Rev. Edward Wightman

Edward Wightman, born ca. December 20, 1566 in Burbage, Leicestershire, England1,3; died April 11, 1612 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. He married Frances Darbye September 11, 1593 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England1; born 1569 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England; died Aft. 1612 in London, England (?).

from Lichfield remembers Edward Wightman Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Market Square this afternoon played host to a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of Edward Wightman, who was burnt at the stake in Lichfield 400 years ago today.
Wightman was the last man to be killed in this way for heresy in England.
Today, four centuries on, some of his American descendants joined council dignitaries and Lichfield residents for a quiet, dignified service to honour his memory.

---

biography

Edward was a religious radical. He was executed for heresy against the Church of England by burning at the stake in 1612; the last person to die in this way for this reason in England by act of law. Edward's radical brand of Protestantism included a rejection of the trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ (and therefore still would be considered non-traditional to most modern Protestants and Catholics), a rejection of the creeds that serve as a foundation of both Catholicism and Protestantism, and a complete rejection of the institutionalized Church of England. While personal and economic struggles may have helped to advance Edward's radicalism, his theology can also be seen as a very radical outcome of early puritan theologies that grew out of Elizabethan era debate surrounding the historical and theological descent from the early Roman church.

According to some sources, Edward was a minister of the Six-Principle Baptist Church or celebrated as a proto-Unitarian, but these assertions have not been supported by the work of historians. Certainly his religious views included central tenants of Baptist and Unitarian traditions as they were practiced later, but Edward's theology was much more radical, even by today's standards. Furthermore, while Edward's religious development was contemporary with, but not necessarily dependent on, the early English Baptist church, it quite obviously preceded the development of the organized American Unitarian movement, which was an 18th century creation. Both adult baptism and a rejection of the trinity were ideas that had found favor with a few Protestant dissenters, particularly on the continent, during the late 16th century. Edward's theology borrowed from these ideas, but in several important ways pushed them further than most others.

Leonard Williams Levy, in his 1995 book entitled "Blasphemy" argues that Edward was a member of the Church of England until about 1609 or 1610, at which time he experienced a revolutionary conversion to a radical and distinctive theology. However, other scholarly sources have pointed to evidence that show that Edward was active in puritanism and separatism as early as the 1590's. It does appear that he may have retained a relationship with his local parish, despite his separatist views.

The religious environment in which Edward grew up was probably unremarkable. According to documents from the 1612 era, his parents were members of the traditional Church of England, and had no reported separatist or puritan leanings. The religious environment in Burton in the 1570's was dominated by Thomas, Lord Paget, the leading local noble. Lord Paget was a papist, who sought to promote Roman Catholicism in Burton. Most locals, apparently including the Wightman family, were fairly committed to the Church of England; evangelism and puritanism did not have a major presence.

Edward was born at Burbage, Leicestershire, the son of a schoolteacher and a cloth trader (draper). He grew up, at least during his later childhood, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. He probably attended grammar school there, and was reasonably well-educated. Edward initially entered his mother's business, the cloth trade. In the 1580's, he was apprenticed to John Barnes, a wool cloth trader, in Shrewsbury, Salop Co., west of Staffordshire (and near the Welsh border). When Edward arrived in Shrewsbury in the 1580's for his apprenticeship, he found a thriving and growing puritan movement headed by John Tomkys. It would not be unreasonable to suppose that he began to develop his radical brand of Protestantism during his time there. In 1590, he was admitted as a master into the Shrewsbury Drapers' Company, but within a few years, he returned to Burton-on-Trent, where married Frances Darbye in 1593 (there is some confusion as to whether their marriage was on September 2 or September 11) and entered the Burton clothing business.

When Edward returned to Burton, the religious environment had changed quite dramatically from his childhood. In 1583, Lord Paget fled England after ending up on the losing side of some political plotting involving Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry Hastings emerged as the new local noble and political leader, and he was a committed Protestant. Under his leadership, a new evangelical puritanism emerged in Burton. Peter Eccleshall, the Burton curate, was indicted in 1588 for not using the Book of Common Prayer. A puritan evangelist, Philip Stubbes, lived in Burton for a time during the early 1590's. By 1596, curate Eccleshall established a new "common exercise." Thus a modest form of puritanism quickly became well-established in Burton. The clothiers and various influential business people in Burton were very much involved in the religious transformation, thus Edward's turn to puritanism was part of a town-wide trend. In 1595, Lord Hastings died, and William Paget, son of the previous noble, was reinstated in the lands of Burton. Despite Paget's establishment as Baron in 1604, he spent little time in the Burton area, and did not reverse the course of evangelical puritanism in Burton.

