At the back of my mind is a proposition that about 30 people a month
were turned off (as it was then often expressed) at Tyburn every
month, which would be about 16,000 people in all over the whole reign
of Elizabeth of England. That represents the judicial killings
within the City and Middlesex, which may have represented no more
than 10% of the population of England (and Wales) and maybe less. If
it were an entirely representative (as well as accurate) number, it
suggests that upwards of half a million people were hanged, burned or
had their heads chopped off in England between 1558 and 1603. And
that's before Jamie Saxt (who had a thing about witches in East
Lothian and then everywhere) skedaddled down to London (and
apparently showed signed of wishing to have people dispatched before
trial in the course of that journey). Then of course, there was the
problem after 1571 of 'regnans in excelsis' which rather got in the
way of Elizabeth's reported desire not to make windows into men's
souls.
Gordon
<
gordonselway@...>
At 9:12 am +0100 13/09/2003, P&G wrote:
> >What is your evidence for the 32,000? I'm exceedingly skeptical,
>
>I saw it on TV - (so it must be true!) I agree, the figure startled me too,
>especially as Elizabeth was building a reputation for tolerance. But there
>are some remarkable stories of torture and death of Catholics during her
>reign.
>
>Peter