Broad Street Execution Site
Broad Street Execution Site
Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AS
1555–1556A cross of different-coloured cobblestones is set into the road surface in front of Balliol College on Broad Street, marking the traditional spot where the three Oxford Martyrs were burned at the stake. In the 1550s, this area lay just outside the medieval city walls, in the town ditch — a deliberately public place of execution. On 16 October 1555, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned here together. Latimer's last words to Ridley have echoed through centuries of Protestant memory: "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." Five months later, on 21 March 1556, Thomas Cranmer was led from the Bocardo Prison to the same spot. Having been pressured into signing recantations, he dramatically withdrew them at the last moment, thrusting his right hand — the hand that had signed — into the flames first, crying "this unworthy right hand."
Key Figures
Free — a public memorial set into the road surface.
Accessible at all times.
Set into the cobblestones in the middle of Broad Street, outside Balliol College. Look down as you walk — it is easy to miss. The road is pedestrianised at this point.
Stand on the cross and take a moment to reflect. Look across to Balliol College where Wycliffe once studied, and towards the Bodleian Library. The Martyrs' Memorial is a 5-minute walk west. Visit early morning when the street is quiet.
Hours and prices may vary. Please check directly with the venue before visiting.
Hidden Gem
The exact spot of the burnings has been debated by historians. The cobblestone cross marks the traditional location, but archaeological evidence suggests the actual execution site may have been slightly further north, in what was then the town ditch outside the city wall. A door from the Bocardo Prison cell where the martyrs were held is still on display in the tower of nearby St Michael at the North Gate — you can see the very door that Cranmer passed through on his way to die.
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