1557. The conspirators who had fled to France on the discovery of their plot:—there remaining attempted diuers times to stirre rebellion within this Realme, by sending Bookes, Billes, and Letters, written and printed, farced full of vntruthes, and at length the sayd Stafforde and other English rebels, and some strangers, entred this Realme, on the foure and twentieth of Aprill, & tooke by stealth the castle of Skarborough in the countie of Yorke, and set out a shamefull proclamation, wherein he traiterously called and affirmed the queene to be vnrightfull and most vnworthie queene, and that the king had brought into this realme the number of twelve thousand Spaniardes, and that into their hands were deliuered 12. of the strongest holdes in this Realme. In which proclamation the sayde Stafforde named himselfe Protector and gouernor of this Realme, but hee with the other his complices, by the good diligence of the Earle of Westmerland and other noble men, were apprehended on the last of Aprill.…
The eyght and twentieth day of May, Thomas Stafford was beheaded on the tower hill, and on the morrowe three of his companie, to wit, Stretchley, Bradford and Proctor, were drawne to Tyborne, and there hanged & quartered (Stow, pp. 630, 631).
1556. July 2. We have already learnt how a hangman was hanged in 1538. Under the above date Machyn records the execution of another:—
The ij day of July rod in a care [rode in a cart] v. unto Tyborne: on was the hangman with the stump-lege for stheft [theft], wyche he had hangyd mony a man and quartered mony, and hed [beheaded] many a nobull man and odur [other] (Machyn, p. 109).
1557. The sam day [May 25] was hangyd at Tyburne xvij; on was a nold voman of lx yere, the trongyest [strongest?] cut-purs a voman that has been herd off; and a lad a cut-purs, for ys tyme he be-gane welle (Machyn, p. 137).
Mary died in 1558, and Elizabeth came to the throne.
1570. The 27. of May, Thomas Norton and Christopher [Norton], of Yorkeshire, being both condemned of high treason, for the late rebellion in the North, were drawne from the Tower of London to Tiborne and there hanged, headed, and quartered (Stow, p. 666).
A tract, the “Confessions” of Thomas Norton and Christopher Norton, reprinted in “State Trials,” vol. i., 1083-6, contains particulars of these executions. Thomas, the uncle of Christopher, was first hanged and quartered, in the presence of his nephew. Then the hangman executed his office on Christopher, “and being hanged a little while, and then cut down, the butcher opened him, and as he took out his bowels, he cried and said, ‘Oh, Lord, Lord, have mercy upon me!’ and so yielded up the ghost. Then being likewise quartered, as the other was, and their bowels burned, as the manner is, their quarters were put into a basket provided for the purpose, and so carried to Newgate, where they were parboiled; and afterwards their heads set on London Bridge, and their quarters set upon sundry gates of the city of London.”
1570. The 25. of May in the morning, was found hanging at the bishop of Londons palace gate in Paules church-yard, a Bull, which lately had beene sent from Rome containing diuerse horrible treasons against the Queenes maiesty for the which one Iohn Felton was shortly after apprehended, and committed to the tower of London.…