London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
History
London and the Kingdom - Volume 1: A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.
Sharpe, Reginald R. (Reginald Robinson)
London (England) -- History
The adhesion of the City to the lords had in the meanwhile added strength
to their cause, many who had at first held back now declaring themselves
against Somerset. In this manner they were joined by Lord Chancellor Rich,
the Earl of Shrewsbury, Chief Justice Montague and others, whose
signatures appear to a proclamation issued on the 8th October setting
forth "the verye trowth of the Duke of Somersettes evell government and
false and detestable procedynges."(1317) By the end of the week (12 Oct.)
the lords felt themselves strong enough to proceed in person to Windsor,
where on their knees they explained their conduct to the king, who
received them graciously and gave them hearty thanks. The following day
(Sunday) was spent in removing some of Somerset’s followers; and on Monday
(14th) Somerset himself was brought prisoner to London, "riding through
Oldborne in at Newgate and so to the Tower of London, accompanied with
diuers lordes and gentlemen with 300 horse, the lord maior, Sir Ralph
Warren, Sir John Gresham, Mr. Recorder, Sir William Locke and both the
shiriffes and other knights, sitting on their horses agaynst Soper-lane,
with all the officers with halbards, and from Oldborne bridge to the Tower
certaine aldermen or their deputies on horsebacke in every streete, with a
number of housholders standing with bils as hee passed."(1318)
At the sudden fall of one who for a short time had been all powerful—a
little more than a week had served to deprive him of the protectorate and
render him a prisoner in the Tower—did it cross the mind of any of the
onlookers that he it was who carried away from the Guildhall Library some
cartloads of books which were never returned?
(M684)
There were some who looked upon Somerset’s fall as an act of God’s
vengeance for his having caused Bonner to be deprived of his bishopric of
London. On the 1st September last Bonner had preached at Paul’s Cross
against the king’s supremacy. Information of the matter was given to the
council, and Bonner was called upon to answer for his conduct before
Cranmer and the rest of the commissioners. The informers on this occasion
were William Latymer, the parson of the church of St. Laurence Pountney,
and John Hooper, a zealous Protestant, who afterwards became Bishop of
Gloucester. Whilst under examination before the commissioners Bonner was
confined in the Marshalsea. Hooper in the meantime was put up by Cranmer
to preach at Paul’s Cross, and he took the opportunity thus afforded him
of inveighing strongly against Bonner’s conduct. Bonner failed to satisfy
the commissioners, and on the 1st October was deprived of office and
committed to prison during the king’s pleasure. "But marke what
followeth," writes the chronicler of the Grey Friars, within a week "was
proclaymyd the protector a traytor."(1319)
(M685)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account