Henry Filmer (died 1543) was a 16th-century English Protestant martyr, one of the
Windsor Martyrs, during the reign 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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
.
Filmer was a Protestant tailor and
church warden of
St John the Baptist Church, Windsor
St John the Baptist Church is a parish church in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The church was rebuilt in Gothic Revival style in 1822. It is the civic church of Windsor, and many Mayors of ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
who complained about the overly Catholic sermons of the vicar.
He gained the support of the
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
much to the consternation of a former Catholic mayor of the town,
William Simonds.
His powerful friend,
Dr John London, who was
Bishop Gardiner's agent, arrested Filmer, along with four others,
and, on 4 August 1543, he,
Robert Testwood and
Anthony Pearson were burnt to death.
[p.172-176, ''Testwood and his companions'', ]John Foxe
John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587) was an English clergyman, theologian, and historian, notable for his martyrology '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'', telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the sufferings of En ...
, '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'', 2000, Ambassador Publications
References
External links
Royal Berkshire History: The Windsor Martyrs
16th-century Protestant martyrs
People executed under Henry VIII
People executed for heresy
Executed British people
People from Windsor, Berkshire
1543 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Executed English people
People executed by the Kingdom of England by burning
16th-century English businesspeople
Protestant martyrs of England
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