Cornelius Bongey (or Bungey) (died 19 September 1555) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Protestant martyr who was burnt at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

in September 1555. Little is known of his life, except that he was a capper (or hatmaker), and that he was accused, and did not deny, that he “did hold, maintain, argue and teach” a range of Protestant beliefs, suggesting he was a

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

. He was tried before the

Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Mi ...

and sentenced to death.Foxe's Book of Martyrs: 313. Cornelius Bungey
Exclassics.com. Retrieved on 2014-11-07. Bongey was burnt to death at Coventry for heresy on 20 September 1555, together with Robert Glover. They, and ten other such martyrs from the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I, are commemorated on a memorial in the city, and are known collectively as the

Coventry Martyrs The Coventry Martyrs were a disparate group of Lollard Christians executed for their beliefs in Coventry between 1512 and 1522 (seven men and two women) and in 1555 (three men). Eleven of them are commemorated by a six-metre-high () monument, e ...

. Munden, Alan (1997) ''The Coventry Martyrs'' (Coventry: a Coventry Archives publication).

References

People executed for heresy 16th-century Protestant martyrs People executed under Mary I of England Executed British people People executed by the Kingdom of England by burning Year of birth unknown 1555 deaths Protestant martyrs of England {{England-reli-bio-stub