William Laud
Videos
William Laud was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms; he was arrested by Parliament in
Portrait by Anthony van Dyck c. 1636
Stained glass windows in the Chapter House of Canterbury Cathedral, depicting Henry IV, Henry VIII, Thomas Cranmer and Archbishop Laud
Altar, c. 1635, the centre of dispute between Puritans and Laudians, possibly consecrated by Laud himself, in St Peter's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton.
Etching by Wenceslaus Hollar showing Laud being tried for treason in the House of Lords, with several people present labelled
Richard Brandon
Videos
Richard Brandon, also known as Young Gregory, was the common executioner of London from 1639 to 1649, a role which he inherited from his father Gregory Brandon. Brandon is often named as the execution
William Laud
…attainder, under which Laud was beheaded on Tower Hill on 10 January 1645, notwithstanding being granted a royal pardon. As the common hangman of London, Richard Brandon carried out Laud's execution, just as he had, in May 1641, of the Earl of Strafford. Laud was buried in the chapel of St John's College, Oxford, his…
The title page of The Confession of Richard Brandon, a 1649 pamphlet claiming to contain a confession of Richard Brandon as Charles I's executioner. The posthumous frontispiece shows Richard Brandon after the beheading of Charles I.