The Tudor Period was known for being rather brutal and savage, and during the reign of
King Henry VIII, the King would execute around 70,000 people.
Some of these who went to the block were some of his closest friends, including Sir Thomas
More and one man who ripped England apart.
Thomas Cromwell is remembered today for being the Chief Minister to Henry VIII, and he led
the Dissolutions of the Monasteries, a brutal policy which resulted in executions, theft
of wealth and huge scale evictions of monks and priests.
The dissolution made the King rich and Cromwell, Henry’s number 1 minister.
But Cromwell is also remembered for the fact he was the architect of the downfall of Anne
Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife.
Anne eventually went to her execution on Tower Green, but it wasn’t long before Cromwell
made a short journey from the Tower of London to his own site of execution following his
fall from grace.
But there was a man who was executed alongside Cromwell, as he wasn’t the only man beheaded
on the 28th July 1540 on Tower Hill, and both their heads were placed on pikes above London
Bridge.
But who was this?
Join us today as we look at ‘The Man executed with Thomas Cromwell,’ remember to support
our channel please make sure to subscribe.
Walter Hungerford was born in 1503, and was the only child of Sir Edward Hungerford, a
man who was in the court of Henry VIII and even attended the field of the cloth of gold.
But two years later, Walter’s father had died.
But then shortly after, Walter himself was present at Henry VIII’s court and he became
a squire to the body of the King, a job which granted him exclusive access to the King.
This job was fairly high at court and he would have been a personal attendant to the King
inside of the household, and would also be involved in dressing Henry VIII in his finest
clothes.
Many at court would have been jealous of Walter’s job.
Because of his closeness with the King he was granted a number of allowances and land.
Hungerford was well valued, and he was married 3 times.
In particular his third wife Elizabeth Hussey, the daughter of the 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford
spoke to her father saying that he wished to be introduced to Thomas Cromwell.
Hungerford wished to become the Sheriff of Wiltshire, and this was later given to him
but Walter Hungerford became a close ally of Thomas Cromwell.
Cromwell recommended to the King that Walter should be rewarded for his support and helpfulness
in Wiltshire.
He then was summoned to Parliament and was named as Lord Hungerford of Heytesbury.
It was clear that Walter Hungerford was a prominent and positive member of the King’s
court, and he built up strong alliances with other key members such as Cromwell.
It was almost as if nothing could go wrong for him, but in 1540 things changed drastically.
His association and link with Cromwell would lead to his downfall and execution.
Cromwell had been letting the King down for a few months, and in particular it was he
who proposed a marriage match between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves.
This resulted in the King forcibly having to marry Anne against his wishes, even though
he considered her ugly.
Their annulment settlement ended up costing Henry heavily, and Anne became incredibly
wealthy, and Cromwell’s enemies dug their talons in to bring him down following this
failure.
Cromwell was arrested in June 1540 for plotting to kill the King and treason.
But Walter Hungerford had been a nasty and cruel man for some time.
He was abusive to his wife, and he locked her in a tower at Farleigh Hungerford and
he tried to starve her and poison her.
Cromwell would receive a letter from Elizabeth saying how she had been, ‘Continually locked
in one of my Lord’s towers of his castle in Hungerford as I have been these three or
four years past without comfort of any creature, and under the custody of my lord’s chaplain
… which has once or twice heretofore poisoned me … I have none other meat nor drink but
such as cometh from the said priest … I have … drank … my own water, or else I
should die for lack of sustenance.’
Elizabeth had asked Cromwell for divorce proceedings, as she said, ‘I may sooner object such matters
against him with many other detestable and urgent causes, that he can against me, if
I would express them, as he well knoweth.’
It was possible in these words that she alluded to her husband having intimate relations with
other men, but Cromwell took no notice.
But as Cromwell’s fall from grace happened, Walter Hungerford’s would also come.
Rumours were circulating around the royal court about his treatment of his wife, and
the Privy Council began to investigate.
Along with the abuse, Hungerford was accused of three crimes.
The first was that he had employed a priest in his house who had classed Henry VIII as
a heretic and had preached defamatory sermons against the King.
The second crime was that he employed another priest who was referred to as a doctor or
a witch, and that he predicted when the King would die, an offence which was linked to
treason.
The third offence he was accused of was ‘committing unnatural acts,’ which had been outlawed
by an act known as the Buggery act.
It was said he was accused of, ‘Replete with innumerable, detestable and abominable
vices and wretchedness of living … and hath accustomably exercised, frequented, and used
the abominable and detestable vice and sin of buggery with William Master, Thomas Smith
and other of his servants.’
These offences were incredibly serious, and because of his link to Cromwell also he was
sentenced to death.
Both Hungerford and Cromwell were imprisoned at the Tower of London and were taken to Tower
Hill on the 28th July 1540.
Cromwell and Hungerford were both beheaded by axe on the same day.
It was said of Hungerford, that on the scaffold and before that he ‘seemed so unquiet that
many judged him rather in a frenzy than otherwise,’ alluding to the fact he went to his death
with panic and great noise.
Hungerford was beheaded after Cromwell was, but it’s not known if this went well or
was botched.
But Walter Hungerford was the forgotten and mysterious man who was executed alongside
Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s key advisor.
It’s clear that he was linked to the royal court, but he was a terrible man who was awful
to his wife.
He went to his death alongside a man who he greatly respected and wished to be close with,
but when Cromwell fell from grace Walter Hungerford would also.
He was accused of a number of crimes, all of which carried to death penalty and he was
one of many who were executed throughout the Tudor Period on Tower Hill.
Thanks for watching.
To support our channel, please make sure to subscribe,
Thanks for watching.