William Prynne

[VirginiaHuguenot]

William Prynne, English Puritan (1600 - October 24, 1669) was a noted Puritan opponent of Archbishop William Laud. He authored a major work against stage plays called Histriomastix, which lead to his imprisonment until the Long Parliament. He defended Presbyterianism and opposed the policies of Oliver Cromwell's government, and ended his career as keeper of the royal records at the Tower of London under King Charles II.

 

[rmdmphilosopher]

I think I read somewhere that Prynne had his ears cut off and the letters S L (for Sedition and Libel, I think) branded on him at the orders of Archbishop Laud...

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

I think I read somewhere that Prynne had his ears cut off and the letters S L (for Sedition and Libel, I think) branded on him at the orders of Archbishop Laud...

Yes (from the article cited above):

He was tried in the Star Chamber in 1633 and sentenced to imprisonment and the removal of part of his ears. He was, however, able to continue his activities from prison, and was sentenced in 1637 to the removal of the rest of his ears and to be branded with letters S L (seditious libeller). He affected that these in fact stood for stigmata Laudis (the marks of Laud).

 

[rmdmphilosopher]

Oh, oops. I should have read the linked article before I posted what I thought was new information...