Edward Wightman (bef. 1566 - 1612)

Born before 20 Dec 1566 in Burbage, Leicestershire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Frances (Darbye) Wightman — married 11 Sep 1593 in St. Modwen's, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, England

Descendants

Died 11 Apr 1612 after age 45 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England

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Biography

Edward Wightman was the last person to be burned at the stake for heresy in England.

According to interrogators, Wightman “affirmed my self to be that prophet promised in the 18 of Deuteronomie. And that Elyas in the 4th of Malachie promised to be sent before the great and fearful day of the Lord. And that comfortor in the 16th of John which should convince the world of sin of righteousness and of Judgment.”

Edward Wightman, son of John Wightman was christened on 20 December 1566 in Burbage, Leicester, England.^[1][2] He attended Burton Grammar School and in 1590 he was admitted as a master into the Shrewsbury Drapers’ Company where he apprenticed as a woolen draper.

While he was in Shrewsbury he became involved with and strongly influenced by, a group of puritans headed by John Tomkys. The radical brand of Protestantism included the rejection of the trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ as well as a complete rejection of the institutionalized Church of England. Edward’s parents were members of the traditional Church of England with no known separatist or puritan leanings.

Around 1592 or 1593 Edward returned to Burton-on-Trent to start his own clothing business. He married Frances Darbye of Hinckley September 11, 1593 in St. Modwen's, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, England.^[3] They settled in Burton upon Trent where they produced 2 sons and 5 daughters.

Edward found the religious mood in Burton had changed dramatically from his childhood when the town was dominated by the local noble, Lord Paget who still promoted Roman Catholicism.

In 1583 Lord Paget fled England after plotting against Mary, Queen of Scots. The new political leader was local noble, Henry Hastings, a committed Protestant. Under his leadership, a new evangelical puritanism had emerged in Burton. A puritan evangelist, Philip Stubbes also lived in Burton for a time during the early 1590′s and so 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 so Edward’s turn to puritanism was part of a town-wide trend. By 1595 Lord Hastings had died and his son, William Paget, was instated in the lands of Burton but William spent little time in the Burton area so there was no reverse of evangelical puritanism in the town occurred. This paved the way for Edward eventually becoming a radical ‘lay leader’ in the religious community.

In February 1596, England was obsessed with witchcraft and thirteen year old Thomas Darling accused Alice Goodridge of being a witch and possessing him with a devil. Young Thomas exhibited symptoms such as vomiting, paralysis, and hallucinations. During his fits of spiritual possession, he would apparently be possessed by the devil one moment and the Holy Spirit the next.

The new puritan minister in Burton, Rev. Arthur Hildersham, prayed with Darling, but to no avail. Another puritan minister, Rev. John Darrell, who came from nearby Ashby-de-la-Zouch was finally able to exorcise Darling.

Alice Goodridge was jailed in Derby and interrogated in May 1596 when under pressure, she confessed. Many who knew of the case were not convinced of the truth of the boy’s story. It became a symbol in the political struggle between the puritan and Anglican communities. The puritans of Burton sought to document and prosecute the case aggressively.

Edward Wightman was one of five men chosen to ‘examined’ Alice Goodridge which showed he was important, well-respected and a religious authority. He documented the boy’s possession and was involved in ecstatic prayers associated with the boy’s exorcism. Edward's signature was found on the testimonials on the truth of the boy’s claim along with the signatures of Edward, Rev. Eccleshall, most of the Burton clothier community, and many established and well-connected local individuals. The Darling case would prove a turning point in Edward's life.

In the late 1590's England suffered a severe economic downturn after a series of bad harvests which drove Edward to an even more radical separatism. The cloth trade was badly hit and Edward’s business failed. By 1603, Edward had purchased an alehouse in Burton and was now just a tavern keeper, impoverished and deeply in debt. His financial standing had taken a disastrous turn and he was close to ruin. He had swiftly risen to prominence in Burton society during the 1590s but now had fallen due to his religious extremism.

In November 1600 through January 1601 Edward was involved in a court case over a dispute with his former apprentice and when Edward failed to appear before the court in January 1601, it cost him a 40 pound bond. The loss of that sizeable sum probably finished Edward off in the clothing business and Edward was angry with the justice who handled the Royle v Wightman dispute; Sir Humphrey Ferrers.

Sir Humphrey Ferrers had died in early January 1608 and Edward was entertaining company in his own home. Talk turned to Ferrers’ death and Edward told 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. This was shockingly heretical at the time and demonstrated Edward’s descent into extremism.

As Edward became more vocal about his view of the nature of the soul and death he began to argue the point with local clergy. Some would use their pulpit to argue against his heretical ideas, but this would lead to bitter and public arguments with Edward and he stopped attending the Burton parish church and began worshipping elsewhere.

Despite his split with the established religious community, he was not entirely abandoned. Burton puritan minister Rev. Arthur Hildersham met with Edward privately in an attempted to convince him to change or moderate his view. But Edward was obstinate and refused. Hildersham responded by preaching against Edward’s heretical views from his Burton pulpit on March 15, 1609. Hildersham correspond with Edward but eventually tired of Edward’s stubbornness. 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. He was known to never leave home without a number of books which he read and preached to anyone who would listen. Edward had never held an official ministerial position. He had a number of followers for a time, but by 1611 he was increasingly avoided and became a loner.

