Was being hung, drawn and quartered the most brutal punishment used in Britain?
One of the worst! When people were burnt at the stake, the executioner would sometimes put a small bag of gunpowder around their neck to facilitate a speedier and more merciful end, but some people suffered terribly if the fire burned slowly. Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London (in 1555), was one such; he burned for a long time before dying. He was burned together with Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester; Latimer faced his fate with great courage, saying to his fellow martyr, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” This happened in the days of Mary I, “Bloody Mary”, who burned nearly 300 heretics. Another very brutal punishment was being boiled alive. Henry VIII made boiling to death a legal punishment in 1531, to be used for poisoners. It was repealed in 1547 after some use. It had been used earlier, but was not as “popular” as being hanged, drawn and quartered. Don’t forge
