Where the witches burned.

Alright?

If you go outside, you can get six weather types for the price of one today. It’s warm, cold, windy, still, rainy and sunny in unison.

The story you’ll hear today is perfect for miserable weather. If it were turned into a film, it would be full of horizontal drizzle and the occasional rumble of thunder.

Before I get into it, I’ve got a special announcement. Norwich Pub Tours - the tour company I used to operate back when I could handle my drink - is returning.

Learn about Norwich’s history through the eyes of its famous pubs. We have a drink in each one, get a little merry and generally have a good time.

Before we roll it out to the civilians, we’ll be hosting a heavily discounted (maybe free?) tour exclusively for subscribers of this newsletter. To be kept in the loop on when that happens, just click the button below to be added to the mailing list, and I’ll email you when tickets are available.

The execution pit.

To celebrate the return of Norwich Pub Tours, it feels fitting to share another story linked to a pub.

This one concerns Lollard’s Pit: one of the most historically interesting (yet criminally underrated) pubs in Norwich.

That’s primarily because the pub sits atop an old execution site. But this wasn’t where thieves and murderers spent their final moments. It was the reserve of a different type of ‘criminal’: Religious heretics and ‘witches’.

Who were the Lollards?

Started by a chap called John Wycliffe (not to be confused with 90s/00s rapper Wyclef Jean) in the 14th century, the Lollards believed that the church was corrupt and tried to use biblical scripture as the primary basis for their religious beliefs. Apparently, that was a lot more controversial back then.

As you can imagine, the church didn’t like it one bit. The Lollards were heretics, and they needed to be dealt with.

Religious heretic = someone who goes against the established religious teachings of the time.

But where do you dispose of a problem like the Lollards? If only there were some sort of pit just outside of the city walls that they could use…

The execution pit.

When Norwich’s first Cathedral was being built, the masons used chalk for the foundations. They got most of that from a nearby hill that’s still called, rather uncreatively, Chalk Hill.

The process of digging it out, combined with the natural geography of the area, formed a cavernous pit that the church thought would be ideal for executing religious heretics throughout the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

I like to imagine a natural amphitheatre, perfect for creating a bit of a cinematic spectacle.

There’s a widely held belief that everyone executed at Lollard’s Pit was burned at the stake. Those flames - if you’ll excuse the pun - have been fanned by the fact that the pub’s sign is someone being burned at the stake.

Whilst there are several recorded accounts of burning at the stake at Lollard’s Pit, it’s likely most victims would’ve been hanged. Hanging was cheaper, more efficient and less logistically challenging.

Who was killed there?

Though originally built for those accused of heresy, Lollard’s Pit also became a place to punish so-called ‘witches’.

East Anglia has a fascinating history where witchcraft is concerned (there are at least an extra two Secret Norwich newsletters’ worth of stories here), and many of the unfortunate women, men and children accused of witchcraft would’ve taken their final breaths in front of a crowd at Lollard’s Pit.

The pit was probably at its busiest during Bloody Mary’s reign between 1553 and 1559. According to the pub’s website (and since when have they ever been wrong?), ‘up to 50’ protestants were executed here during this six-year stretch in which she tried to forcibly reinstate Catholicism in England.

Some bonus facts:

• Norwich’s ducking stool, where suspected witches were dunked into the river to test for witchcraft, was located next to Fye Bridge, just opposite the Ribs of Beef pub. You can still see a plaque there today.

• Bishop Bridge, opposite Lollard’s Pit, is the oldest bridge in Norwich. Built in 1340, crowds are said to have gathered along the bridge to watch the accused walk to meet their fates.

If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love a Norwich Pub Tour. Stay in the loop by joining the mailing list (just click the button below):

Next time you’re enjoying a pint in Lollard’s Pit, spare a thought for the sad, gruesome and fascinating history that endured for hundreds of years just beneath your feet.

See you next Sunday,

Secret Norwich.