Bull's Hide Encasing John Bellowe

Rebels skin John Bellowe alive, blind him, then sew his mutilated body into this bull's hide. Dogs tear the hide apart, ripping into the corpse within. Richard Cromwell recounts the horror to Thomas Cromwell in the rain-lashed Austin Friars courtyard, his voice faltering as soldiers listen amid preparations to march north. The hide embodies the rebellion's grotesque brutality.

2 appearances

Purpose

Container for flayed body during ritual tearing by dogs

Significance

Symbol of rebels' savagery that personalizes the threat to Cromwell's men, prompting his calculated dispatch of Richard and soldiers while shielding Gregory from the violence

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E3 · The Mirror and the Light Episode 3

The Medal and the Mutilation: A Father’s Fear in Blood and Rain

The bull’s hide, mentioned in Richard Cromwell’s horrifying account of John Bellowe’s murder, is a grotesque instrument of torture that looms over the scene like a specter. Though not physically present in the courtyard, its presence is palpable in the way Richard’s voice falters as he describes how Bellowe was blinded, flayed, and sewn into the hide before being torn apart by dogs. The bull’s hide is not just a method of execution—it is a symbol of the rebellion’s savagery and the personal, visceral threat that Cromwell and his household now face. Its mention serves as a stark reminder of the brutality that Richard and his men will encounter in the north, and it forces Cromwell to confront the reality that the violence is no longer distant or abstract.

Before: Used by the Lincolnshire rebels in Louth to torture and kill John Bellowe, its horrific details recounted by Richard Cromwell in the courtyard.

After: A lingering symbol of the rebellion’s atrocities, its memory haunting Cromwell as Richard departs into the rain.

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S2E3 · The Mirror and the Light Episode 3

The Weight of a Name: Brutality and the Cost of Loyalty

The bull’s hide, into which John Bellowe was sewn by the rebels, is described in gruesome detail by Richard Cromwell. This object serves as a visceral symbol of the rebellion’s brutality and the personal cost of Cromwell’s political actions. Its mention forces Cromwell to confront the horrific reality of the conflict, underscoring the dehumanizing violence that defines the rebellion. The hide, though not physically present, casts a long shadow over the scene, embodying the savagery that threatens to engulf them all.

Before: Used by the rebels in Louth to torture and execute John Bellowe, sewn into the hide and set upon by dogs.

After: Mentioned in the courtyard, its horrific imagery lingering in the minds of those who hear of it, particularly Cromwell.

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