Edward was a religious radical. He was execuded for heresy against the Church of England by burning at the stake. The authorities first carried out an aborted attempt at execution. When the flames started to burn Wightman, he shouted out something that seemed to imply that he had changed and was ready to accept the faith of the Church of England. The sheriff released him from the stake. Wightman refused to make a formal retraction and continued to preach his "heresies"; a few weeks later he was again tied to the stake and his body burned on April 11, 1612.

Edward Wightman was baptized on December 20, 1566 in Burbage, Leicestershire, England1,2, and died April 11, 1612 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England1. He was the son of John Wightman and Modwen Caldwall. He married Frances Darbye September 11, 1593 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England1. She was born 1569 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, and died Aft. 1612 probably in London, England.

Edward was a religious radical. He was executed for heresy against the Church of England by burning at the stake in 1612; the last person to die in this way for this reason in England by act of law. Edward's radical brand of Protestantism included a rejection of the trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ (and therefore still would be considered non-traditional to most modern Protestants and Catholics), a rejection of the creeds that serve as a foundation of both Catholicism and Protestantism, and a complete rejection of the institutionalized Church of England. While personal and economic struggles may have helped to advance Edward's radicalism, his theology can also be seen as a very radical outcome of early puritan theologies that grew out of Elizabethan era debate surrounding the historical and theological descent from the early Roman church.

According to some sources, Edward was a minister of the Six-Principle Baptist Church or celebrated as a proto-Unitarian, but these assertions have not been supported by the work of historians. Certainly his religious views included central tenants of Baptist and Unitarian traditions as they were practiced later, but Edward's theology was much more radical, even by today's standards. Furthermore, while Edward's religious development was contemporary with, but not necessarily dependent on, the early English Baptist church, it quite obviously preceded the development of the organized American Unitarian movement, which was an 18th century creation. Both adult baptism and a rejection of the trinity were ideas that had found favor with a few Protestant dissenters, particularly on the continent, during the late 16th century. Edward's theology borrowed from these ideas, but in several important ways pushed them further than most others.

Leonard Williams Levy, in his 1995 book entitled "Blasphemy" argues that Edward was a member of the Church of England until about 1609 or 1610, at which time he experienced a revolutionary conversion to a radical and distinctive theology. However, other scholarly sources have pointed to evidence that show that Edward was active in puritanism and separatism as early as the 1590's. It does appear that he may have retained a relationship with his local parish, despite his separatist views.

The religious environment in which Edward grew up was probably unremarkable. According to documents from the 1612 era, his parents were members of the traditional Church of England, and had no reported separatist or puritan leanings. The religious environment in Burton in the 1570's was dominated by Thomas, Lord Paget, the leading local noble. Lord Paget was a papist, who sought to promote Roman Catholicism in Burton. Most locals, apparently including the Wightman family, were fairly committed to the Church of England; evangelism and puritanism did not have a major presence.

Edward was born at Burbage, Leicestershire, the son of a schoolteacher and a cloth trader (draper). He grew up, at least during his later childhood, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. He probably attended grammar school there, and was reasonably well-educated. Edward initially entered his mother's business, the cloth trade. In the 1580's, he was apprenticed to John Barnes, a wool cloth trader, in Shrewsbury, Salop Co., west of Staffordshire (and near the Welsh border). When Edward arrived in Shrewsbury in the 1580's for his apprenticeship, he found a thriving and growing puritan movement headed by John Tomkys. It would not be unreasonable to suppose that he began to develop his radical brand of Protestantism during his time there. In 1590, he was admitted as a master into the Shrewsbury Drapers' Company, but within a few years, he returned to Burton-on-Trent, where married Frances Darbye in 1593 (there is some confusion as to whether their marriage was on September 2 or September 11) and entered the Burton clothing business.

