John Tewkesbury (died 20 December 1531) was a Paternoster Row leather merchant in London and Protestant reformer, convicted of heresy and burned at the stake in West Smithfield, London, on 20 December 1531.

Protestant conversion

In 1512, Tewkesbury came into the possession of a manuscript copy of the Bible. He later bought an English language translation of the New Testament (1526) by

William Tyndale William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – ) was an English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his execu ...

. "He was a clever and eloquent man and a man of influence in London. He was one of the most knowledgeable of the Scriptures of all the evangelicals." He was converted by reading Tyndale's New Testament and ''The Parable of the Wicked Mammon'' (1528).

Bishops' interrogation

Arrest

On Wednesday 21 April 1529 Tewkesbury was arrested and brought before

Cuthbert Tunstall Cuthbert Tunstall (otherwise spelt Tunstal or Tonstall; 1474 – 18 November 1559) was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser. He served as Prince-Bishop of Durham during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edwar ...

, Bishop of London, and his assistants,

Henry Standish Henry Standish (c. 1475–1535) was an English Franciscan, who became Bishop of St. Asaph. He is known as an opponent of Erasmus in particular, and humanists in general. He was a Doctor of Divinity of the University of Oxford. He was Guardian of ...

, bishop of St. Asaph, and

John Islip John Islip (1464Barbara F. Harvey and Henry Summerson‘Islip, John (1464–1532)’ ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008–1532) was abbot of the monastery of Westminster, London, ...

, abbot of Westminster. Tewkesbury's eloquence stunned the bishops. Realizing that he could effectively argue through Scripture, they decided further inquiry was in order. Later that month, Tewkesbury was examined before the bishops Cuthbert Tunstall of London,

Nicholas West Nicholas West (146128 April 1533), was an English bishop and diplomatist, born at Putney in Surrey, and educated at Eton and at King's College, Cambridge, of which he became a fellow in 1486. He also had periods of study at Oxford and Bologna.

of Ely,

John Longland John Longland (1473 – 7 May 1547) was the English Dean of Salisbury from 1514 to 1521 and Bishop of Lincoln from 1521 to his death in 1547. Career He was made a Demy at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1491 and became a Fellow. He was King Henry ...

of Lincoln, and John Clerk of Bath and Wells regarding ''The Wicked Mammon'', which he had sold. He was questioned regarding nineteen articles from the book. His final reply was, "I pray you reform yourself, and if there be any error in the book, let it be reformed. I think it is good enough." He was ordered to appear the following day, before John Cox, vicar-general to the archbishop of Canterbury, Galfride Warton, Rowland Philips, William Philow, and Robert Ridley, professors of divinity. Tewkesbury appeared again and was examined on five articles from ''The Wicked Mammon''. The consensus among the inquisitors was that knowledge and independent thinking by the laity was even more dangerous than the heresy of some priests.

Punishment

On 8 May, he was ordered to carry a bundle of sticks at St. Paul's Church on the following Sunday. He was to carry a bundle of sticks other places on the following week and wear sticks embroidered on both sleeves. He was also ordered to enter the monastery of St. Bartholomew's on Whitsunday eve (30 May) and remain there until released by the Bishop. Following his incarceration at the monastery, he renounced his prior beliefs and was released.

Sir Thomas More's interrogation

Betrayal

In close co-operation with Cuthbert Tunstall's successor,

John Stokesley John Stokesley (8 September 1475 – 8 September 1539) was an English clergyman who was Bishop of London during the reign of Henry VIII. Life Stokesley was born at Collyweston in Northamptonshire, and became a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford ...

, Sir Thomas More, High Chancellor of England, arrested George Constantine, a Protestant book dealer, for heresy in 1531. Before escaping in early December, Constantine revealed the names of several fellow reformers. Following his betrayal by Constantine, Tewkesbury was immediately arrested and held in the porter's lodge at More's Chelsea house.

Confession

The popular anti-Catholic polemicist John Foxe claims More had Tewkesbury pinioned "hand, foot, and head in the stocks" for six days before having him whipped at "Jesu's tree" in his garden, "and also twisted his brows with small ropes, so that the blood started out of his eyes". More himself, however, denied such claims in his "Apology" (1533), which were popular at the time: :Stories of a similar nature were current even in More's lifetime and he denied them forcefully. He admitted that he did imprison heretics in his house – 'theyr sure kepynge' – he called it – but he utterly rejected claims of torture and whipping... 'as help me God.' Tewkesbury was subsequently moved to the Tower of London and confessed that he had read ''The Obedience of a Christian Man'' and ''The Wicked Mammon'' since recanting his beliefs two years earlier. He also confessed to removing the embroidered twigs from his sleeves and other alleged heresies.

Execution

The sentence against John Tewkesbury was read and pronounced by John Stokesley, Bishop of London on 16 December 1531 in the house of Sir Thomas More. After this sentence, without a king's writ for their warrant, the sheriffs of London,

Richard Gresham Sir Richard Gresham (c. 1485 – 21 February 1549) was an English mercer, Merchant Adventurer, Lord Mayor of London, and Member of Parliament. He was the father of Sir Thomas Gresham. Biography The Gresham family had been settled in the Norfo ...

and Edward Altam, took Tewkesbury into custody. On St. Thomas' eve, Sunday 20 December 1531, the sheriffs burned him at the stake opposite the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew's the Great, in West Smithfield, London.

The Great Bible

In 1538, King Henry VIII authorized Sir

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

, Vicar General and Secretary to King Henry VIII, to have an English edition of the Bible printed and read aloud during the Church of England's services. The

Great Bible The Great Bible of 1539 was the first authorised edition of the Bible in English, authorised by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of the Church of England. The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, worki ...

of Henry VIII was prepared by

Myles Coverdale Myles Coverdale, first name also spelt Miles (1488 – 20 January 1569), was an English ecclesiastical reformer chiefly known as a Bible translator, preacher and, briefly, Bishop of Exeter (1551–1553). In 1535, Coverdale produced the first ...

and incorporated those translations by William Tyndale which the bishops found acceptable. Published in April 1539, the first edition's 2,500 copies sold out quickly.

Modern culture

In 2013, Patrick Gabridge's ''Fire on Earth'', a full-length historical drama in two acts, premiered in Boston. John Tewksbury's character in the play is a composite of Tewkesbury and fellow martyrs, including Richard Bayfield and Thomas Hitton.

References

589. John Tewkesbury - British History Online
/ref> {{DEFAULTSORT:Tewkesbury, John 1531 deaths 16th-century English people Protestant Reformers British Protestants 16th-century executions by England British merchants Protestant martyrs of England