Independent Christians, such as Congregationalists and Baptists, do not usually honour saints and shrines, but when writing my 17th century crime novels, I loved visiting Gainsborough, Scrooby, Boston and other locations associated with their Separatist roots. However, as I researched more, I was drawn to a different site, one rarely seen by the public. Amazingly, Lambeth Palace staff agreed to my ‘bucket list’ request to visit its Lollards’ Tower, where religious dissident prisoners were once held.
Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe, the Catholic
priest who translated the Latin Vulgate bible into English around 1320. They
continued to read the bibles and advocate reform throughout the 15th
and 16th centuries, to the annoyance of the Catholic Church
hierarchy. Lollards were honoured in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which was popular
with Puritans and Independents at the time of my novels, as was William Tyndale
who translated the original Hebrew and Greek in 1536.
Events Manager Louise gave me and my husband Simon a
personal tour of Lambeth Palace. We knew we would not be allowed to climb the
stairs to the actual cell where prisoners were held, because of safety
concerns, but it was moving to stand by the door beneath in the Post Room, and imagine
those imprisoned for practices we take for granted now. In those days, the
River Thames came right up to the Palace wall. Religious prisoners arrived by
boat, in a similar way to traitors at the Tower of London.
Some on-line articles state that Lollards were never held in
the cell, but Louise assured us they were. Their graffiti is still visible on
the walls. There is a modern sculpture in the Post Room honouring a
contemporary mystic called Margery Kemp who was also imprisoned there.
The whole tour was a fascinating experience. Lambeth Palace
has many historical buildings, beautiful gardens, and a climate-controlled
library dedicated to Archbishop Richard Bancroft, the antagonist in my books.
We saw the fig tree planted by William Laud, and the chapel balcony where
Thomas Cranmer wrote the first Book of Common Prayer. Although not something
Independent believers would use, services were conducted in English from that
time on, apart from a brief interruption during Queen Mary’s reign. Since hearing
about Dame Sarah Mulally’s appointment, it is also gratifying to imagine her
portrait hanging alongside those of other Archbishops’ we saw in the Palace
corridors. Louise has offered another visit, so perhaps I will be able to see
it one day.
Karen H
Karen’s novels are available
at www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Karen-Haden/author/B0D15LWHZV
or you can visit her website at http://karenhaden.blogspot.com