Martin Heton (Heaton) (1554–1609) was an English Bishop whose grandfather was the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

Life

His father George Heton was prominent in the London commercial world and as a church reformer. His mother Joanna was daughter of Martin Bowes,

in 1545. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and Christ Church, Oxford.Concise Dictionary of National Biography He was

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

in 1588. He became

Dean of Winchester The Dean of Winchester is the head of the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in the city of Winchester, England, in the Diocese of Winchester. Appointment is by the Crown. The first incumbent was the last Prior, William Kingsmill, Catherine Ogl ...

in 1589, and Bishop of Ely in 1599. There is a story that

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

applied pressure to him, or his predecessor Richard Cox, over some land deals disadvantageous to the diocese, in a letter beginning “Proud prelate!” But scholars from the nineteenth century onwards, for example Mandell Creighton, have considered the letter in question a hoax of the eighteenth century. A fat man, Heton was supposedly complimented by the king James I with the comment "Fat men are apt to make lean sermons; but yours are not lean, but larded with good learning." He died in Mildenhall, Suffolk in 1609 and is buried in Ely Cathedral. Bishop martin heton

Family

His daughter Ann married Sir Robert Filmer.David Miller (editor), The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought (1991), p. 155.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heton, Martin 1554 births 1609 deaths People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Deans of Winchester Bishops of Ely 17th-century Church of England bishops Clergy from London