John Stubbs was born in
Norfolk in about 1542. Educated at Cambridge
University he was a strong Puritan.
In 1579 Elizabeth
began having talks about the possibility of marrying the Duke of Anjou
from France. Stubbs wrote a pamphlet criticizing the proposed marriage.
Stubbs objected to the fact that the Duke of Anjou was a Catholic.
He also argued that, at forty-six, Elizabeth was too old to have children
and so had no need to get married.
Elizabeth was furious
and ordered that Stubbs and the publisher of the pamphlet should be
arrested. At first Elizabeth wanted the men to be hanged, but eventually
she decided that the men should have their right hands cut off.
John Stubbs, who was elected
to the House of Commons in 1589, died in
1590.
(1)
William Camden, The History of Queen
Elizabeth (1617)
Stubbs and Page had their right hands cut off with a cleaver,
driven through the wrist by the force of a mallet, upon a scaffold
in the market-place at Westminster... I remember that Stubbs, after
his right hand was cut off, took off his hat with his left, and said
with a loud voice, "God Save the Queen"; the crowd standing
about was deeply silent: either out of horror at this new punishment;
or else out of sadness.
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