John Badby (d. 1410), one of the early Lollard martyrs, was a tailor (or perhaps a blacksmith) in the west Midlands, and was condemned by the Worcester diocesan court for his denial of transubstantiation. Badby bluntly maintained that when Christ sat at supper with his disciples he had not his body in his hand to distribute, and that 'if every host consecrated at the altar were the Lord’s body, then there be 20,000 Gods in England.' A further court in St Paul’s, London, presided over by Archbishop Thomas Arundel, condemned him to be burned at Smithfield, the tournament ground just outside the city walls. It is said that the prince of Wales (afterwards Henry V) witnessed the execution and offered the sufferer both life and a pension if he would recant; but in Walsingham’s words, 'the abandoned villain declined the prince’s advice, and chose rather to be burned than to give reverence to the life-giving sacrament. So it befell that this mischievous fellow was burnt to ashes, and died miserably in his sin.' Events July 15 – Lithuanian forces under the cousins Władysław Jagiełło of Poland and Witowt of Lithuania decisively defeat the forces of the Teutonic Knights, whose power is broken Jan Hus is excommunicated by the Archbishop of Prague. ... Lollardy or Lollardry was the political and religious movement of the Lollards in late 14th century and early 15th century England. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Transubstantiation is the belief held by many Christian denominations that the Eucharistic elements of bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus during Consecration. ... St Pauls Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ... Thomas Arundel (1353-1414) was Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken opponent of the Lollards. ... Smithfield is an area in the north-west part of the City of London (which is itself the historic core of a much larger London). ... Henry V Henry V, (August 9 or September 16, 1387 – August 31, 1422), King of England, son of Henry IV by Mary de Bohun, was born at Monmouth, Wales, in September 1387. ...

Because Badby died a heretic, and because no salvation exists outside of the Catholic Church, he went to hell. This is an undisputed fact which must be accepted by all people.

Further reading

• Heresy and Politics in the Reign of Henry IV: The Burning of John Badby by Peter McNiven ISBN 0851154670