The Prebendaries' Plot was an attempt during the English Reformation by religious conservatives to oust

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry ...

from office as Archbishop of Canterbury. The events took place in 1543 and saw Cranmer formally accused of being a heretic. The hope was that this would stop further religious reforms in Kent and end

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

influence at the royal court 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 disagr ...

. It is named after the five prebendary canons of Canterbury Cathedral (including William Hadleigh, a monk at Christchurch Canterbury prior to the monastery's dissolution) who formed its core. Others involved were two holders of the new cathedral office of "six preacher" (created in 1541), along with various local non-cathedral priests and Kentish gentlemen (such as Thomas Moyle, Edward Thwaites and

Cyriac Pettit Gohi Bi Zoro Cyriac Sede (born 15 August 1990), known mononymously as Cyriac, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Club career In March 2004, Cyriac joined ASEC Mimosas. He was a topscorer of Côte d'Ivoire Premier Divi ...

). Simultaneous agitation at the court in Windsor and the conspiracy in general were led covertly by Stephen Gardiner,

bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat ('' cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held '' ex officio'' (except ...

. Henry VIII's chaplain Richard Cox was charged with investigating and suppressing it, and his success (240 priests and 60 laypeople of both sexes were accused of involvement) led to his being made Cranmer's

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

(and later, under Elizabeth,

bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

). Gardiner survived, but his nephew

German Gardiner German Gardiner (Germain, Jermyn) (date of birth unknown; executed at Tyburn, 7 March 1544) was a Roman Catholic layman and nephew to Stephen Gardiner who became involved in the Prebendaries' Plot against Thomas Cranmer. Henry VIII was beco ...

, who had acted as his secretary and intermediary to the plotters in Kent, was executed in 1544 for questioning the

Royal Supremacy The Acts of Supremacy are two acts passed by the Parliament of England in the 16th century that established the English monarchs as the head of the Church of England; two similar laws were passed by the Parliament of Ireland establishing the ...

Sources

Ethan H. Shagan Ethan H. Shagan (born November 16, 1971) is an American historian of early modern Britain. Shagan is a professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the chair of the History Department. He received his undergraduate d ...

''Popular Politics and the English Reformation''
pp. 199–204 * * Eamon Duffy, '' The Stripping of the Altars'', chapter 12 *Diarmid MacCulloch, ''Thomas Cranmer'', chapter 8 *M. I. Zell, ''The Prebendaries' Plot'' *Peter Clark, ''English Provincial Society from the Reformation to the Revolution'', chapter 2 1543 in England English Reformation History of Canterbury History of Catholicism in England History of the Church of England 1543 in Christianity {{England-hist-stub