The reign of King Henry VIII was marked by tens of thousands of executions, but one method stands out for its exceptional cruelty, a punishment so barbaric it sickened even 16th-century onlookers.
The Poison Plot That Shocked the Tudor Court
In 1531, the household of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, became the centre of a terrifying incident. Fisher, a staunch supporter of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, had fallen out of favour with the king. On February 18, 1531, after sharing a meal, Fisher and approximately sixteen guests fell violently ill.
The same potage, a thick soup, had been given to servants and to the poor as charity. While Fisher survived, Burnet Curwen, a member of his household, and Alice Tryppyt, an impoverished woman, tragically died.
The cook, Richard Roose, fled the scene but was soon captured and taken to the Tower of London. Under interrogation on the rack, he confessed to adding a powder to the stew, though he claimed he believed it was merely a laxative intended as a practical joke.
A King's Merciless Decree and a Chef's Agonising Fate
King Henry, paranoid about poisoners, used the event to introduce devastating new legislation. He addressed Parliament on 28 February 1531, declaring that murder by poisoning was now an act of treason.
The punishment for this new treasonous offence was to be boiled alive. Many historians interpret this specific method as a malicious joke on Henry's part, given Roose's profession as a cook.
In April 1531, Roose was taken to Smithfield for a public execution. He was fastened to a gibbet and then repeatedly plunged into a scalding cauldron of water, oil, or wax. The process was horrifyingly slow. It took two agonising hours for Roose to die, his roars of pain haunting the crowd.
Public Horror and a Lasting Legacy of Doubt
Contemporary accounts describe the profound impact on the spectators. It is said that pregnant women were carried away 'half dead' from the sight, while others were so disturbed they stated they would have preferred to witness a standard beheading.
Adding a deeply unsettling layer to the story, serious doubts have been cast on Roose's guilt over the centuries. Some historians suggest other parties, including the Boleyn family or even King Henry himself, may have had stronger motives for wanting Bishop Fisher dead.
This gruesome chapter in English law was short-lived. After Henry VIII died in 1547, his son, Edward VI, immediately repealed the "Acte for Poysoning", ensuring no one else would suffer this horrific fate under royal decree. The death of Richard Roose remains a stark testament to the brutal extremes of Tudor justice.
