William White

The first burning in Lollards Pit took place in 1428 when William White gained the dubious honour of being its first victim. White was a priest who had moved from Kent to Ludham.

Bishopsbridge, which local lollards would cross to meet their death at the stake.

Upon his arrival he began to preach to people on the streets of Norwich. Fervently opposed to the Roman Catholic Church he claimed that priest and bishops had no power to grant absolution via confessions and that men should seek forgiveness for their sings at the hands of God alone. Amongst other things he claimed the Pope's Holiness to be a "Devilish estate", that men should not worship images or other idolatrous paintings and, perhaps most daringly of all, that men who wore cowls (monks hoods) were "soliders of Lucifer".

Hardly the stuff to endear him to the church. White found himself hauled in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury where he recanted. To recant was to withdraw the remarks you had made and promise to live according to the church in future. Following the recantation a penance would need to be paid which would often be administered in the form of a whipping or being made to beg forgiveness at the altar.

Back in Ludham White regretted his recantation and began preaching on the streets once more. Brought before the Bishop of Norwich to explain his actions, this time White refused to recant and was sentenced to death by burning. In September 1428 White became the first martyr to make his way down Bishopsgate and over Bishopsbridge to Lollards Pit. Led by local priests and followed by a crowd both curious and excited at the approaching spectacle White was forced to carry his own fagot, the very wood that would be placed at his feet to start the fire.

Whilst the crowd following behind were happy to shout abuse and throw rubbish at White, possibly the greatest indignity came at the end of Bishopsgate. As he passed the houses on each side of the street the occupants opened their bedroom windows and emptied their chamber pots over him. Such was the treatment of local religious martyrs and it was to be seen many times over the next 150 years.

THE REIGN OF "BLOODY" QUEEN MARY

In 1553, following the death of Edward VI, Mary came to the throne of England. It is no accident that by the end of her five year reign she had acquired the nickname of "bloody". Mary was a staunch Catholic and believed that all the progress made by the Church of England and the Protestant believers during the reign of her brother Edward had to be undone as quickly as possible. She swiftly renounced the title of Supreme Head of the Church of England and committed her country back to the faith of Rome. Those who didn't share her beliefs would be mercilessly dealt with as the great tide of burnings in the history of England began. For Norwich there was an extra burden to bear, the appointment of Dr John Hopton as Bishop of Norwich.

Hopton had been confessor to the Queen when she was Princess Mary and was one of the most devout Catholics throughout the Kingdom. His appointment to the Bishopric of Norwich must have come as a dreadful blow to the Protestants throughout the area. When he appointed Dr Dunning as his chancellor, a man who, if anything, exceeded his own bloodlust for non-conforming Catholics, an alliance as dreadful as could be imagined was put into place. Without doubt Hopton and Dunning earned their reputations as the most feared religious judges in the country. They condemned and executed without mercy, although often this would not be enough to satisfy the crazed bloodlust the two men developed. A simple burning would not be enough for most victims. Most would be severely tortured and degraded over the period leading up to their deaths.

Standard practice for convicted heretics of Hopton was that they should spend the week between conviction and burning tied to a stake either at the Bishop's Palace or the castle. Their hands would be drawn up and bound high above their heads leaving them standing on tiptoe for the entire week.

There are no definite figures of how many so-called lollards suffered at the hands of Hopton and Dunning. A plaque on the riverside opposite the pits lists the names of eight martyrs who suffered during the reign of Mary. Foxes Book of Martyrs lists maybe a dozen more but perhaps the most damning evidence comes from the Cathedral's own records, which lists the number of burnings to take place as six in 1555; 10 in 1556 and 146 in 1557 and 14 in 1558. It also offers the information that this was the highest number recorded in any town in the country apart from London or Canterbury.

THOMAS BILNEY

Along with names of the martyrs who died during the reign of Queen Mary commemorated on the plaque by the riverside is the name of Thomas Bilney, possibly the most famous martyr to have died in the Norwich pits. Little is known of the early life of Bilney. Records show that he was born in 1495 and that he may have spent his early life in the village of Bilney. What is known for definite is that Bilney entered Trinity Hall, Cambridge when very young. Just a few years later, at the age of 24, he was ordained a priest by Nicholas West, Bishop of Ely.

Shortly after being ordained, Bilney discovered a Greek version of the New Testament which, he believed, revealed the truth of free salvation by the faith of Jesus Christ. The teachings were quite different to those of the Catholic church and Bilney began preaching to his fellow students and teachers at Cambridge.

The Guildhall where Thomas Bilney spent his last night before being burnt.

Bilney left Cambridge and began to spread his beliefs amongst the poor, the sick and even the lepers. In 1527 after giving a sermon at Christ Church, Ipswich he was arrested and imprisoned. Following pressure from his friends Bilney was persuaded to recant and in 1528 he was released and he made his way back to Cambridge. As a condition of his release he was forbidden from preaching but Bilney had regretted his recantation almost immediately and now, free again, he could no longer subdue the urge to carry on spreading the word of Christ as he saw it.

In 1529 he made his way to Norwich where he began preaching to crowds as they left their churches. He was quickly brought before Bishop Nixe who had him imprisoned whilst he sent for a writ to burn him. Bilney was tried, again, for heresy. This time he refused to disavow any of the beliefs he held and accordingly he was convicted and condemned to be burnt in the pit.
The night before his burning he was held in the Guildhall on Norwich Market Place. When visited by his friends for the last time he tried to convince them that he was willing to die for his beliefs. To demonstrate his faith he lit a candle and held his hand over the flame. As his friends looked on in disbelief, he allowed the flame to consume one of his fingers before removing his hand.

The following day when Bilney arrived at the pit he addressed the crowd: "Good people! I am come hither to die." Bilney then listed his beliefs before removing his gown and making his way to the stake. There he knelt on the small ledge where he was to stand and prayed. Having composed himself he asked the officers if they were ready and, after they had confirmed they were, he removed his jacket and doublet and stood upon the ledge in front of the stake whilst officers wrapped the chain around him. The fire was then lit beneath him but the wind was so strong that it blew the flames away from his body. What this meant was he was getting very, very hot but he wasn't actually burning, one report at the time described his flesh as bubbling, he was being slowly cooked alive. Finally one of the officers took pity on him and knocked out the staple holding the stake in the ground allowing it to fall forward. A few moments later the same officer placed a burning fagot on his lifeless back to help the flames consume the rest his body.

LOCATION

This ghostly tale has kindly been provided by Ghostly Dave - visit his Norwich Ghost Walk website here.