258 



Charles, Lord Stourton, fyc. 



(No. 10.) 14 March 1556-7. 



A Letter to Sir Anthony Hungerford Sheriff of the county of "Wilts of thankes 

 for his diligence and good service being well reported here by S r Hugh Poulet 

 Knt. He is also willed to deliver three of the late Lord Stourton's servants, 

 being condempned, to the Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset to be by him hanged 

 in chaines according to the writ sent unto him for that purpose : and to cause 

 the fourth to be hanged at Myers (Mere) in chaines. 



The other agents in the murder John Davyes, John Welshman, 



and Machute Jacob, are all described, in a sentence of outlawry, 



as " Yeomen of Stourton and domestic servants of Charles Lord 



Stourton." 



Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, in his History of the Reformation 

 makes the following remarks upon Lord Stourton's case: — 1 



" These severities against the heretics made the Queen shew less 

 pity to the Lord Stourton than perhaps might otherwise have been 

 expected. He had been all King Edward's time a most zealous 

 papist, and did constantly dissent in Parliament from the laws then 

 made about religion. But he had the former year murdered one 

 Argall and his son, with whom he had been long at variance." 

 (Then follow the particulars of the murder and sentence of death.) 

 "All the difference that was made in their deaths being only thus, 

 that whereas his servants were hanged in common halters, one of 

 silk was bestowed on their lord. It seemed an indecent thing, 

 when they were proceeding so severely against men for their 

 opinions, to spare one that was guilty of so foul a murder, killing 

 both father and son at the same time. But it is strange that 

 neither his quality, nor his former zeal for popery, could procure 

 a change of his sentence, from the more infamous way of hanging, 

 to beheading : which had been generally used to persons of his 

 quality." [After dismissing as groundless an idea entertained by 

 some that in cases of Felony the Crown had no power to order 

 beheading instead of hanging, he proceeds.] "So it seems the 

 hanging the Lord Stourton flowed not from any scruple as to the 

 Queen's power of doing it lawfully, but that on this occasion she 

 resolved to give public demonstration of her justice and horror at 

 so cruel a murder, and therefore she left him to the law, without 



1 Part 2, book ii., (vol. ii., p. 544, Nares's Edition.) 



