One of the most brutal executions of the Tudor period saw a young woman from York being crushed to death on a bridge near to the historic city. The Tudor period was a very dangerous time in History for people to live, especially those who held different religious beliefs to the King or Queen. Margaret Clitherow was one of these people, and she became a Catholic after converting in her younger years. She lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who tried to solve problems with religion by issuing a religious settlement, but this was tough for Catholics and their worship was banned and outlawed. Clitherow was imprisoned a number of times for refusing to attend Protestant Church of England services, and was held inside York Castle. But as the years went on she became more staunchly Catholic and rebellious, and she began to hide priests and Catholic artefacts in her house on the Shambles in York. The Shambles is a historic and incredibly busy street, but under her husbands nose, Clitherow was organising secret Catholic worship. This was a crime which was punishable by death, and her husband was even one of those who told the local government about Catholic worship.
Clitherow hid priests in her house on The Shambles, and continued to do so until she was caught. She was arrested again and was then brought to trial for her religious crimes, but she refused to give either an innocent or guilty please. She did this to protect her husband and children from torture or being forced to testify. To try to get a plea from Clitherow, the judge ordered that she should be put to death by her own door. She was to be executed in a horrifically brutal way. She was taken to a bridge in York and her front door was brought, and then she was forced to lie down on top of a large rock that jabbed into her back and spine. Her door was lay on top of her, and then 900 pounds of weight was added. This brutally killed Margaret Clitherow and her ordeal was 15 minutes of pure agony. After her death, she became known as a martyr and as 'The Pearl of York,' for her brutal death.
So join us today as we look at, 'The BRUTAL Execution Of Margaret Clitherow - The Pearl Of York.' Remember to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
24 апр 2022