When Edward returned to Burton, the religious environment had changed quite dramatically from his childhood. In 1583, Lord Paget fled England after ending up on the losing side of some political plotting involving Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry Hastings emerged as the new local noble and political leader, and he was a committed Protestant. Under his leadership, a new evangelical puritanism emerged in Burton. Peter Eccleshall, the Burton curate, was indicted in 1588 for not using the Book of Common Prayer. A puritan evangelist, Philip Stubbes, lived in Burton for a time during the early 1590's. By 1596, curate Eccleshall established a new "common exercise." Thus a modest form of puritanism quickly became well-established in Burton. The clothiers and various influential business people in Burton were very much involved in the religious transformation, thus Edward's turn to puritanism was part of a town-wide trend. In 1595, Lord Hastings died, and William Paget, son of the previous noble, was reinstated in the lands of Burton. Despite Paget's establishment as Baron in 1604, he spent little time in the Burton area, and did not reverse the course of evangelical puritanism in Burton.

In February 1596, thirteen year-old Thomas Darling accused Alice Goodridge of Stapenhill, Derbyshire (the community immediately across the Trent River from Burton) of being a witch and having possessed the boy with a devil. According to the accusation leveled against Goodridge, the devil had appeared to her in the form of a little dog named "Minnie" and that she then directed the dog/devil to go and possess the boy. Darling had "Exorcist"-like experiences, including vomiting, paralysis, and hallucinations. The boy claimed that he was simultaneously divinely-inspired, and apparently presented the case in the context of a charismatic, hyper-spiritual puritanism. During his fits of possession, he would apparently be possessed by the devil one moment and then by the Holy Spirit the next. The new puritan minister in Burton, Rev. Arthur Hildersham, became interested in the case, and prayed with Darling, but was unable to exorcise the boy's demons. Another puritan minister, Rev. John Darrell, who came from nearby Ashby-de-la-Zouch (as did Hildersham), was finally able to drive off Darling's possessor. Goodridge was jailed in Derby and interrogated at Burton town hall in May 1596. Under pressure, she confessed. Many who knew of the Darling case were not convinced of the truth of the boy's possession. It soon became a symbol in the growing political struggle between the puritan and Anglican communities. The Burton puritans sought to document and prosecute the case aggressively.

The record shows that Edward took a leading roll in the Darling case. When Goodridge was interrogated in Burton, Edward was one of five men who "examined" her. He and his wife, Frances, were actively involved in documenting the boy's possession, and it appears that both were involved in the ecstatic prayers associated with the boy's ultimate exorcism. The testimonials on the truth of the boy's claim included the signatures of Edward, Rev. Eccleshall, most of the Burton clothier community, and many established and well-connected individuals. From this historical work, it would seem that two important things about Edward become clear. First, he was committed to a highly emotional and spiritual brand of puritanism by this time. Second, he was in a position of leadership, despite his relative youth, in the Burton puritan community. Thus by the close of the 16th century, Edward's religious passion was already well-developed, but he was not considered a "crackpot" by his peers.

In the wake of the Darling case, there was a significant backlash against the spiritual/charismatic puritans. Rev. Darrell, the minister who had finally succeeded in exorcising the boy, was convicted of fraud and went into hiding. The practice of group exorcisms seems to have been suppressed or died out. The cost for Edward is unclear, but it could easily have been a force that propelled him toward a more radical separatism.

A second problem now arose for Edward at this time. During the 1590's, England underwent a severe economic downturn. There was a series of very bad harvests, and many other components of the economy were badly disrupted. The cloth trade was particularly badly hit, and Edward's business pursuits failed. By 1604, but probably as early as 1600 or 1601, Edward had purchased an alehouse and was now a simple tavern keeper. In 1604, he was described as "much impoverished" and deeply in debt. Other written records point to significant economic turmoil for Edward as early as 1600. Therefore, Edward's financial life took a disastrous turn and it would be quite reasonable to imagine that he felt ruined. One gets a sense that Edward experienced a meteoric rise to prominence in Burton society during the early to mid- 1590's, followed by a precipitous loss of prestige and wealth over very few years in the late 1590's. This factor may very well have propelled him further toward religious extremism.

To make matters worse, Edward was involved in a court case over a dispute between him and his former apprentice, Samuel Royle, from November 1600 through January 1601. For whatever reason, Edward apparently failed to appear before the court in January 1601, which may have cost him a 40 pound bond. The loss of that sizeable sum might have finished Edward off in the clothing business. The justice who handled the Royle-Wightman dispute was Sir Humphrey Ferrers, and later events suggest that Edward harbored antipathy toward the noble.