In February 1611, Edward interrupted Lent worship services in Burton with loud outbursts which took significant effort to get him to quiet down. The Burton religious community had had enough and they presented the case against Edward at the ecclesiastical visitation of Bishop Richard Neile of Westminster within a few weeks of his February 1611 disruptions. In March 1611, Edward was summoned by Neile to a meeting and afterward Neile returned to London and reported his findings to King James. The King was set on dealing with this heretic.

In April 1611 a warrant was issued for Edward's arrest by order of the King. The order instructed the church constables of Burton to take him before Bishop Richard Neil for interrogation of his religious views. The trial was held on November 19, 26, 29, and December 2-5, 1611.^[4] On December 5, Edward was brought before the court for his final appearance. Edward did not attempt to defend himself. Instead, he attempted to educate them on the righteousness and intellectual rigor of his arguments, ‘clarifying’ the court’s conception of his heresies.

Sentencing on December 14, 1611 included eleven distinct heresies. Part of the charge was that he believed “that the baptizing of infants was an abominable custom; that the doctrine was a total fabrication and that Christ was only a mere man and not the son of God; that the Lord’s Supper and baptism were not to be celebrated; and that Christianity was not wholly professed and preached in the Church of England, but only in part.” Other charges included several equally radical opinions.

After months of being subjected to a series of conferences with ‘learned divines’, Wightman was finally brought before Bishop Neil for the last time. He refused to change any of his views, he was sentenced to be excommunicated and condemned to be burned at the stake following approval by King James I. Prior to his execution, he was to be placed in a public open place as an example to others who might harbour similar beliefs.

When the execution day arrived on March 20, 1612, Edward was tied to a post on the square in Lichfield next to Saint Mary’s church and the fire was lit under him. On feeling the heat, Edward screaming out in recantation and he was pulled down, already badly burned. A written retraction was hurriedly prepared and Edward, in pain and weakness, orally agreement as it was read to him. Later, however, no longer fearing the flames, he refused to sign the retraction and blasphemed louder than before.^[4][5]

King James re-approved his execution and a few weeks later on April 11th, he was once more led to the stake.^[4] Once again, on feeling the intense heat of the fire, Wightman cried out in recantation again but this time, the sheriff told him he would cost him no more and commanded more faggots (bundles of thin sticks) to be thrown on to make the flames roar. Edward was burned to ashes.

Sources

1. ↑ "England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPWB-3JZJ : 6 June 2018), Edward Wightman, 20 Dec 1566; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Baptism, Burbage, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 2, Citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPQ1-HXV : 21 September 2020), Edward Wightman, 1566.
3. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLQZ-GYR4 : 8 July 2020), Edward Wightman and Francis Darbye, 1593.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Burrage, Champlin. The Early English Dissenters in the Light of Recent Research, 1550-1641, Cambridge University Press, 1912, pages 27, 65-67, 194, 216-220. https://archive.org/details/earlyenglishdiss01burruoft/page/65/mode/1up
5. ↑ Atherton, Ian and Como, David, The Burning of Edward Wightman: Puritanism, Prelacy and the Politics of Heresy in Early Modern England, English Historical Review, 2005, vol. 70, pp 1215-1250. https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/120/489/1215/526642

Other Sources

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NPQ1-HXK : accessed 06 Jun 2014), John Wightman in entry for Edward Wightman, 20 Dec 1566; citing BURBAGE,LEICESTER,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 585278.

"England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N61M-J82 : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edward Wightman and Francis Darbye, 11 Sep 1593; citing St. Modwen'S, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, reference items 4-10; FHL microfilm 1278931.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J7DM-D4V : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edwardi Wightman in entry for Priseilla Wightman, 28 Dec 1596; citing Burton-upon-Trent, Stafford, England, reference items 5-10; FHL microfilm 1278931.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N1BH-93D : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edvardi Wyghtman in entry for Johannes Wyghtman, 07 Jan 1599; citing St Modwen's, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 1278931.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N1BH-79S : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edwardi Weightman in entry for Maria Weightman, 27 Feb 1603; citing St Modwen's, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 1278931.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NDTL-RQS : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edward Wyghtman in entry for Anna Wyghtman, 18 Sep 1608; citing Burton-upon-Trent, Stafford, England, reference items 5-10; FHL microfilm 1278931.

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NRLB-4H8 : accessed 06 Jun 2014), Edvardi Wightman in entry for Samuell Wightman, 18 Aug 1611; citing Burton-upon-Trent, Stafford, England, reference items 5-10; FHL microfilm 1278931.

Local History of Burton upon Trent: 1612 Last Heretic – Edward Wightman (http://www.burton-on-trent.org.uk/1612-last-heretic : accessed 06 June 2014)

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

article in History Today 62.4 (2012): http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/edward-wightman-executed-heresy