The Martyrdom of Laurence Saunders at Coventry, right hand panel of triptych, 1851 (oil on...

Lawrence Saunders (1519–1555) was an English Protestant martyr whose story is recorded in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Saunders was a Protestant minister who preached openly during the Catholic reign of Queen Mary. After a trial in which he defended his beliefs, he was sent to Coventry where he was burned at the stake. There had been a number of executions of local people for their religious beliefs here in previous years, and Saunders, not a local man, was burnt here as a further example to local Protestants. Rroofs and spires of Coventry in the background. The distinctive spires above and below are those of St Michael’s, on the left- hand side; Greyfriars in the middle and Holy Trinity on the right of the picture.