George Cromer (died 16 March 1542) was

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

and

Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

in the reign of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, from 1521/2. He was English by birth, a descendant of the Cromer (also spelt Crowemer) family of

Tunstall, Kent Tunstall is a linear village and civil parish in Swale in Kent, England. It is about 2 km to the south-west of the centre of Sittingbourne, on a road towards Bredgar. History In 1798, Edward Hasted records that it had once been called ''Dunstal ...

and

Cromer, Norfolk Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nort ...

. He was the younger son of Sir James Cromer of Tunstall (died 1503) and Catherine Cantelowe, daughter of Sir William Cantelowe, a wealthy

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

of Milk Street, London. Ball p.198He was probably born around 1470. He was referred to as a Doctor of Divinity, and appears to have been a royal chaplain attached to the English Court by 1518. He was consecrated Archbishop in 1522. Caught up in Henry's

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, he was deprived of his

See of Armagh See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television ...

. He continued in place as Archbishop of Armagh, despite suspicions from Henry about his true beliefs and his loyalty to the Crown, and despite being suspended by the Pope on a charge of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

, and in spite of his failing health. He was

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...

1532-4, as a placeman of

Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare Gerard FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare (1487 – 12 December 1534; Irish: ''Gearóid Óg Mac Gearailt'', meaning "Young Gerald FitzGerald"), was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish History. In 1513 he inherited the title of Earl of Kildare an ...

, whose family dominated Irish politics from the 1470s until the late 1530s, and wielded such power that they were known as "the uncrowned Kings of Ireland".
When the FitzGeralds destroyed themselves in the

Rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

Silken Thomas {{Infobox noble, type , name = Thomas FitzGerald , title = The Earl of Kildare , image = Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare.jpg , caption = , alt = , CoA = , ...

, Cromer's own loyalty was naturally suspected, even though he had tried to prevent the Rebellion (in 1536 he had opposed the

Acts of Supremacy The Acts of Supremacy are two acts passed by the Parliament of England in the 16th century that established the English monarchs as the head of the Church of England; two similar laws were passed by the Parliament of Ireland establishing the Eng ...

which made Henry VIII

Supreme Head of the Church of England The title of Supreme Head of the Church of England was created in 1531 for King Henry VIII when he first began to separate the Church of England from the authority of the Holy See and allegiance to the papacy, then represented by Pope Clement VI ...

). He was suspended from office as Chancellor and narrowly escaped prosecution for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. In his last years, he was restored to limited royal favour, and was allowed to attend

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1541, but died the following year.

References

*Chapter in A.J. Hughes, William Nolan (eds.) (2001), ''Armagh: Interdisciplinary essays on the History of an Irish County'' *Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926

Notes

External links

Dictionary of Ulster Biography, page C
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromer, George Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh Lord chancellors of Ireland 16th-century English bishops 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland 1542 deaths Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of death unknown Anglican archbishops of Armagh British expatriate archbishops