PROTESTANT MARTYR

Anne Askew (1521-1546) was a Protestant martyr, she was the second daughter of Sir William Askew, a knight, who is generally stated to be from Kelsey in Lincolnshire. But according to family and local tradition she was born at Stallingborough, near Grimsby, where the site of her father’s house is still pointed out. The Askews were an old Lincolnshire family, and the conciousness of this fact may have had something to do with the formation of Anne’s character. She was highly educated and much devoted to biblical study. When she stayed at Lincoln she was seen daily in the Cathedral reading the Bible and engaging the clergy in discussions on the meaning of particular texts. According to one account she was superior to them all in argument, and those who wished to answer her commonly retired without a word.