Oxford, England: Martyrs' Memorial

The 1500s were a tough time for England. King Henry VIII wanted an annulment of his marriages to his wife, but Pope Clement VII wouldn't give it to him. Henry responded by leading an effort for Parliament to strip away the authority of the Pope in English affairs. It succeeded, and Henry was named the head of the Church of England. 

As you might expect there were some conflicts along the way, and the arguments became rather violent. In 1555, three men - including two Bishops - who had Protestant beliefs were convicted of treason. They were burned at the stake for their "crimes," and the spot where the actual execution took place is marked right around the corner in Oxford.

It only took 300 years or so for people to figure out that it's wrong to murder such people, particularly in that way. Some people at Oxford cited the university's Protestant and anti-Catholic traditions. A monument went up in 1843. 

The best part of the story of this place centers on the monument. Supposedly, Oxford students used to tell visitors that the monument was the top of an underground church, and they would show such people the entrance for a small fee. The money would be pocketed, and the tourists would be shown to some stairs ... which led to public toilets. It's probably apocryphal, which is something of a shame.