Elizabeth Barton was an English maidservant. Through various prophecies in the 16th century, she won the standing of a saint in ordinary people’s eyes. Many religious leaders of the day sought her counsel, and King Henry VIII is said to have met her more than once. But a single prophecy about the king ultimately turned her life around: she was hanged and beheaded on a charge of treason. In history she is known as the “Holy Maid of Kent.”
In 1525, in a small village in Kent, England, Elizabeth Barton suddenly fell ill one day. In the grip of her illness she would recite various passages from the Bible. At times she lost consciousness; when she came round she would make various prophecies. Word spread that whatever Barton said came true. News of her supposedly miraculous power quickly spread through the area, and crowds came to see her.
Historians say that one day, after lying unconscious for several hours, Barton suddenly recovered. After that event she was declared a “God-sent visionary.” Eyewitness descriptions of her appearance survive in various records. It is said that after recovering, Barton’s face had become abnormally distorted, her tongue protruding and her eyes seeming to bulge from their sockets.
Barton then joined a convent in Canterbury. Through her many prophecies she gradually became a hugely influential figure in Tudor England. Senior religious leaders, nobles and King Henry VIII himself sought her counsel. But over time her prophecies began to take on a political character, and that ultimately became the cause of her downfall.
Barton’s rise came at a time when the religious reform movement sweeping Europe was spreading to England. The spread of Protestant doctrine was challenging the wealth of the Catholic Church and the pope’s authority, creating anxiety among Catholics. Many regarded Barton as a messenger of God’s word and spread her prophecies by word of mouth and in writing.
Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of “Heroines of the Tudor World,” says whether Barton really had the power of prophecy is not the main point; people believed her words.
Along with ordinary people, she won the trust of many influential figures, including Cardinal Wolsey, King Henry VIII’s chief adviser, and clergy in Canterbury. Her words later reached Sir Thomas More, one of the most influential figures at the royal court. More met her and said he had heard for years of her extraordinary gifts and had wanted to see them for himself.
Later, though, Thomas More wrote to warn her never to say anything publicly about the king or his personal affairs.
King Henry too was favourable towards Barton at first. They met several times and grew close over their Catholic faith. But the situation changed when the king divorced his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and remarried in hopes of an heir.
Divorce was unacceptable under Catholic doctrine. Barton opposed the divorce and voiced support for Catherine. She even wrote to Pope Clement warning that a plague would break out if he took a stand against Catherine.
According to historians, many influential figures in the Catholic Church believed Barton could sway the king and stop him from making such a decision. For that reason, many believe the Catholic Church used Barton for political ends.
Diane Watt, a professor at the University of Surrey, says the idea of portraying her as a fraud or someone else’s puppet was largely created by her opponents. In her view, Barton was an extremely talented and charismatic figure.
Watt adds that in medieval Europe there were many women who, through religious philosophy or supposed miraculous powers, managed to reach even the powerful, such as kings and popes. But what set Barton apart was that she prophesied not on religious matters but directly on political ones.
Her social standing was another important factor. She was a maidservant. At that time ordinary women had no opportunity to voice political opinions, but the power of miraculous prophecy gave her that chance.
She then made her most dangerous prophecy. Barton said God had told her that if the king remarried he would die within seven months. She later added that if the king married, he would lose his throne within a month.
Such prophecies were considered treason at the time. Under the Treason Act of 1351, predicting the king’s death was a serious crime.
In October 1532, on their way to Calais, King Henry and Anne Boleyn (the king’s second wife) met Barton in Canterbury. The king offered to make her head of a convent if she said nothing more about his marriage. Anne Boleyn also offered her an important post in her own household. But Barton rejected both offers.
In January 1533 the king married Anne Boleyn. In time it became clear that Barton’s prophecy had not come true.
She was later taken to the Tower of London and questioned by the king’s new chief adviser, Thomas Cromwell. There Barton admitted that her prophecies had not been given by God.
Whether she made this confession freely or under pressure is not known for certain, historians say. Likewise, whether she truly had the power of prophecy or it was all an act remains unresolved to this day.
On 20 April 1534, Barton and six of her followers were hanged at Tyburn and then beheaded. She was just 28 when she died.
Her severed head was then displayed on a pike at the southern entrance to London Bridge, the customary punishment for traitors at the time. According to historians, Elizabeth Barton is the only woman whose head was displayed publicly in this way.
After her death, no records of her own writings or of her followers survived. Thomas Cromwell seized and destroyed about 700 copies of a book written about her prophecies. Another pamphlet being prepared for later publication was also destroyed.
As a result, most of the information about Barton available in history today comes from official records and the writings of her opponents. For this reason, the tendency to portray her as a fraud long prevailed in history.
Modern researchers, however, believe the true story of Elizabeth Barton is still not fully known. If the lost manuscript of her prophecies is one day recovered, history may yet reassess her.
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