However, despite Edward's legal and financial woes, it is apparent that he retained some degree of significant stature among the new puritanical elite in Burton. Records from 1604 and 1610, the latter just a short time before his 1612 execution, show that he was still closely associated with key figures in Burton's religious society. They apparently thought well of him and perhaps still looked to him for religious leadership. He was not (yet) a "raving lunatic" operating on the fringes of religious society.

The first documented evidence of Edward's descent into extremism came in early January 1607/8. Sir Humphrey Ferrers had recently died and Edward was entertaining company in his own home. The conversation turned to Ferrers' death and Edward's grudge against him from the 1600 case that may have helped precipitate Edward's ruin. Edward stated to the assembled company that he believed that the soul does not leave the body upon death, but rather stays with the body until Judgment Day, at which point it either ascends to heaven or descends to hell. While this view might not seem terribly far out of mainstream theology today, it was quite heretical at the time. Since the event was recounted later, it seems likely that at least some of his guests were aghast at the suggestion.

Edward became more vocal and obstinate about his view of the nature of the soul and death. He continued to argue the point with local clergy. Curate Henry Aberley of Burton opted to use his own pulpit to argue against such heretical ideas, but this apparently led to bitter, and perhaps public, arguments with Edward. As a result, Edward stopped attended the Burton parish church and began worshipping elsewhere.

Despite Edward's theological split with the established religious community, he was not abandoned by the religious elite. This is consistent with the behavior of other puritanical communities in response to other heresies; instead of prosecuting or excommunicating the errant individual they would try to reform his views. Chief among those who engaged Edward was Burton puritan minister Rev. Arthur Hildersham, who had probably played a major role in Edward's ascendance in the religious community a decade earlier. Hildersham, and Rev. Simon Presse of Egginton, Derbyshire, met with Edward privately and attempted to convince him to change or moderate his view. The obstinate Edward refused and Hildersham ultimately responded by preaching against Edward's heretical views from his Burton pulpit on March 15, 1608/9. Hildersham continued to correspond with Edward for a time, but eventually tired of Edward's stubbornness and cut off the debate. Edward apparently interpreted this as a victory and became all the more convinced of the righteousness of his heterodoxy.

From 1609 to 1611, the process of engaging and attempting to "correct" Edward's view continued, but Edward became increasingly radicalized and spent his energies writing manuscripts outlining his views. During this period, the prominent London puritan Anthony Wotton agreed to read one of Edward's books, although what became of the conversation is not known. Edward became even more committed and bold. He was described as never leaving his home without a number of his books in his possession and reading and preaching to anyone who would listen. He rejected the Christian creeds (Nicene, Apostles', etc.) to which many Christians still subscribe. His views developed from a rejection of issues of the nature of the soul to a rejection of the entire foundation of Christianity. In this, Edward rejected not only the Anglican view, but also the puritan view, which sought only to correct the impurities in Anglican theology. He even surpassed most of the separatists, who sought a complete split from the Church of England, but did not reject the basis of European Christianity.

The available written record suggests that Edward was a "lay leader" in the religious community. There is no evidence that he ever held a ministerial position or that he ever had any significant following. It is possible that he did have disciples, at least for a time, but when things went badly in 1611, he was generally described as a loner.

While all this was going on in Burton, huge changes in English politics were occurring. England had become a relatively tolerant nation under Elizabeth's leadership, but the religious and political situation changed when James I took the throne in 1603. Although King James was tolerant toward Catholics and helped liberalize the Church of England (indeed the famous English translation of the bible bears his name), he saw Protestant dissenters, such as Puritans, Baptists, and Quakers, as a major problem and challenge. Among James' great religious interests was support of catholic orthodoxy, which includes adherence to the major creeds. Thus Edward's views were very much opposed to the King's view.

In February 1610/11, Edward interrupted Lent worship services in Burton with loud outbursts. It took significant effort to get him to quiet down. Finally, the Burton religious community had had enough. The Burton minister involved and others from Burton presented the case against Edward at the ecclesiastical visitation of Bishop Richard Neile of Westminster within a few weeks of Edward's February 1610/11 disruptions. Neile ordered Edward's arrest in early March 1610/11. Edward was initially brought before Neile in Curborough, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Neile promptly returned to London, bringing Edward with him.

