Residents of Holywell Street were left perturbed after a theatrical commemoration of a Catholic martyrdom took place over the weekend.
According to witnesses, a group of around thirty people erected a stage, from which four nooses were hung. They then recited a selection of religious verse, and proceeded down the street, with some members of the procession carrying a crucifix.
Amy Davis, who was prevented from leaving her house by the goings-on, said she found the spectacle “surprising”, commenting wryly: “It was rather macabre to see the noose replica outside the house.”
The martyrdom is commemorated by a plaque on the street, which records that on 5th July 1589 four men, George Nichols, Richard Yaxley, Thomas Belson and Humphrey Pritchard, were executed for their Catholic faith.
