Who was Hugh Latimer?
Hugh Latimer was a cleric and Oxford Martyr who
was burned at the stake for his beliefs.
Date and Place of Birth:
1485, Thurcaston, Leicestershire, England.
Family Background:
Latimer was the son of a yeoman farmer.
Education:
Cambridge University.
Chronology/Biography of Hugh Latimer:
1510: Elected a
Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.
1512: Hugh Latimer
ordained as a priest.
1522: Appointed
a University Preacher at Cambridge and converted thereafter to Protestantism.
1534: Defended King
Henry the Eight's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
1535: Made Chaplain
to Anne Boleyn and Rector of West Kington in Wiltshire. Created
Bishop of Worcester.
Memorial commemorating the Oxford Martyrs
in St Giles, Oxford designed by Gilbert Scott
(© Anthony Blagg)
1536: Resigned his
See after the passing of the King's "Six Articles". Effectively
imprisoned until the death of the King and the accession of his
son facing actual prison in 1546.
1539: At the opening
of the Convocation he preached powerfully in favour of the Reformation.
1547: Accession
of King Edward the Sixth. Hugh Latimer was released but continued
to preach against the many abuses of the church and clergy as he
saw them. His sermons were noted for their vivid deliveries.
1553: After the
accession of the Roman Catholic Queen Mary the First he declined
to defend himself against a trial and also refused to recant his
protestantism. After the show trial he was burnt at the stake with
his fellow martyr Nicholas Ridley.
Written Works:
- 1548: "A
Notable Sermon Preached at St. Paul's Cathedral".
- 1549:
"Seven Sermons Preached before the King".
- 1562:
"Twenty-Seven Sermons".
- 1571:
"Fruitful Sermons".
Marriage:
Never married.
Date and Place of Death:
16th October 1555. Burned at the stake next to
Balliol College, Oxford, England.
Age at Death
70.
Site of Grave:
Ashes scattered at site of execution.
Cross marking the spot in Broad Street,
Oxford
where Latimer was burnt at the stake.
(© Anthony Blagg)
Places of Interest:
OXFORDSHIRE:
Balliol College, Oxford
St Mary's Oxford
Broad Street, Oxford
WORCESTERSHIRE:
Worcester Cathedral
