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Joan Bocher

Joan Bocher (died 2 May 1550 in Smithfield, London) was an English Anabaptist burned at the stake for heresy during the English Reformation in the reign of Edward VI. She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher, or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent.

Life edit

Bocher's origins are unclear, but it is known that families named Bocher and Knell lived in the area round Romney Marsh. She was associated with Anabaptists in Kent, some of them immigrants who had fled persecution in the low countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). In the 1530s and 1540s she was "much in favour in reforming circles" in Canterbury.[1]

Her first conflict with church and state came after she spoke against the sacrament of the altar, but she was released from imprisonment by a commissary of Thomas Cranmer and Christopher Nevinson. This leniency was held against Nevinson when he was charged in 1543 with involvement in the Prebendaries' Plot.

Bocher developed an interest in Anabaptist ideas, and took up the idea of Christ's celestial flesh, "not incarnate of the Virgin Mary".[2] She was arrested as a heretic in 1548 and convicted in April 1549. Then followed a year's imprisonment during which various well-known religious figures were enlisted to try to persuade her to recant. She was unmoved, and Cranmer was involved in bringing her to the stake on 2 May 1550, though accounts of him forcing Edward VI to sanction this—with Edward "driven to pen the mandates", as Wordsworth put it[3]—may be inaccurate.[1] John Foxe approached royal chaplain John Rogers to intervene to save Joan, but Rogers refused with the comment that burning was "sufficiently mild" for a crime as grave as heresy. Rogers himself was later burnt during the Marian persecutions.

Anecdotes edit

Some well-known stories about Bocher were first recounted by Robert Parsons in 1599: for instance, Joan's friendship with Anne Askew and her involvement in smuggling Tyndale's New Testament into England, and into the royal court under her skirts. According to Parsons in A temperate ward-word, he had learned these things from someone who had been present at her trial.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Andrew Hope, Joan Bocher in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004)
  2. ^ Benjamin Evans, The Early English Baptists (London 1864) quoting Gilbert Burnet's History of the Reformation (1682)
  3. ^ William Wordsworth, Edward signing the warrant for the execution of Joan of Kent

External links edit

joan, bocher, died, 1550, smithfield, london, english, anabaptist, burned, stake, heresy, during, english, reformation, reign, edward, also, been, known, joan, boucher, butcher, joan, knell, joan, kent, contents, life, anecdotes, also, references, external, li. Joan Bocher died 2 May 1550 in Smithfield London was an English Anabaptist burned at the stake for heresy during the English Reformation in the reign of Edward VI She has also been known as Joan Boucher or Butcher or as Joan Knell or Joan of Kent Contents 1 Life 2 Anecdotes 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksLife editBocher s origins are unclear but it is known that families named Bocher and Knell lived in the area round Romney Marsh She was associated with Anabaptists in Kent some of them immigrants who had fled persecution in the low countries Belgium the Netherlands and Luxembourg In the 1530s and 1540s she was much in favour in reforming circles in Canterbury 1 Her first conflict with church and state came after she spoke against the sacrament of the altar but she was released from imprisonment by a commissary of Thomas Cranmer and Christopher Nevinson This leniency was held against Nevinson when he was charged in 1543 with involvement in the Prebendaries Plot Bocher developed an interest in Anabaptist ideas and took up the idea of Christ s celestial flesh not incarnate of the Virgin Mary 2 She was arrested as a heretic in 1548 and convicted in April 1549 Then followed a year s imprisonment during which various well known religious figures were enlisted to try to persuade her to recant She was unmoved and Cranmer was involved in bringing her to the stake on 2 May 1550 though accounts of him forcing Edward VI to sanction this with Edward driven to pen the mandates as Wordsworth put it 3 may be inaccurate 1 John Foxe approached royal chaplain John Rogers to intervene to save Joan but Rogers refused with the comment that burning was sufficiently mild for a crime as grave as heresy Rogers himself was later burnt during the Marian persecutions Anecdotes editSome well known stories about Bocher were first recounted by Robert Parsons in 1599 for instance Joan s friendship with Anne Askew and her involvement in smuggling Tyndale s New Testament into England and into the royal court under her skirts According to Parsons in A temperate ward word he had learned these things from someone who had been present at her trial See also editList of people burned as hereticsReferences edit a b Andrew Hope Joan Bocher in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004 Benjamin Evans The Early English Baptists London 1864 quoting Gilbert Burnet s History of the Reformation 1682 William Wordsworth Edward signing the warrant for the execution of Joan of KentExternal links editBoucher Joan d 1550 at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online J Newton Brown Memorials of Baptist Martyrs 1854 Anabaptists Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Joan Bocher amp oldid 1167889370, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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