John Fryer (physician)
Encyclopedia
John Fryer, M.D. was an English physician, humanist and early reformer.
, Cambridgeshire
, was educated at Eton College
and went to King's College, Cambridge
in 1517. He graduated B.A. in 1521 and M.A. in 1525. On 5 November 1525 he was incorporated at Oxford, being one of three masters of arts who had been preferred to Cardinal College; all Lutherans, they were obliged to leave.
He was imprisoned for heresy in the Savoy Hospital. By 1528 he was again a prisoner, this time in the Fleet Prison
. On 16 September 1528 he addressed from prison an elegant Latin letter to Cardinal Wolsey.
Fryer's scholarship and personal qualities gained him the friendship of many eminent men, especially that of Edward Foxe
, then Provost of King's College. By Foxe's assistance he was able to study medicine at the University of Padua
, where he took the degree of M.D. in 1535. It is probable that he was incorporated on this degree at Cambridge. In December 1535 he attended Foxe at the Diet of Smalcalde in Saxony
. The following year he returned home, and ultimately settled in London, residing in Bishopsgate
within the parish of St Martin Outwich
.
He was admitted a fellow of the College of Physicians in 1536, was censor in 1541, 1553, 1554, 1555, and 1559, elect in 1547, consiliarius in 1548 and 1555 to 1560, and president in 1549 and 1550.
On 24 June 1560 Fryer was committed to the Compter
; he was liberated on the following day. In 1561 he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
, not for Lutheranism but for Catholicism
, ‘wherein he was educated’ (cf. Cal. State Papers, Dom. Ser. Addenda, 1547–65, p. 510). There in an examination of his servant, Thomas How, organ-maker, taken before Sir William Chester, lord mayor of London, 23 April 1561. It relates to the visit of his master to Dr. Martyn at Buntingford
, Hertfordshire
, and states that neither he nor his master to his knowledge had received the communion since Queen Elizabeth's accession. Fryer was liberated from prison in the beginning of August 1563, but died of the plague
on 21 October, and was buried at St. Martin Outwich. His nuncupative will is attested by a curate of St Martin's.
Life
Fryer, born at BalshamBalsham
Balsham is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom which has much expanded since the 1960s and is now one of several dormitory settlements of Cambridge...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and went to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
in 1517. He graduated B.A. in 1521 and M.A. in 1525. On 5 November 1525 he was incorporated at Oxford, being one of three masters of arts who had been preferred to Cardinal College; all Lutherans, they were obliged to leave.
He was imprisoned for heresy in the Savoy Hospital. By 1528 he was again a prisoner, this time in the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
. On 16 September 1528 he addressed from prison an elegant Latin letter to Cardinal Wolsey.
Fryer's scholarship and personal qualities gained him the friendship of many eminent men, especially that of Edward Foxe
Edward Foxe
Edward Foxe was an English churchman, Bishop of Hereford. He was the most Lutheran of Henry VIII's bishops, and assisted in drafting the Ten Articles of 1536....
, then Provost of King's College. By Foxe's assistance he was able to study medicine at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
, where he took the degree of M.D. in 1535. It is probable that he was incorporated on this degree at Cambridge. In December 1535 he attended Foxe at the Diet of Smalcalde in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. The following year he returned home, and ultimately settled in London, residing in Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
within the parish of St Martin Outwich
St Martin Outwich
St Martin Outwich was a medieval parish church in the City of London, on the corner of Threadneedle Street and Bishopsgate.-History:A church of St Martin was built in the fourteenth century at the expense of members of the Oteswich family, from whom the church derives its name...
.
He was admitted a fellow of the College of Physicians in 1536, was censor in 1541, 1553, 1554, 1555, and 1559, elect in 1547, consiliarius in 1548 and 1555 to 1560, and president in 1549 and 1550.
On 24 June 1560 Fryer was committed to the Compter
Compter
A compter, sometimes referred to as a counter, was a type of small English prison controlled by a sheriff. The inmates were usually civil prisoners, for example dissenters and debtors...
; he was liberated on the following day. In 1561 he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, not for Lutheranism but for Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, ‘wherein he was educated’ (cf. Cal. State Papers, Dom. Ser. Addenda, 1547–65, p. 510). There in an examination of his servant, Thomas How, organ-maker, taken before Sir William Chester, lord mayor of London, 23 April 1561. It relates to the visit of his master to Dr. Martyn at Buntingford
Buntingford
Buntingford is a small market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the River Rib and on the Roman road Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, and states that neither he nor his master to his knowledge had received the communion since Queen Elizabeth's accession. Fryer was liberated from prison in the beginning of August 1563, but died of the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
on 21 October, and was buried at St. Martin Outwich. His nuncupative will is attested by a curate of St Martin's.