Cranmer's Ordeal
by Rev. Jonas Shepherd, (excerpts The Babington Plot)

Queen Mary married Philip II, July 20th, 1554. During succeeding years, England was to know the humiliation of belonging to Madrid and the papacy, and of being powerless to remedy her predicament. Yet, during those very years, in the agony and fortitude of her martyrdoms, she forged the weapons of her ultimate deliverance.

It was at the time of her marriage that Mary began her relentless campaign against English Protestants. In November, what was said to be a Parliament of a “wise, grave and catholic sort”, brought into being an “Act for the Renewing of the Three Statutes for the Punishment of Heresies”, wherein it was specified:

“Every article, branch and sentence contained in the ... several acts and every one of them, shall from the 20th day of January next coming be revived and be in full force, strength and effect, to all intents, constructions and purposes.”

These were the bitterest of years! Mary’s Parliament re-enacted all the old laws for the burning of heretics under which the Lollards had suffered, and re-established the church courts. The sad work began! Many prominent Protestants who had lain in prison were tried before church officials, and, when they refused to give up their beliefs, were handed over to the sheriffs or town officials to be burned at the stake. There were few cases of recantation. Most of those who were tried persisted in their beliefs and the law was carried out.

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s day of reckoning came with the official parliamentary action binding England to the Bishop of Rome.

A man of delicate, shrinking physical nature, of hesitating and over-cautious habits of mind, broken and wearied by long imprisonment and the long drawn-out strife of opinions and apparent conflict of duties, Cranmer surrendered to the demands of his persecutors. He was excommunicated as an heretic, condemned to death, and kept in prison where, wearied after three years of incarceration, in extreme illness and weakness, in fear of the dreadful death by burning awaiting his refusal, the former Archbishop signed several recantations, acknowledging once again the authority and sovereignty of the Bishop of Rome.

One of the recantations read:

“Forasmuch as the King’s and Queen’s Majesties by consent of their Parliament have received the pope’s authority within this realm, I am content to submit myself to their laws herein and to take the pope for the chief head of this Church of England, so far as God’s laws and the laws and customs of this realm will permit.”

Copies were spread throughout the land, but Queen Mary and Cardinal Pole were adamant in their determination that Cranmer should be disgraced, punished and humbled to the utmost, and finally be burned at the stake, notwithstanding what he had signed. This determination was kept from him . He discovered in his heart that his recantations were of little use in obtaining liberty, but, alas, he had also signed away the peace and joy previously experienced to sustain him.

Cranmer was commanded to declare his recantation in public to which he said, “I will do it, and with good will.” He was to state his submission to the Roman authority in a service at the Oxford Church of St. Mary, thus disgracing the entire reform movement.

Knowing his burning was sure, recantation or not, Cranmer altered his purpose, for on the day appointed the deposed Archbishop repudiated the pope and his pretended authority:

“... And now I come to the great things which so much troubled my conscience, more than anything that ever I did or said in my whole life, and that is the setting abroad of a writing contrary to the truth, which I now renounce and refuse ... forasmuch as my hand offended, writing contrary to my heart, my hand shall be the first burned ... as for the pope, I confess him, as Christ’s enemy and antichrist, with all of his false doctrine.”

Thus Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop and confidante of four sovereigns, recorded for all history his total repudiation of the entire anti-Christian papal system.

As he repeated this final repudiation, there was a great hubbub in the church, and a priest shouted, “Stop the heretic’s mouth!” So Cranmer was hurried away to the place of execution.

Burning at the stake, with left hand and eyes raised toward heaven, Cranmer plunged his right hand (which had written his denials of his Lord and God’s people) into the flames, holding it there steadily, often repeating, “Oh, that unworthy hand! Oh, that unworthy hand!” This went on for as long as his voice would permit, using also the words of Stephen, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

Thus Thomas Cranmer, loyal king’s man, friend of the reformers, major framer of the Book of Common Prayer, repudiated the denial of Christ wrought from him in weakness, and went to be with his Lord and Saviour. Like Peter he had denied his Lord, and likewise he was restored, forgiven and blessed of God, Who received this 16th century martyr.

The scenes of public execution of heretics by fire became only too common. More were put to death in two years than in the preceding 150 years during which the heresy laws had been in existence. Over three hundred altogether were thus martyred, while hundreds more lay suffering in the miserable prisons of the time.