A peculiar story. In Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1562, Hendrick Eemkens was sentenced to death by a court for the crime of being an Anabaptist, a form of radical Protestantism at the time. He was ordered to be “executed by gunpowder” in the city square in front of a crowd of people. To achieve this he was tied to a stake and a charge of gunpowder draped around his upper body and neck. I’m not sure of the size of this charge. Some reports suggest he was throttled first. A fire was lit close by and the executioner, using a long pitchfork, lifted a bale of burning material into contact with the explosive charge. I’ve found two images, admittedly from over a century later, showing the execution.
The second is a little more explicit
The clergy behind the victim doesn’t look like he’s standing well enough back. One report observed that the man’s hair was not singed in the explosion.
Perhaps the monk is about to put a pudding bowl on his head to get a haircut at the same time Roger? 😉