Edward, now deluded in believing in his own righteousness and persuasiveness, decided to present King James with a treatise on his religious views (probably originally written for Anthony Wotton). This was a dubious move to say the least, since the King had recently ordered the execution of Bartholomew Legate for heresy. The manuscript itself has not been found, but it apparently consisted of "eighteen leaves" and the beginning and concluding text was recorded. Edward wrote, "A letter Written to a learned man to discover and confu[t]e the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes very mightely defended with all the learned of all sortes, and most of all hated and abhorred of God himself, because the Wholl world is drowned therein: And seeing he hath promised to answere he knewe not vnto What, and least he should allsoe deale with me as the men of that faccion haue done allready... The document concluded, And say glorie be to God alone which dwelleth in the high heavens, whose good will is such towardes men that he will now at the last, plante peace on the earth, and lett all people say, Amen. By me Edward Wightman. In March of 1611, Edward presented this manuscript detailing his radical theology to King James either when the King was passing through the town of Royston, or while Edward was in London with Neile. It is unclear whether Edward presented the manuscript personally, or whether it was conveyed through an intermediary.

King James ordered that Bishop Neile jail Edward and examine his religious views for conformation to the established Anglican order. Neile's Chaplain, who assisted in prosecuting Wightman, was William Laud, the future Archbishop of the Church of England (who was later also executed). During the April 1611 proceedings, Edward became increasingly "obstinate" and "blasphemous," leading King James to order Edward's trial at the Consistory Court in Lichfield. The trial was held in November and December of 1611. The first day of the trial was held on November 19 in the Consistory of the Lichfield Cathedral Church. On the second day of the trial, November 26, the crowd was so large that the trial was moved to the larger space of the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin. On December 5, Edward himself was brought before the court for his final appearance. Throughout the trial, Edward did not attempt to "defend" himself. Instead, he would revise and clarify the court's conception of his heresies. It would appear that he still felt compelled to educate them as to the righteousness and intellectual rigor of his arguments.

On December 14, 1611, Edward was found guilty of eleven distinct heresies, including blasphemy of the trinity. In the decision the court noted that Edward rejected the trinity, the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Ghost, the Nicene Creed, infant baptism, and the importance of the Lord's Supper. He thought he was the prophet referred to in the Old Testament, the "comforter" referred to in John 16: 7-8, and the Holy Ghost. Of course, none of these claims suggested that Edward thought he was divine, since he rejected the divinity of the Holy Ghost. Edward was excommunicated and condemned to be burned at the stake on March 9, 1612 by direct order of King James.

When the execution day arrived, Friday March 20, 1611/1612, Edward was tied to a post on the square in Lichfield and the fire was lit under him. Edward immediately began babbling and screaming. Different accounts disagree as to whether he was deliberately attempting to recant or whether he was simply screaming in pain. Whatever the case, the assembled crowd believed he meant to recant and he was pulled down, despite already being badly burned. A written retraction was hastily prepared and Edward, in that moment of pain and weakness, agreed to the statement orally. Later, however, he refused to make a written retraction, and on April 11th, 1612 he was retied to the stake in Lichfield and burned to death. It is said that, "to his last breath he died blaspheming."

Very little is known about Frances' family or early life. She was certainly severely traumatized by the execution of her husband, and is believed to have relocated the family to London after Edward's death. There, the Wightman's were reportedly members of the church of Thomas Helwys, the first truly Baptist congregation in England, which was founded in 1611, although no written record substantiates this tradition. At least two of their children, John (George's ancestor) and Samuel would eventually immigrate to Rhode Island. The explicit descent from Edward, to his son John, to George Wightman of Quidnessett is recounted in Adams' "Middletown Upper Houses" of 1908 and several 19th century publications. However, as carefully noted by Mary Ross Whitman in 1939, nothing in the written record refutes or substantiates this tradition.

Children of Edward Wightman and Frances Darbye are:

Johannis Wightman, born ca. November 1594 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2; died Bef. 1598. The first John Wightman, son of Edward, almost certainly died very young, since George's ancestor John, born just five years later bears the same name (a common practice when a young child died). Priscilla Wightman, born ca. December 1596 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2. John Wightman, born ca. January 1598/99 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2,3; died 1669 in Rhode Island Colony4. Maris Wightman, born ca. February 1602/03 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2. Anna Wightman, born ca. September 1608 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2. Samuel Wightman, born ca. August 1611 in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England2; died in Rhode Island Colony. Samuel immigrated to Rhode Island, according to tradition, but little is known about his lineage. He may not have had any children that survived, or at the very least had no male children that survived, since the Wightman's of early Rhode Island are generally accounted for by descent from George or Valentine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wightman

Edward Wightman, has the rather unenvied distinction of being the last of the religious martyrs in England to be burned at the stake. He was a Separatist (the same religion as the Mayflower passengers followed), which did not go over well with the Church of England, the ONLY accepted religion of England back in the early 1600's.

