Posts Tagged George Marsh
Christian man burned alive in England
Posted by simon peter sutherland in Church of England, Martyr George Marsh, The Roman Catholic Church on April 24, 2026
It is true, alarming isn’t it. That one man could be set fire to for preaching and believing something. Well, that is exactly what happened.
On this day, April 24, 1555, George, a farmer from Bolton, was burned alive for believing something different to the Roman Catholic authorities of that time. He had a family too, several children, yet still. They killed him. And for what? Because he preached without a licence and because he refused to submit to the authority of the pope and didn’t believe that Jesus’ flesh and blood could be remade at the mass and eaten like food and drunk like ale.
It’s a sad story and it’s backstory is even sadder. George lost the love of his life, his beloved wife died leaving him lost and alone. Marsh left for Cambridge and there he experienced a new way of life and he became a curate and taught a school. But then, when the monarch died, George was left to face a changing political tide. The dangerous Mary Tudor came to the throne and Marsh was one of many Christians who were hunted down for refusing to submit to her regime and Roman Catholicism.
George revisited his kids in Bolton and a warrant was put out for his arrest and he was taken to Lancaster Castle, and eventually to Chester where he would be burned alive in Boughton, about a mile or so outside the city.
Today his descendants live on and there are a number of memorials to him scattered around the north. In Bolton there is a memorial in the grounds of Deane Church, a memory of him in Smithills Hall, and Lancaster Castle still exists. In Chester there is a plaque to him in St Johns Cathedral and a memorial to him, near his execution site in Boughton. This is near the consecrated ground where his execution took place. A little further on there is a plaque on a wall where his remains were scattered by fellow believers after George was burned.
May this legacy live on.
My quest to find the lost Bible of George Marsh
Posted by simon peter sutherland in Martyr George Marsh, Theology, William Tyndale on May 3, 2024
In my previous article concerning my quest to uncover the home and Bible of George Marsh I mention his Bible in passing. I mention how I have examined a Marsh family Bible in Bolton Library and how an old newspaper article suggests his Bible was seen in Bolton in the 1850’s.
My research revealed the Marsh family Bible in Bolton cannot be the Bible that once belonged to George Marsh (1515-1555) since it outdates him by 11 years. A Bible that belonged to him would need to have been printed prior to his imprisonment in 1554 and his execution in 1555. In my opinion he would have likely used the Tyndale New Testament for his own personal reading and (as a matter of fact) a reformed Church of England cleric would have used the Great Bible for ministry at that time.
I have examined the Scripture quotes in the pastoral letters of George Marsh and in the book of Martyrs and they appear to be influenced by both Tyndale and Great Bible translations. This is an immensely important observation.
I believe any Tyndale New Testament that once belonged to George Marsh would have been burned with him in Boughton, Chester in 1555. In those days condemned reformers who used the Tyndale New Testament were paraded around a city with Tyndale’s New Testament hung about their necks. In the Book of Martyrs the last reference to George Marsh having his Bible was when he held it up before being burned. Foxe writes how Marsh was offered a pardon and he refused it on the condition that it would “pluck him from God”.
This New Testament I believe was burned with him.
However, the Bible I believe he used in his public ministry was not taken with him so it may have been left at the last place he ministered before his arrest. This would imply his Bible remained in and around the areas of Bolton and Bury in Lancashire.
The question is, has this Bible been found? Or is there something more?
As I have previously stated, my quest to uncover his Bible began after I made my documentary about him. I believe it is possible that the Bible people believed (in the 19th century) to have been his may have been identified? However I also believe it is possible the Marsh family Bible in Bolton library may also be the Bible people thought was his?
I am also aware that reformers and puritans once gathered in the area of Rivington Pike to read George Marsh’s letters. This could also be an important factor in the quest. But where all this will lead, only time will tell.
Either way, a Bible that once belonged to this great man, would be of enormous spiritual significance in our time.
On this day 12th March 1554
Posted by simon peter sutherland in Christianity, Documentaries, Martyr George Marsh on March 12, 2023
On this day in 1554, a warrant was issued for the arrest of a farmer and preacher by the name of George Marsh. At that time Marsh was a Curate in the Church of England and had been to Cambridge and had run a school and ministered in both London and Lincoln. Upon learning the Church of England had swayed over to popular culture and had committed the apostate act of bowing the knee to Roman Catholicism, Marsh left his ministry and returned to his home town to preach in Bolton, Deane, Bury, and Eccles. A warrant was issued by the Earl of Derby for preaching without a licence, and after hearing about this Marsh wondered around the area of Deane Church, and the following morning he received a letter from a friend who advised that he should in no wise flee, but abide and “boldly confess the faith of Jesus Christ.”
In those days, the authorities gave the reformers the option of either leaving the country and going to Germany or Geneva. At that time the reformation was in full bloom in those countries. After reading the letter Marsh chose to stay and handed himself in to the local sheriff, master Barton.
It was a very costly decision. Marsh stood a small trial at Smithills Hall, and was sent to Latham, Lancaster, and eventually to Chester where he was burned at the stake on April 24, 1555.
May we never forget.
Simon Peter Sutherland
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Simon Peter Sutherland 