The Ipswich Martyrs

This remarkable memorial stands in Christchurch Park, Ipswich.

It commemorates 9 people from Ipswich who were burnt at the stake in the mid-16th century�their only crime? Possessing a Bible in English! In the eyes of both State and Church, this was a crime for which the punishment was death.

Translators like William Tyndale worked on the Continent, and the Bibles were smuggled into England, many of them through the Port of Ipswich. Throughout the country, Bible students, keen to read the Bible in their own tongue, eagerly sought this precious contraband. They were prepared to die for the "crime" of reading God's word.

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How times have changed.

Now, at the beginning of the 21st century we are free to read the Bible and debate its message quite openly. But how many people do?

What was it that drove the 16th century martyrs to risk everything to read the Bible? If it was so important to them, literally a matter of life or death, isn't it time we found out more about this amazing book?

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Find out more about the Bible with the Ipswich Christadelphians