Concerning the imprisonment and death of William White, as also of father Abraham and John Waddon, we find the following account in the writings of John Fox: “William White, who instructed these people in the light of the Gospel, in the county of Norfolk, for the space of about four years, until he, as already stated, was apprehended by virtue of the aforesaid letter of the King, and brought before William, bishop of Norwich, by whom he was convicted and condemned on these and other articles, thirty in number, was burnt alive in the city of Norwich, in the month of September, A. D. 1428, under King Henry VI., then but a child of six years.
“Having arrived at the stake, and about to open his mouth to address and admonish the people, and to confirm them in the truth, one of the bishop’s servants struck him on the mouth, thus compelling him to remain silent.”
Thus did this godly man receive the crown of martyrdom, and ended this temporal life, to the great sorrow of all pious Christians in the county of Norfolk. His aforesaid wife, Johanna, who, according to her feeble ability, followed in the footsteps of her husband by scattering said doctrine everywhere, and confirming many in the truth of God, had to suffer much on this account, in the same year and from the same bishop, as Thomas Walden himself confesses, who, besides others, was present at the examination and condemnation of said William White.
About the same time there were also burnt the aforesaid father Abraham of Cholchester, and John Waddon, priest, on account of the same articles mentioned above. Besides these, very many other godly men were most cruelly put to death. Second book of the History of the Persecutions, fol. 582, col. 4, and fol. 583, col. 1, from John Fox, in Actis Guil. White. Also from Bal., in Guil. White, in Append.
SPECIAL ACCOUNT OF WILLIAM WHITE, TOUCHING HIS DOCTRINE, SUFFERING AND DEATH.
WILLIAM WHITE BURNED AT NORWICH, ENGLAND.
In the fifteenth book of the Chronijck van den Ondergang, page 788, are found the following words: “William Wicht, or William White, a learned, upright, honest, and eloquent man, a priest in England, forsook his ministry, and published the Gospel, by writing, preaching, and teaching, saying: ‘that forgiveness of sins must be obtained from God Almighty alone; that the unmarried life of the Pope and his clergy was the very satanic state, and a severe captivity of antichrist; and that the hooded, striped and shaven clergy were the mercenaries and servants of Lucifer.’ ”
But upon being apprehended, he renounced his doctrine, A. D. ——. Subsequently, however, he became re-established, and pious, and stronger, in the doctrine, and very boldly suffered burning for his confession, at Norwich, in England, A. D. 1428 Compare this with Hist. Andr. Hondorf, fol. 35. Vincent. Cal., fol. 134. Georg. Pac. cap. 11.
Note.—Three years previous to the death of this martyr, A. D. 1425, a miserable persecution was raised by the Romanists against some orthodox Christians; concerning which the following account is found, for the year 1425: “About this time, Peter Torea was executed at Speyer, in Germany, and many others in the Roman countries; because they confessed the truth or opposed the Roman superstitions.” Georg. Pac., cap. 11, compared with P. J. Twisck, Chron., page 788.