Warne, Tankervil, And Others
WARNE, TANKERVIL, AND OTHERS
After this came the persecution of ten other true servants and saints of the Lord. Not saints that the pope made or those mentioned in The Legend of the Saints or in The Lives of the Fathers, but those spoken of in Revelation: These be they that follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth, and who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. In a way, the pope did make these people saints, for if he had not killed them, they would not be martyrs.
The ten were Elizabeth Warne, George Tankervil, Robert Smith, Stephen Harwood, Thomas Fust, William Hall, Thomas Leyes, George King, John Wade, and Joan Lashford.
Now that the prisons of London were full and more prisoners were still arriving, the council and commissioners sent these ten people to Bonner at once, to make room for others.
Elizabeth Warne was the wife of John Warne, who had been burned earlier as a heretic. She was captured with others on January 1 in a house in Bow Churchyard, London, as they gathered for prayers, then was imprisoned until June 11 before being transferred to Newgate, where she stayed until July 2. On July 6, Elizabeth appeared before Bishop Bonner, along with the nine others listed above.
The chief charge against them all was not believing that the physical body and blood of Christ were present in the bread and wine, although there were other charges, such as not going to church, speaking against the Mass, and hating the Catholic ceremonies and sacraments.
After being brought before Bonner several times, Elizabeth Warne told him, “Do whatever you want. If Christ was in error, then so am I.” On July 12 she was condemned as a heretic and burned at Stratford-le-Bow in August.
George Tankervil, born in the city of York, lived in London. He was a Catholic in King Edward’s days, but when the persecutions began under Queen Mary, Tankervil was disgusted by them and began to doubt the church. He asked God to show him the truth about transubstantiation—something he’d always had doubts about—and came to believe as the Protestants did on the subject. Moved to read the New Testament for himself, Tankervil soon turned from the Catholic Church entirely and began to try to convert his friends, work that soon brought him before the bishop of London, who condemned him.
Tankervil was brought to St. Albans to die on August 26 and was locked in an inn there while the sheriffs attended a local wedding. Since he was forbidden Communion, he asked for and received a pint of malmsey and a loaf of bread, knelt down to make his confession to God, and read the institution of the Last Supper from the Gospel. “Lord,” he prayed, “You know I don’t do this to usurp anyone’s authority or in contempt of Your ministers, but only because I cannot have it administered according to Your Word.” When he had finished, he received the bread and wine with thanksgiving.
Then Tankervil asked his host to build him a good fire. He took off his shoes and stockings and stretched his leg into the flame, pulling it back when the flames hit it, showing how his flesh wanted one thing and his spirit another.
About two o’clock the sheriffs returned to take Tankervil to Romeland, a green near the west end of the abbey church. A priest approached while the wood was being arranged around him, and Tankervil called out, “I defy the whore of Babylon! Fie on that abominable idol! Good people, do not believe him!” Embracing the fire, he bathed himself in it, and, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, was quickly out of pain.
Robert Smith was brought to Newgate on November 5. He was a tall, slender man, active in many things, especially painting, which he found relaxing. Once he was converted by the preaching and reading of Mr. Turner and others, he was very fervent in his religion. When Queen Mary came to the throne, Smith was fired from his clerkship in Windsor College, arrested, and brought before Bishop Bonner. Smith saw Bonner four times, answering all his questions boldly, arguing theology without fear—perhaps even a little rashly—until Bonner realized he would get nowhere and condemned him on July 12.
While he was in prison, Smith had been used by God to comfort those suffering with him. At the stake on August 8, he determined to do the same, telling everyone present he was sure his body would rise again. “And,” he added, “I’m sure God will show you some sign of that.” By the time he was nearly half burned and black from the fire, everyone thought Smith was dead, but he suddenly rose upright, lifted the stumps of his arms, and clapped them together joyfully before sinking back into the flames.
Stephen Harwood and Thomas Fust died about the same time as Robert Smith and George Tankervil, being tried and condemned with them. One was burned at Stratford and the other at Ware. William Hall died at Barnet.
Of the ten people sent to Bonner at once, six were executed at various places. Three others—George King, Thomas Leyes, and John Wade—became so sick in prison that they were moved to houses in London, where they all died. Their bodies were thrown out into the fields and secretly buried at night by the faithful. The last of the ten was Joan Laysh or Layshford. She was reprieved for a while but was eventually martyred, too.