending further, it became necessary to pass another, both specific and general, upon the occurrence of Roose's case.
In support of my view as to the discontinuance of the punishment, vide Blackstone, vol. iv. p. 96.
N.B. The date "1524" (third line from the bottom of second column, p. 112.) appears a misprint for "1542".
J. B. Colman.
Eye.
The punishment of boiling criminals to death was not inflicted solely for such a crime as poisoning. It was a common punishment for coining. See Annales Dominicanarum Colmariensium in Urstisius, Ger. Illust. Script., vol. ii. p. 12.; and Ducange, in verb. Caldariis decoquere. I believe instances of it will also be found in Döpler, Theatrum Pœnarum; and it will be seen by a reference to Ayala, Cronica del Rey Don Pedro, that this was the favourite mode of putting to death all persons who had offended him, employed by that monarch, who is best, and, as I think, most truly, known in history as "Peter the Cruel."
W. B. MacCabe.
As the punishment of boiling has been a matter of investigation lately in your columns, perhaps the following contribution on the same subject may not be uninteresting to some of your readers. It appears that in the year 1392, when Florentius Wewelinghofen, or Wewelkofen, was Bishop of Utrecht, a certain Jacobus von Jülich, by means of forged credentials from the Pope, contrived to pass himself off, for a time, as suffragan to the same see. Upon the discovery of the cheat, however, Florentius summoned a synod of six bishops to Utrecht, who condemned the unfortunate pretender to be sodden to death in boiling water! Zedler, in his Universal Lexicon, tom. ix. col. 1282., alludes to the fact. Wilh. Heda, in his Hist. Episc. Ultraject. pp. 259, 260., gives the story thus:
"Circa hæc tempora, scilicet anno 1392 ... quidam ex professione Divi Francisci, sese pro Sacerdote et Episcopo gerens, et in Suffraganeum Episcopi Florentii assumptus, cum aliquandiu sacra omnia peregisset, inventus falso charactere atque literis usus, destituitur, et ferventibus aquis immergendus adjudicatur; impositus vero aquis (quia clamore suo Episcopum ad pietatem commovit) statim extrahitur et capite truncatus obtinuit sepulturam."
Perhaps the Cardinal, should this meet his eye, or any one of your readers equally skilled in Roman ecclesiastical archæology, can inform the public whether this may not be the origin of the phrases, "getting oneself into hot water," and "being sent to pot."
J. B. McC.
British Museum.
Notes and Queries 1852 Volume 5 128. Punishment of Boiling to Death (Vol. v., pp. 32. 112. 184.).
—It may not be uninteresting to adduce an instance in this town:
"1531. This year here was a maid boiled to death in the Market-place for poisoning her mistress."
J. N. C.
King's Lynn.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Guillotined
On 21 Jan 1793 Louis XVI King France (age 38) was guillotined in Paris [Map]. His son Louis XVII King France (age 7) de jure XVII King France: Capet Valois Bourbon.
On 16 Oct 1793 at 12:15 Queen Marie Antoinette of France (age 37) was guillotined at the Place de la Révolution. Her last words were "Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l'ai pas fait exprès" or "Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose" after she accidentally stepped on the executioners shoe.
On 13 Apr 1794 Arthur Dillon (age 43) guillotined.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Hanged in Chains
On 12 Jul 1537 Robert Aske (age 37) was hanged in chains at Clifford's Tower. The date may have been Friday 06 Jul as implied by the letters of the Duke of Norfolk?
George aka William Lumley and Nicholas Tempest (age 57) were hanged at Tyburn [Map].
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Impaled
Before 10 May 1470 John "Butcher of England" Tiptoft 1st Earl of Worcester (age 43) sat in judgement on the Earl of Warwick's (age 41) men who had attempted to steal the ship Trinity for the Earl of Warwick. In addition to the usual punishment of hanging, drawing and quartering Tiptoft also subjected the men's corpses to being impaled, perhaps unique in English punishments, but usual for pirates in Europe. His actions were described as cruel and unmerited by the common people and resulted in Tiptoft being known as 'Butcher'.
Warkworth's Chronicle 1470. [10 May 1470] And whenne the Duke of Clarence and the Earl of Warwike herde the felde was loste, and how there cownselle was dyscoverede, they fledde westwarde to the see syde, and toke there here schippys, and sayled towarde Southamptone, and e[n]tendet there to have a grete schyppe of the seide Earl of Warwicks (age 41), callyde the Trinite; but the Lorde Scales, the Quenes brother, was sent thedere by the Kynges commawndement, and other withe hym, and faught with the seide Duke and Earl, and toke there dyverse schyppes of theres and many of ther men therein; so that the Duke and the Earl were fayne to flee to the Kynge of Fraunce, where they were worschipfully receyved. And after this the Kynge Edwarde came to Southamptone, and commawndede the Earl of Worcetere (age 43) to sitt and juge suche menne as were taken in the schyppes, and so xx. persones of gentylmen and yomenne were hangede, drawne, and quartered, and hedede; and after that they hanged uppe by the leggys, and a stake made scharpe at bothe endes, whereof one ende was putt in att bottokys, and the other ende ther heddes were putt uppe one; for the whiche the peple of the londe were gretely displesyd; and evere afterwarde the Earl of Worcestre was gretely behatede emonge the peple, for ther dysordinate dethe that he used, contrarye to the lawe of the londe.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Stoned to death
In 34 Saint Stephen (age 29) was stoned to death.
Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Executions, Strangled
On 26 Jul 1518 John Cotell was strangled by his wife Alice aka Agnes Cotell (age 33) at Farleigh Hungreford Castle [Map] with the aid of William Mathewe and William Inges, yeomen of Heytesbury, Wiltshire [Map]. He, John, was steward to Edward Hungerford who she subsequently married.
Around 06 Oct 1536 William Tyndale (age 42) was strangled to death after which his body was burned at the stake.