On the south side of the Market Place is a block of buildings known as CONSTANTINES, or LADY VENTRISS'S, comprising two units and numbered 14 and 15 Market Hill. The property takes its name from Richard Constantine, who was the owner of it in the reign of King James I. (At the Act of Union, 24th March, 1603, King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England. He reigned until his death on 27th March, 1625.)
It was built mid-C15th and much altered in C19th. Timber framed and plastered with some painted brick, and exposed framing at rear, roofed with handmade red plain tiles and slate. The main range follows the line of the street, comprising 3 bays facing north-west, and two bays at the right end angled sharply backwards to face west-south-west, with an axial stack in the middle bay and an axial stack at the right end. Originally of two storeys, the right three bays of the main range have been raised to three storeys in early C19th with a shallow sloped, tiled roof. The windows are of a mixed pattern, mainly C19th, with the most impressive a splayed oriel of late C19th at the left end with sashes of 2-4-2 lights. The three right-hand bays has a late C19th corner shopfront.
Thomas Hawkes was a protestant and one of the retainers of the Earl of Oxford, John de Vere, who lived at Earls Colne Priory. After the young Edward VI died in 1553 Queen Mary decreed that England should return to Catholicism. The de Veres swayed with the “religious wind” so Hawkes, being a protestant at heart decided to leave the nobleman’s house and return to his own home, later to be known as “Constantynes” on the Market Hill in Coggeshall.
After strongly-voiced opposition to the country's swing to Catholicism, and his refusal to have his new-born son baptised into the Catholic faith Hawkes was arrested and taken before Bishop Bonner in 1554, questioned about his religious beliefs and imprisoned in Newgate.
After several attempts to get Hawkes to recant, he refused each time, Bonner condemned Hawkes to be burned at the stake on 9th February 1555. He refused a final chance to recant, saying “No, my lord, that I will not; for if I had a hundred bodies, I would suffer them all to be torn in pieces, rather than I will abjure or recant”. Four months later he was brought to Coggeshall and on 10th June 1555 he was led out to Vicarage Field, West Street and chained to a stake and the fire was lit beneath him.
Friends of Hawkes were greatly impressed by his firmness, but were fearful of the pain that death by fire would bring, and asked him to give an indication that it was bearable in the cause of their faith. Hawkes said that he would lift his hands to Heaven as a sign. It appeared that the fire had consumed him when suddenly the apparently lifeless body lifted its arms and clapped them over its head three times before sinking down into the flames.
The wording on the plaque reads:-
CONSTANTINES
16thC
HOME OF
THOMAS HAWKES
PROTESTANT MARTYR
BURNT AT THE STAKE ON
VICARAGE FIELDS
10th JUNE 1555
...and round the rim:- COGGESHALL HERITAGE SOCIETY - FROM FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE STANLEY PRENTICE LEGACY - OCT 2002.
For further information on Thomas Hawkes see:- Thomas Hawkes