An egg's worth of education

[msmcknittington]

Sixteenth century friends: I'm trying to remember something about the persecutions of Protestants and Anglicans under Mary Tudor in the 1550s. I seem to recall an, uh, anecdote about a pregnant woman being burned for heresy who gave birth to a son in the flames, and the baby was then flung back onto the fire

Comments

[ciorstan]

Ahah, Foxe's Book of Martyrs:

Perotine Massey

(d. 1556)

Daughter of Katherine Cauches. Martyr. Of S Pierre Port, Guernsey.

[Ogier, Reformation and Society in Guernsey (Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1996), pp. 57-58.]

Perotine Massey lived with her mother, Katherine Cauches, and her sister, Guillemine Gilbert. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Vincent Gosset took a stolen silver cup to her in the hope of receiving money from her against it. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Thomas Effart testified that Massey informed the cup's owner, Nicholas le Conronney, of the cup's theft and Gosset was then apprehended. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Massey was imprisoned with her sister and mother because of the stolen cup brought to their house by Vincent Gosset. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Massey was found not guilty of theft but retained for not going to church. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Her case was put before Jaques Amy, the dean of Guernsey. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

A letter was sent from the Helier Gosselin (bailiff), lieutenant and jurats of S Pierre Port to Jaques Amy regarding the three accused women. 1563, p. 1542, 1570, p. 2127-28, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, p. 1943.

Foxe states that on 14 July 1556 Perotine Massey was examined before Hellier Gosselin, in the presence of Richard Devike, Pierre Martin, Nicholas Cary, John Blundel, Nicholas de Lisle, John Le Marchant, John le Fevre, Pierre Bonamy, Nicholas Martin, John de la March (jurats), and Jaques Amy. 1563, p. 1543, 1570, p. 2128, 1576, p. 1849, 1583, pp. 1943-44.

She was condemned as a heretic on 17 or 27 of July 1556. 1563, p. 1543, 1570, p. 2128, 1576, p. 1850, 1583, p. 1944.

She was first strangled but the rope broke. She gave birth in the flames. 1563, p. 1544, 1570, p. 2128, 1576, p. 1851, 1583, p. 1945.

Her child was initially saved by W. House but the bailiff insisted that the baby boy be thrust back into the flames. 1563, p. 1544, 1570, p. 2128, 1576, p. 1851, 1583, p. 1945.

I looked it up further, here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=OAUXAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Perotine+Massey+of+Guernsey&source=web&ots=q6rcMcNqF4&sig=2Ev7UQIiyvocxzkJG1DL2M--39w&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA237,M1

and Foxe discusses the matter at length, outraged that the men who burned this woman and her child were pardoned by Mary, after the fact. There's a footnote on page 231 where Foxe righteously calls down the wrath of God in the afterlife to punish them...

She was, indeed, entitled to plead her belly and that child, a fair boy, should not have died the way he did.

[msmcknittington]

Thanks! Foxe's Martyrs is absolutely harrowing to read, isn't it? Makes me very happy for the general attitude in the Western World that religious difference isn't enough reason to burn people at the stake. Or, at least, the intolerance of most of the world for such things.