Lollards Pit, Norwich
The history of Lollards Pit – A Grim Tale of Persecution.
During the 15th. and 16th. centuries, people were executed for their religious beliefs by being 'burnt at the stake’ on or very near to the site of the pub. The number of people executed is not known, but there are three mentioned in 1428, half a dozen during the first half of the 16th. century, including Thomas Bilney in 1531 and up to 50 burned during the reign of “Bloody” Queen Mary (1st. October 1553 to 17th. November 1558) including Thomas Carmen in 1558.
The pit was long associated with the church and it was held by the Bishop of Norwich. Early chalk drawings were dug out to provide foundations for Norwich Cathedral, hence the creation of a pit. It was also just outside the city walls, and therefore a good place to dispose of those who had been cast out by the church.
For many years the area was shunned by local people, given its evil connotations. It later became a tannery where wherrymen used to load and unload cargo. It then became a camp ground for gypsies, and finally ended up as the site of the public house of today.
Who were the Lollards?
Put simply, Lollards were anti-clerical. They believed the Church was corrupt in many ways and looked to scripture as the basis for their religion. The movement was started by John Wycliffe (1320 – 1384), a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church. Wycliffe was also an early advocate for the translation of the Bible into the common language. Wycliffe's aim was to do away with the existing church hierarchy and replace it with the 'poor priests' who lived in poverty and were bound by no vows.
Wycliffe's followers were known as Lollards, Lollardi or Lollers, a popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background. They were a somewhat rebellious movement which preached anticlerical and biblically-centered reforms. The Lollard movement was a precursor to the Protestant Reformation.
Wycliffe was declared a heretic on 4th May 1415 (40 years after his death) and his writings were banned by the Council of Constance. The church were afraid that his grave would become a religious shrine, so Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln acting on the instructions of Pope Martin V, ordered officials to exhume the corpse, burn it and scatter the ashes on the River Swift which runs through Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
The Lollards Pit was previously know as the Bridge House.
Lollards Pit, Norwich
The history of Lollards Pit – A Grim Tale of Persecution.
During the 15th. and 16th. centuries, people were executed for their religious beliefs by being 'burnt at the stake’ on or very near to the site of the pub. The number of people executed is not known, but there are three mentioned in 1428, half a dozen during the first half of the 16th. century, including Thomas Bilney in 1531 and up to 50 burned during the reign of “Bloody” Queen Mary (1st. October 1553 to 17th. November 1558) including Thomas Carmen in 1558.
The pit was long associated with the church and it was held by the Bishop of Norwich. Early chalk drawings were dug out to provide foundations for Norwich Cathedral, hence the creation of a pit. It was also just outside the city walls, and therefore a good place to dispose of those who had been cast out by the church.
For many years the area was shunned by local people, given its evil connotations. It later became a tannery where wherrymen used to load and unload cargo. It then became a camp ground for gypsies, and finally ended up as the site of the public house of today.
Who were the Lollards?
Put simply, Lollards were anti-clerical. They believed the Church was corrupt in many ways and looked to scripture as the basis for their religion. The movement was started by John Wycliffe (1320 – 1384), a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church. Wycliffe was also an early advocate for the translation of the Bible into the common language. Wycliffe's aim was to do away with the existing church hierarchy and replace it with the 'poor priests' who lived in poverty and were bound by no vows.
Wycliffe's followers were known as Lollards, Lollardi or Lollers, a popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background. They were a somewhat rebellious movement which preached anticlerical and biblically-centered reforms. The Lollard movement was a precursor to the Protestant Reformation.
Wycliffe was declared a heretic on 4th May 1415 (40 years after his death) and his writings were banned by the Council of Constance. The church were afraid that his grave would become a religious shrine, so Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln acting on the instructions of Pope Martin V, ordered officials to exhume the corpse, burn it and scatter the ashes on the River Swift which runs through Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
The Lollards Pit was previously know as the Bridge House.