Execution of the First English Carthusian Martyrs
- When
- 1535
- Where
- Tyburn, London, Middlesex
- Episodes
- 1
On 4 May 1535, the English state executed three leading Carthusian priors and two other clerics at Tyburn. This event was the first in a series of deaths of London Charterhouse monks that continued until 1537.
Episodes
Background and detail
The Execution. On 4 May 1535, authorities executed John Houghton, Robert Lawrence, and Augustine Webster at Tyburn. They were joined by Richard Reynolds and John Haile. The method of execution was typically hanging, disemboweling while still alive, and quartering.
Commemoration. A private commemoration ceremony takes place each year on 4 May at the Carthusian martyrs plaque. A plaque to the Catholic martyrs executed at Tyburn in the period 1535–1681 is located at 8 Hyde Park Place, the site of Tyburn convent.
People involved
- John Houghton · Prior of the London Charterhouse
- Robert Lawrence · Prior of Beauvale Charterhouse
- Augustine Webster · Prior of Axholme Charterhouse
- Richard Reynolds · Bridgettine monk of Syon Abbey
- John Haile · Secular priest
Sources
- Carthusian Martyrs of London Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
- Tyburn Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-18
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.