In 1459, Cambridgeshire officials were pursuing felon Henry Mullyng when he darted into Ely cathedral and took sanctuary. The officers, led by gentleman and Justice of the Peace John Ansty, seized Mullyng from the church and took him into custody. The bishop of Ely, William Grey, wasn’t going to stand still for a breach ofContinue reading “Seizure from sanctuary at Ely cathedral”
Tag Archives: Sanctuary statutes
Government incompetence and the new sanctuary towns of the 1540s
In July 1540, a statute (32 Hen VIII c 12) shut down chartered sanctuaries in monasteries and mandated a new secular sanctuary system. There was only one problem with the new system: it didn’t work. It’s very hard to believe in 2020 that governments could put into place policies that just don’t work: our governmentsContinue reading “Government incompetence and the new sanctuary towns of the 1540s”
Sanctuary Seekers in England, 1394-1557 