This week in Christian history: ‘Because He Lives’ first released, Bethel Bible Institute founded

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, October 15, 2023

‘Oxford Martyrs’ burned at the stake – Oct. 16, 1555

Hugh Latimer (1487-1555), an English bishop and Protestant leader who was burned at the stake in 1555 for his beliefs. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, former bishops of the Church of England, were burned at the stake in Oxford for their Protestant beliefs.

Latimer and Ridley were arrested under the rule of English Queen Mary, a Catholic ruler whose persecution of the nation’s Protestants would lead many to refer to her as “Bloody Mary.”

“Ridley went to the pyre in a smart black gown, but the grey-haired Latimer, who had a gift for publicity, wore a shabby old garment, which he took off to reveal a shroud. Ridley kissed the stake and both men knelt and prayed,” recounted History Today.

“As the fire took hold, Latimer was stifled by the smoke and died without pain, but poor Ridley was not so lucky. The wood was piled up above his head, but he writhed in agony and repeatedly cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy upon me’ and ‘I cannot burn.’”