1689, December 16.--Daniel Straker, a Danish trooper buried.
" December 23.--Johannes Frederick Bellow, a Danish trooper,
beheaded for killing the other, buried.
In a note from the Rev. Jno. Pickford, M.A., we are told: "The mode of
execution was, it may be presumed, by a broad two-handed sword, such a
one as Sir Walter Scott has particularly described in "Anne of
Geierstein," as used at the decapitation of Sir Archibald de Hagenbach,
"and which the executioner is described as wielding with such address and
skill. The Danish culprit was, like the oppressive knight, probably bound
and seated in a chair; but such swords as those depicted on the tablet
could not well have been used for the purpose, for they are long, narrow
in the blade, and perfectly straight."
[Illustration: TABLET AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH, BEVERLEY.]
We have in the "Diary of Abraham de la Pryme," the Yorkshire Antiquary,
some very interesting particulars respecting the Danes. Writing in 1689,
the diarist tells us: "Towards the latter end of the aforegoing year,
there landed at Hull about six or seven thousand Danes, all stout fine
men, the best equip'd and disciplin'd of any that was ever seen. They were
mighty godly and religious. You would seldom or never hear an oath or ugly
word come out of their mouths. They had a great many ministers amongst
them, whome they call'd pastours, and every Sunday almost, ith' afternoon,
they prayed and preach'd as soon as our prayers was done. They sung almost
all their divine service, and every ministre had those that made up a
quire whom the rest follow'd. Then there was a sermon of about
half-an-houre's length, all _memoratim_, and then the congregation broke
up. When they adminstered the sacrament, the ministre goes into the church
and caused notice to be given thereof, then all come before, and he
examined them one by one whether they were worthy to receive or no. If
they were he admitted them, if they were not he writ their names down in a
book, and bid them prepare against the next Sunday. Instead of bread in
the sacrament, I observed that they used wafers about the bigness and
thickness of a sixpence. They held it no sin to play at cards upon
Sundays, and commonly did everywhere where they were suffered; for indeed
in many places the people would not abide the same, but took the cards
from them. Tho' they loved strong drink, yet all the while I was amongst
them, which was all this winter, I never saw above five or six of them
drunk."
The diarist tells us that the strangers liked this country. It appears
they worked for the farmers, and sold tumblers, cups, spoons, &c., which
they had imported, to the English. They acted in the courthouse a play in
their own language, and realised a good sum of money by their
performances. The design of the piece was "Herod's Tyranny--The Birth of
Christ--The Coming of the Wise Men."
In Bolton churchyard, Lancashire, is a gravestone of considerable
historical interest. It has been incorrectly printed in several books and
magazines, but we are able to give a literal copy drawn from a carefully
compiled "History of Bolton," by John D. Briscoe:--