John Holyman (c. 1495 – 20 December 1558) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

English

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

Bishop of Bristol A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(1554–1558). Was a distinguished canonist who was born about 1495 in

Cuddington, Buckinghamshire Cuddington is a village and civil parish within the Buckinghamshire district in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the Oxfordshire border, about six miles west of Aylesbury. The village name is Old English (Anglo-Saxo ...

. He was educated at Winchester and afterwards at New College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he became a Fellow in 1512. He obtained his degree of Bachelor of

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in 1514 and his Doctorate in 1526. After a short period at the parish of

Colerne Colerne is a village and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England. The village is about west of the town of Corsham and northeast of the city of Bath. It has an elevated and exposed position, above sea level, and overlooks the Box valley to ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, he was admitted as a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk at the

Abbey of Reading Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...

where he had a reputation for his preaching. At the suppression of the Abbey, he obtained a small pension. Along with others he was an opponent of the annulment of

Henry VIII 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 ...

's marriage to

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

– deciding that the marriage was legal. This made Holyman unpopular at Court. Holyman was appointed Rector of Hanborough,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

in 1534 and in November 1554 he was consecrated

. He held the living of Hanborough throughout his time as Bishop until he resigned from the living in February 1558, shortly before his death. He was buried in

Hanborough Hanborough is a civil parish in West Oxfordshire. The parish includes the villages of Church Hanborough (Ordnance Survey grid reference SP4212) and Long Hanborough (OS grid ref. SP4114). The village of Freeland was transferred from Eynsham civil p ...

. Holyman, along with the Bishops of Lincoln and Gloucester, was appointed to a commission to try Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and

Hugh Latimer Hugh Latimer ( – 16 October 1555) was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and Bishop of Worcester during the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555 under the Catholic Queen Mary I he was burned at the s ...

, Bishop of Worcester, although it is believed that he took no active part in the proceedings on the matter of heresy. Holyman also took part in the trial of John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester.

External links

British History online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holyman, John 1490s births 1558 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of New College, Oxford Fellows of New College, Oxford English Benedictines Bishops of Bristol People from Aylesbury Vale 16th-century English Roman Catholic bishops