Executions of William Anlaby, Thomas Warcop, and Edward Fulthrop
On July 4, 1597, Catholic priest William Anlaby was executed in England along with Thomas Warcop and Edward Fulthrop. Anlaby had been accused of acting as a Catholic priest during a time when such activity was illegal under Elizabeth I. Warcop and Fulthrop were charged with helping him by giving him shelter and support.
At the time, England was firmly Protestant after the break with Rome, and Catholic priests were seen as a threat to the state. Many of them worked in secret, moving between supportive households to carry out services for hidden Catholic communities. Being caught meant harsh punishment, often death.
Warcop and Fulthrop’s involvement shows how dangerous it was even for laypeople to assist Catholic clergy. Simply offering food or a hiding place could lead to charges of treason. Their executions reflect how strict and unforgiving the religious laws were during this period.
The deaths of all three became part of the wider story of Catholic persecution in Elizabethan England, a time when religion could decide not just faith, but life and death.