21. William Dangerfield
21. WILLIAM DANGERFIELD
A pitiful story concerning the unmerciful handling of William Dangerfi eld, and Joan his wife being in childbed, taken out of her house, with her sucking infant of fourteen days old, and laid in the common jail amongst thieves and murderers.
When I had written and fi nished the story of the Guernsey women, with the young infant there with them burned, and also had passed the burning of the poor blind woman Joan Waste at Derby,* I well hoped I should have found no more such stories of unmerciful cruelty showed upon silly women with their children and young infants: but now coming to the persecution of Gloucestershire about the parts of Bristol, I fi nd another story of such unmercifulness showed against a woman in childbed, as far from all charity and humanity, as hath been any other story yet hitherto rehearsed, as by the sequel hereof may appear.
The cruel handling of William Dangerfi eld and Joan his wife in prison.
In the parish of Wotton-under-Edge, not far from Bristol, was dwelling one William Dangerfi eld a right honest and godly poor man, who by Joan Dangerfi eld his wife had nine children, and she now lying in childbed of the tenth. This William, after he had been abroad from his house a certain space, for fear of persecution, hearing that his wife was brought to bed, repaired* home to visit her, as natural duty required, and to see his children, she being now delivered four days before.
The return of this man was not so soon known to some of his unkind and uncharitable neighbours, but they incensed with the spirit of papistry, eftsoons beset the house about, and there took the said William Dangerfi eld, and carried him to prison, and so at length he was brought to the bishop, being then Doctor
Brooks:* in whose cruel handling he remained a certain space, so long till his legs almost were fretted off* with irons.
No charity in popery to be noted.
William Dangerfi eld apprehended in his own house.
After the apprehension, of the husband, the wife likewise was taken, with her young born child, being but fourteen days old
(as is said) out of her childbed, and carried into the common
Foxe's Book of Martyrs
jail, and there placed amongst thieves and murderers, where both she and her poor innocent found so small charity amongst the Catholic men, that she never could come to any fi re, but was driven to warm the clothes that she should put about the child, in her bosom.
Joan the wife of William Dangerfi eld taken with her young infant out of childbed, and had to prison.
In the mean season while they lay thus enclosed in several prisons, the husband and the wife, the bishop beginneth to practise not with the woman fi rst, as the serpent did with Eve,* but with the man, craftily deceiving his simplicity, with fair glozing words, falsely persuading him that his wife had recanted, and asking him, wherefore he should more stand in his own conceit, than she being as well learned as he, and so subtly drew out a form of recantation, wherewith he deceived the simple soul.
Whereunto after that he had once granted that he would consent, although he had not yet recanted, they suffered him to go to his wife, where she lay in the common jail.
Dangerfi eld made to believe falsely, that his wife had recanted.
Dangerfi eld upon hope of his wife's recantation, consented to the bishop.
Then they with melting hearts opening their minds one to another, when he saw his wife not released, and perceiving that he had not done well, he declared unto her the whole matter, how falsely he was circumvented by the subtle fl atterings of the bishop, bearing him in hand that certainly she had recanted:
'And thus deceiving me,' (said he), 'brought this unto me,' and so plucked out of his bosom the copy of the recantation, whereunto he had granted his promise. At the sight whereof the wife hearing what her husband had done, her heart clave asunder, saying: 'Alack, thus long have we continued one, and hath Satan so prevailed, to cause you to break your fi rst vow made to Christ in baptism?'* And so departed the said William and Joan his wife, with what hearts the Lord knoweth. Then began he not a little to bewail his promise made to the bishop, and to make his prayer to almighty God, desiring him that he might not live so long as to call evil good, and good evil: or light darkness, or darkness light, and so departed he home toward his house: where by the way homeward (as it is affi rmed) he took his death and shortly after departed according to his prayer, after he had endured in prison twelve weeks.
The wife lamented the fall of her husband.
Dangerfi eld lamenteth his promise made to the bishop.
The prayer of Dangerfi eld to God.
The death of the husband.
After this, Joan his wife continued still in prison with her tender infant, till at last she was brought before that bishop to
William Dangerfi eld
be examined. Whereunto what her answers were, it is not certainly known. Howbeit most like it is whatsoever they were, they pleased not the bishop, as appeared by his ire increased against the poor woman and her long continuance in the prison, together with her tender babe, which also remained with her in the jail, partaker of her martyrdom, so long as her milk would serve to give it suck, till at length the child being starved for cold and famine, was sent away when it was past all remedy, and so shortly after died. And not long after the mother also followed, besides the old woman, which was mother of the husband, of the age of eighty years and upward. Who being left in the house after their apprehension for lack of comfort there perished also.
The young infant famished in prison.
The martyrdom of the mother.
The death of the old woman.
And thus have ye in one story the death of four together: fi rst of the old woman, then of the husband, after that of the innocent child, and lastly of the mother. What became of the other nine children, I am not perfectly sure, but that I partly understand, that they were all undone by the same.
Mistress Bridges persecuted the same time for God's word, and witness of this story.
This story is reported and testifi ed as well by other as namely by Mistress Bridges, dwelling in the same town, and partaker then of the like affl ictions, and hardly escaped with her life.