Preaching his "heresies" quickly got the attention of the authorities, including King James I himself, who issued the order for his execution. On the appointed date, Edward was taken to the stake, tied up, and set on fire. Immediately he started screaming and shouting out unintelligible words. For some strange reason, the townsfolk and the sheriffs got it into their heads that he was recanting his religious beliefs, so they quickly doused out the flames, untied him and cooled him off.

Once released, he continued to preach his heresies even more strongly than before, so a few days later they tied him back to the stake, and THIS time burned him to ashes.

The following is a copy of the written order issued by the King for the death of Edward Wightman. The language alone is worth a giggle.

"The King to the sheriff of our city of Litchfield, Greeting. Whereas, the reverend father in Christ, Richard, by divine providence, of Coventry and Litchfield, Bishop, hath signified unto us, that he judicially proceeding, according to the exigence of ecclesiastical canons and of the laws and customs of this kingdon of Burton-upon-Trent, in the diocese of Coventry and Litchfield, of and upon the wicked heresies of Ebion, Cirinthus, Valintian, Arrius, Macedonius, Simon, Magnus, of Manes, Manichees, Photinus, and of the Anabaptists, and other arch-heriticks; and moreover of other cursed opinions, belched by the instance of Satan, excogitated and here to forunheard of; the aforesaid Edward Wightman appearing before the aforesaid reverend father, and other divines and learned in the law, assisting him in judgment, the aforesaid wicked crimes, heresies and other detestable blasphemies and errors, stubbornly and perniciously, knowingly and maliciously, and with a hardened heart, published, defended and dispersed, by definite sentence of the said divine father, with the consent of divines, learned in the law aforesaid, justly, lawfully and canonically, against the said Edward Wightman in that part brought, stands adjudged and pronounced a heretick, and therefore as a diseased sheep out of the flock of the Lord, lest our subjects he do infect by his contagion, he hath decreed to be cast out, and cut off. Whereas, the holy mother church hath not further in this part what it ought more to do and prosecute, the same reverend father hath left to our secular power the same Edward Wightman as a blasphemous and condemned heritick to be punished with the condign punishment as by the letters patent of the aforesaid reverend father, the bishop of Coventry and Litchfield, in this behalf thereupon made, as certified unto us in our Chancery. We, therefore, as the zealot of justice and the defender of the Catholick faith, and williing the holy church, and the rights and liberties of the same, and the Catholick faith to maintain and defend, and such like heresies and errors everywhere, so convict and condemn to punish with consign punishment, holding that such a heritick in the aforesaid form convicted and condemned, according to the customs and laws of this our Kingdom of England in this part accustomed, out to be burned with fire. We command thee that thou cause the said Edward Wightman, being in thy custody, to be committed to fire in some publick and open place below the city aforesaid, for the cause aforesaid before people; and the same Edward Wightman in the same fire cause really to be burned in destation of said crime, and for the manifest example of other Christians, that they may not fall into the same crime. And this no ways omit, under the peril that shall follow thereon."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(2) Edward Wightman, born on 20 December 1566 in Burbage, Leicestershire, England, died 9 March 1612 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. He married Francis Darbye. Edward was a minister of the Six-Principle Baptist Church, which later became the faith of the first church founded in Rhode Island and the first Baptist church organized in America, the old First Baptist Church of Providence, founded 16hich Roger Williams was founder. Being a non-conformist of the radical wing, the Separatists, he was destined to be persecuted. In the Spring of 1611 he was condemned to burn at the stake in the following Spring on the 9th March 1612, this through awarrant issued by Ki. The drawing at right is an artist's rendering of Edward's burning in the Market Square. Edward was reportedly the last person punished in such a manor in England.

