St
Mary's Bridge
(Written
by Wayne Anthony & Richard Felix)
In England in the late 1500's it was not a good idea to be a Catholic.
Religious persecution was rife and in 1588 the Earl of Shrewsbury, who
was at that time the Lord Lieutenant of Derby, ensured that Derbians would
have their own grim reminder of their turbulent past.
Robert Ludlam, Nicholas Garlick and Richard Sympson were sentenced to
be hung, drawn and quartered because of their faith and were placed in
the chapel on St. Mary's Bridge which stands to this day.
It was on the 24th July, 1588 that this sentence was carried out and their
remains displayed on the bridge for all to see.
It has been said by many people that on the anniversary on this awful
deed the cries of these condemned men can be heard - cries full of torment
and despair.
A gentleman who has lived within walking distance of St. Mary's Bridge
for his entire life confesses that, "As each year we move into July
I feel more and more and more reluctant to walk over the bridge at St.
Mary's. It is only as we pass into August that I feel able to do so".
St Mary's Bridge
