Show bollea boiled prisoners to death punishment was once used by boiling prisoners to death both in england and on the continent the chronicles of the grey friars 1852 have an account of boiling for poisoning at smithfield in the year 1522 the man being fastened to a chain and lowered into boiling water several times until he died the preamble of the statute of henry VIII which made poisoning treason in 1531 recites that one richard roose a cook by putting poison in food intended for the household of the bishop of rochester and forthe for the poor of the parish of lambeth killed a man and woman he was sentenced for treason and publicly boiled in 1547 the act was repealed |