John More (died 1592) was an English clergyman, known as the 'Apostle of Norwich.' Tending to nonconformity, he was treated leniently by the church authorities.

Life

Born in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, he was elected a scholar of

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

, graduated B.A. in 1562, and was shortly afterwards chosen fellow of his college. During his Cambridge career he appears to have been influenced by Thomas Cartwright, and he was one of those who signed a testimonial to Cartwright addressed to William Cecil in 1570. On leaving the university he was appointed minister of St. Andrew's Church, Norwich, where he remained until his death, in spite of offers of preferment.. He preached three and sometimes four times every Sunday, and made numerous converts. In 1573 he refused to wear the

surplice A surplice (; Late Latin ''superpelliceum'', from ''super'', "over" and ''pellicia'', "fur garment") is a liturgical vestment of Western Christianity. The surplice is in the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to the kne ...

, on the ground that it gave offence to others, and he was convened before John Parkhurst, bishop of Norwich, who told him that it was better to offend a few private persons than to offend God and disobey the prince. No severe measures were taken against him, and Parkhurst defended More to Archbishop

Matthew Parker Matthew Parker (6 August 1504 – 17 May 1575) was an English bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder (with a p ...

. In the same year More confuted a sermon preached by

Andrew Perne Andrew Perne (26 April 1589), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University and Dean of Ely, was the son of John Perne of East Bilney, Norfolk. Biography Perne was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating BA in 1539, BD in 1547 and DD ...

in Norwich Cathedral, and a controversy grew up. Dr. Gardiner, one of the prebendaries of the cathedral, asked the bishop to interpose, and More was prevented from carrying out further attacks on Perne. On 25 September 1576 More and other

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

clergy round Norwich presented to the council a petition against the imposition of ceremonies, and he was shortly afterwards suspended by Bishop

Edmund Freke Edmund Freke (also spelled Freake or Freak; c. 1516–1591) was an English dean and bishop. Life He was born in Essex, and educated at Cambridge, gaining his M.A. there c. 1550. In 1565 he was appointed Canon of the sixth stall at St George's ...

. Two years afterwards (21 August 1578) More and his friends signed a submission to their diocesan bishop, asking to preach again, and softening their position on ceremonies. In 1584, after the publication of

John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

's three articles, More and upwards of sixty other ministers of Norfolk presented to the archbishop their reasons for refusing to subscribe. More died at Norwich, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Andrew's on 16 January 1592. He left a wife, afterwards married to

Nicholas Bownde Nicholas Bownde, Bownd or Bound (died 1613) was an English clergyman, known for his Christian Sabbatarian writings. Life He was son of Robert Bownde (Bound), M.D., physician to the Duke of Norfolk. He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, wher ...

, and two daughters. He is said to have worn the longest and largest beard of his time, for which he gave as a reason 'that no act of his life might be unworthy of the gravity of his appearance.' Robert Greene is generally supposed to mean More's preaching in his account of the manner in which he was influenced by a sermon he heard in St. Andrew's Church, Norwich.''The Repentance of Robert Greene'', 1592.

Works

More's works were all published after his death. *''A Table from the beginning of the World to this day. Wherein is declared in what yeere of the World everything was done, both in the Scriptures mentioned and also in prophane matters'', Cambridge, 1593. Edited by Nicholas Bownde.

*''John More his three Sermons . . . Also a Treatise of a contented Minde, by Nich. Bownde'', Cambridge, 1594. *''A Lively Anatomy of Death, wherein you may see from whence it came, what it is by Nature, and what by Christ'', &c. With a prefatory Epistle by William Barforde, London, 1596. *''Catechismus Parvus''.hell

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:More, John Year of birth missing 1592 deaths 16th-century English Puritan ministers Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Clergy from Norwich Clergy from Yorkshire