Hugh Latimer | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Worcester | |
 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Worcester |
| In office | 1535–1539 |
| Predecessor | Girolamo Ghinucci |
| Successor | John Bell |
| Other post | Chaplain to the Royal Household |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 15 July 1515 |
| Consecration | 1535 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1487 |
| Died | 16 October 1555 (aged 67-68) |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Education | University of Cambridge |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
Hugh Latimer (c. 1487 – 16 October 1555) was aFellow ofClare College, Cambridge, andBishop of Worcester during theReformation, and laterChurch of England chaplain toKing Edward VI. In 1555 under theCatholicQueen Mary I he wasburned at the stake, becoming one of the threeOxford Martyrs ofAnglicanism.
Latimer was born into a family of farmers inThurcaston,Leicestershire. His birthdate is unknown. Contemporary biographers includingJohn Foxe placed the date somewhere between 1480 and 1494. He later recalled that "my father...kept me to schole"[1] and he started his studies in Latin grammar at the age of four, but not much else is known of his childhood. He attended theUniversity of Cambridge from the age of 14,[2] where according to theAlumni Cantabrigienses he was a pupil ofJohn Watson and probably a scholar ofPeterhouse.[3] He was elected a fellow ofClare College on 2 February 1510, and in either that or the following year was awarded hisBachelor of Arts degree.[3] He received aMaster of Arts degree in April 1514 and was ordained a priest on 15 July 1515. In 1522, Latimer was nominated to the positions of university preacher and university chaplain. While carrying out his official duties, he continued with theological studies and received theBachelor of Divinity degree in 1524. The subject of hisdisputation for the degree was a refutation of the new ideas of theReformation emerging from the Continent, in particular the doctrines ofPhilipp Melanchthon.[4] Up to this time, Latimer described himself as "obstinate a papist as any was in England". A recent convert to the new teachings,Thomas Bilney heard his disputation and later came to him to give hisconfession.[5] Bilney's words had a great impact on Latimer and from that day forward he accepted the reformed doctrines.[6]
Latimer joined a group of reformers including Bilney andRobert Barnes that met regularly at theWhite Horse Tavern. He began to preach publicly on the need for the translation of the Bible into English. This was a dangerous move as the first translation of the New Testament byWilliam Tyndale had recently been banned. In early 1528, Latimer was called before CardinalThomas Wolsey and he was given an admonition and a warning. The following year, Wolsey fell fromHenry VIII's favour when he failed to expedite the annulment of Henry's marriage toCatherine of Aragon. In contrast, Latimer's reputation was in the ascendant as he took the lead among the reformers in Cambridge. During Advent in 1529, he preached his two "Sermons on the Card" atSt Edward's Church.[7]
In 1535, he was appointedBishop of Worcester, in succession to an Italian absentee, and promoted reformed teachings andiconoclasm in his diocese. On 22 May 1538, at the insistence ofCromwell,[8] he preached the final sermon beforeFranciscanFriarJohn Forest was burnt at the stake, in a fire said to have been fueled partly by a Welsh image ofSaint Derfel. In 1539, he opposedHenry VIII'sSix Articles, with the result that he was forced to resign his bishopric and imprisoned in theTower of London (where he was again in 1546).
He then served as chaplain toKatherine Duchess of Suffolk. However, when Edward VI's sisterMary I came to the throne, he was tried for his beliefs and teachings inOxford andimprisoned. In October 1555 he wasburned at the stake outsideBalliol College, Oxford.
On 14 April 1554, commissioners from the papal party (including Edmund Bonner and Stephen Gardiner) began an examination of Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer. Latimer, hardly able to sustain a debate at his age, responded to the council in writing. He argued that the doctrines of the corporealreal presence of Christ in the mass, transubstantiation, and the propitiatory merit of the mass were unbiblical. The commissioners tried to demonstrate that Latimer did not share the same faith as eminent Fathers, to which Latimer replied, "I am of their faith when they say well... I have said, when they say well, and bring Scripture for them, Iam of their faith; and further Augustine requireth not to be believed."[9]
Latimer believed that the welfare of souls demanded he stand for the Protestant understanding of the gospel. The commissioners also understood that the debate involved the very message of salvation itself, by which souls would be saved or damned:
After the sentence had been pronounced, Latimer added, 'I thank God most heartily that He hath prolonged my life to this end, that I may in this case glorify God by that kind of death'; to which the prolocutor replied, 'Ifyou go to heaven in this faith, thenI will never come hither, as I am thus persuaded.'[10]
Latimer was burned at the stake along withNicholas Ridley. He is quoted as having said to Ridley:
Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.[11]
The deaths of Latimer, Ridley and laterCranmer – now known as theOxford Martyrs – are commemorated in Oxford by the Victorian-eraMartyrs' Memorial near the actual execution site, which is marked by a cross inBroad Street, formerly the ditch outside the city's North Gate.
Hugh Latimer said, "It may come in my days, old as I am, or in my children's days, the saints shall be taken up to meet Christ in the air, and so shall come down with Him again" (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4).
Latimer and Nicholas Ridley are honoured with acommemoration on 16 October by the Church of England, theAmerican Episcopal Church and theAnglican Church of Canada.[12][13][14] The Latimer room in Clare College, Cambridge is named after him, as isLatimer Square in centralChristchurch, New Zealand.
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Worcester 1535–1539 | Succeeded by |
