Extract from
MacDermott's Buxted the BeautifulRichard Woodman, who was born in Buxted in 1524 came of a good family and was brought up to the staple trade of the district—the iron industry. He was well educated for those days, knowing something of Latin as well as English, and was a staunch upholder of the Reformation, never fearing to defend his views and attack his opponents with vigour and boldness. True to his principles, Woodman on one occasion straitly rebuked George Fayrebank, Rector of Warbleton, who had teen a zealous Protestant at one time but had conveniently become converted to Romanism in Queen Mary's reign. Fayrebank appealed to the magistracy and Woodman was brought before a local bench, who committed him to the King's Bench, where he was kept for 18 months before being examined. He was liberated for a short time but was again sought for and apprehended through the agency of his father, brother and other pretended friends.
Woodman was examined by Bishop Christopherson, of Chichester, and others, being accused of preaching at a fair, of baptising children and marrying folks. One of the examiners, Dr. Story, called him a heretic, a madman, worse than the Devil, and said he should be burned in less than six days. Woodman displayed great boldness at all these questionings and often in his Protestant zeal sharply twitted his accusers with falsehood and wrong belief.
At four later examinations one of them was conducted by
Dr. Langdale, Rector of Buxted, who was one of the specially chosen champions of the Roman Catholics. Woodman was condemned to death and was burnt in the market place of Lewes on 22nd June, 1557, nine others being burnt at the same time.