Doctrines & Beliefs of Edward Wightman as drawn from the Commission & Warrant for his execution
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That there is not the trinity of persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the unity of the Deity. That Jesus Christ is not the true natural Son of God, perfect God, and of the same substance, eternity and majesty with the Father in respect of his Godhead. That Jesus Christ is only man and a mere creature, and not both God and man in one person. That Christ, our Savior, took not human flesh of the substance of the Virgin Mary his Mother; and that, that Promise, 'The Seed of the Woman shall break the serpent's head,' was not fulfilled in Christ. That the person of the Holy Ghost is not God coequal, coeternal, and coessential with the Father and the Son. That the three creeds, The Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed, and Athanasius's Creed, are the heresies of the Nicolaitanes. That he the said Edward Wightman is that prophet spoken of in the eighteenth of Deuteronomy in these words, 'I will raise them up a prophet,' &c. And that, that place of Isaiah, 'I alone, have trodden the winepress;' and that place, 'Whose fan is in his hand,' are proper and personal to him, the said Edward Wightman. And that he the said Wightman is that person of the Holy Ghost spoken of in the Scriptures; and the Comforter spoken of in the 16th of St. John's Gospel. And that those words of our Savior Christ of the Sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, are meant of his person. And that, that place, the fourth of Malachi, of Elias to come, is likewise meant of his person. That the soul doth sleep in the sleep of the first death, as well as the body, and is mortal as touching the sleep of the first death, as the body is; and that the soul of our Savior Jesus Christ did sleep in that sleep of death as well as his body. That the souls of the elect saints departed, are not members possessed of the triumphant Church in Heaven. That the baptizing of infants is an abominable custom. That there ought not to be in the church the use of the Lord's Supper to be celebrated in the Elements of breath and Wine; and the use of Baptism to be celebrated in the Element of Water; as they are now practiced in the Church of England; but that the use of Baptism is to be administered in water, only to converts of sufficient age of understanding, converted from infidelity to the faith. That God hath ordained and sent him, the said Edward Wightman, to perform his part in the work of the Salvation of the world, to deliver it by his teaching, or admonition, from the heresy of the Nicolaitanes; as Christ was ordained and sent to save the world, and by his death to deliver it from sin, and to reconcile it to God. And that Christianity is not wholly professed and preached in the Church of England, but only in part.

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wightman
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyVxvUdXF1Y
• Atherton, I., & Como, D. (2005). The Burning of Edward Wightman: Puritanism, Prelacy and the Politics of Heresy in Early Modern England. The English Historical Review, 120(489), 1215–1250. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3491039
• “Remembering the last heretic burned at the stake 400 years ago.” SUNDAY, 1 APRIL 2012 < link >
• “1612 Last Heretic – Edward Wightman.” < link >

  ---

Picture of
Added by Steven Tynan
Edward Wightman

Birth

   20 Dec 1566

   Burbage, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough, Leicestershire, England

Death

   11 Apr 1612 (aged 45)

   Lichfield, Lichfield District, Staffordshire, England

Burial

   Cremated, Location of ashes is unknown. Specifically: Memorial plaque located at the Market Place near Saint Mary's church in Litchfield, Staffordshire, England, where he was burned at the stake. Show Map 

Memorial ID

   101686171 · View Source

   Memorial

   Photos 2

   Flowers 32

English religious martyr. Edward Wightman was the last religious martyr in England to be burned at the stake. He was burned to death tied to a post in the market place next to Saint Mary's church in Litchfield, Staffordshire, England, for heresy. Like the pilgrims on the Mayflower, Wightman was a separatist, in opposition to the Church of England. He proposed such ideas as the theory that the soul does not leave the body at death, but stays with the body until judgment day, when the soul either ascends to heaven or descends to hell. However, his doctrine which probably most directly led to his death was his rejection of Trinitarianism. Wightman argued that that the doctrine of the Trinity was a fabrication, and Christ was only a man, not both God and man in one person. Wightman was tried and convicted, and sentenced to be excommunicated and condemned to be burned at the stake following approval by King James I, after whom the King James version of the Bible is named. Wightman was first tied to the post to be burned on March 20, 1612. But, he disavowed his views when the fire was lit under him. The fire was put out, and he was untied. However, once he was untied from the stake, he refused to sign a written recantation, so King James I approved his execution again. A few weeks later, he was martyred by burning at the stake on April 11, 1612. Approximately eight years later, several fellow separatists sailed to North America as pilgrims on a ship called the Mayflower to flee from such religious persecution.