Short Notes. 183 
The Place of Burial of Col. John Penruddocke. 
A series of letters on this subject appeared in the Wiltshire County 
Mirror, January and February, 1896. Mr.T. J. Northy, in his “ Popular 
History of Old and New Sarum,’ which has been coming out in that paper, 
says (chap. xxix.) :—‘‘ The remains of Penruddocke were interred at the 
Church of St. Lawrence, Exeter,” following, as Mr. Harry Hems pointed 
out, the well-known tradition in Exeter itself, which is doubtless responsible 
for the definite statements made on the subject by various authorities. 
Thus, Jenkins, in his “ History of the City of Exeter” (1806), says that 
Penruddock was buried in St. Lawrence’s; Dr. Oliver, in his “ History of 
the City of Exeter” (1861), after narrating the facts of the execution, 
says:—“In the appendix we give the parting letters between Colonel 
Penruddock and his wife. His execution took place at the Castle on 
Wednesday, 16th May, 1655, and he was privately interred in St. Lawrence’s 
Church. His fellow-sufferer, Mr. Groves (sic) was privileged to be decently 
interred in St. Sidwell’s Church and was thither attended by some thousand 
persons of a depressed party. The brass plate to his memory there was 
erected after the restoration of monarchy.” (This brass still exists at the 
east end of the north aisle.) Cotton & Woolcombe, in “ Gleanings from 
the Municipal and Cathedral Records of the City of Exeter,” 1877, 
say :—‘ Penruddock and two others were condemned to death and suffered 
the extreme penalty on Heavitree gallows tree.” (This is a mistake— 
Penruddocke and Grove were beheaded at the Castle, seven others were 
hanged at Heavitree.) Isacke, in his “ History of Exeter,” 1677, though 
he gives the dying speeches of both Grove and Penruddocke in full, does 
not say where the latter was buried. The Rev. W. Everitt, Rector of St. 
Sidwell’s, writes :—‘“ There is not the slightest reference to Colonel Pen- 
ruddocke in my parish books, there is a tradition that he was buried in St. 
Lawrence Church. The sexton’s family here have often told me that a few 
years ago the body was exhumed, by order in council, by the representatives 
of the Penruddocke family, and taken away to the family burial-place, and 
this quite recently, in Mr. Davis’s incumbency.” [This, in the light of Mr. 
C. Penruddocke’s evidence, given below, is a curious example of the modern 
growth of a legend.] The incumbent of St. Lawrence states that Col. 
Penruddocke’s name does not occur in the registers of that Church. Lysons, 
“ Magna Britannia,” IL., p. 448 (1822), says :—“ John Penruddocke, Esq., 
beheaded at the same time, was buried in Wiltshire.” And Mr. Charles 
Penruddocke, of Compton Chamberlaine, conclusively proves (Wilts County 
Mirror, July 24th, 1896) that this was so, from the parish register of that 
place, in which is the following entry :—“ John Penruddocke, Esq., died at 
Exeter May 16th (1655), and buried at Compton the 19th of the same 
month.” He also gives the following extracts from an account book 
preserved at Compton :— 
“For bringing home Mr. Penruddocke’s body 
from Exon to Compton £07 09 00 
For a tombstone the mason’s work about it 00 O07 06 
More for ribbands and gloves oo 19 11.” 
VOL. XXIX.—NO. LXXXVII. (9) 
