The eleven men were tied to the three stakes, the two women left loose to lay on the faggots that would soon be lighted with flame. They were all burnt in one fire each other, that the onlookers marvelled. The attending Sheriff had tried to persuade them not to kill themselves; even applying the old trick of dividing them into two groups. He then told one group that the other had recanted, to no avail, and he lied in a similar manner to the other group. They were not to be diverted from their faith.
It was the 27th June 1556,the Catholic Queen Mary was on the English throne, the place was Stratford le Bow. The thirteen were brought from Newgate prison; mostly Essex born. Among them Thomas Bowyer, a weaver from Great Dunmow, aged thirty-six. He had been accused and brought before Master Wiseman of Felstead, and sent to Colchester Castle, thence to Newgate Prison to be examined by Bonner, Bishop of London. They had all pleaded guilty to his Chancellor, Dr. Derbyshire. "They made their answers in simplicity and in good conscience."
June Willing from Glasgow had reported seeing the memorial tablet in St John's Church at Stratford le Bow, erected in 1878. More details and other names can be found in Acts and Monuments by John Foxe, Vol.8, edited by S. R. Cattley, which contains the above drawing of the event.
]ill Bowyer: "Twickenham is where my husband's family came from, or at least his grandfather's family, when they left Winkfield, Berks. I see on the side of the building in the picture it has 'S.BOWYER'. Who was he, I wonder? Corn and Coal Merchants it says. Do you know anything about them?
Me: The building in the picture shows a long barn-like structure, solidly standing near the water. Of two stories high it shows five large loading bays, and four barn doors on the top floor to haul up the sacks into by pulleys. Quaint sailing barges are moored before the building, the church beyond nowhere to be seen. The caption says: Bowyer's Wharf, Twickenham. Built in 1897 for the Bowyer family, corn and coal merchants. It was much criticised for impeding the view of St Mary's Church from the river. It was demolished in 1960. As Jill has said the name S.BOWYER is written on the wall at both ends of the long building. Does anyone own this family?
Rev. David Viles: "The second edition (1994) of "Genealogical Sources - Cambridgeshire" has a reproduction on its back cover of a page from a parish register, where we see that in "Ann Dom 1645, Henncus Bowyer uxorem jucit Joanam Wright, Mar 7th". Tantalisingly the booklet does not say which parish. Is anyone searching for this marriage?"
Me: David also sends a piece about the Swaffham Bulbeck Lodes, Cambridgeshire. (See 'Conduit' Spring 1994 No.28). It concerns Thomas Bowyer, resident manager at Swaffham in the 1780s, then full partner to Benjamin Barker in 1796, and full owner in 1806. I had already noted a report in the Camb. Family History Soc's Journal for Spring 1992, wherein Miss Anne Syme told members of waterborne traffic in the Burnwell Reach and Swaffham Lodes. She spoke of "1821 when Thomas Bowyer had a new cut made at the port at Commercial End, Swaffham Bulbeck, it being sold to Henry Gilbin when Bowyer died in 1824. Tolls of between 2d (in 1767) and 4d (in 1841) were levied on various goods passing along these waterways. The money was used for repair work."
Barbara Welling: "This is really an elimination for you, as my ancestor’s name was really Boyer, but much published material has added a "W". He is the Rev James Boyer 1836-1813, Upper Grammar Master of Christ's Hospital and Colridge and Leigh-Hunt have written about his ill treatment while they were at that school."
Me: Marion Parker has sent me a piece from a London Guide where a ‘passer-by in Newgate Street could see the school where Colridge, Lamb, and Leigh-Hunt were educated and where Bowyer wielded the switch.......’ Marion also sent some details about this James .... that his father was Abraham Boyer, a Cooper by trade, and that James was baptised 18th August 1736, and died 28th July 1814. A memorial tablet is preserved by the School now at Horsham, has anyone seen if it contains that "W"?
I am trying to find a copy of Lamb's 'Essays of Elia', which apparently contains an estimate of Bo(w)yer's character. I hope that it is stroke by stroke detailed!
Christopher Garrett: Are Kenneth Bowyer born 1908 and/or Guy Bowyer born 1911 still alive? They moved from the Windsor Forest area after the death of their father in 1918 and we lost touch with them. Are there any descendants? And particularly do any of them have the Bowyer name? Is that suitable for a entry in your 'lost and found' column?".
Me: Yes, why not? Mind you the reply rate to my queries in these newsletters has a remarkably poor record. So come in Kenneth and Guy kith and kin where ever you are. It is the usual for most family trees sent to me to start and end at oneself, I have noticed. They get quite branchy at times though, one recent query was to find the parents of the writer's Gt. Gt. uncle's bride.
Cheers, Denis.
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