Richard Turner (reformer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Turner was an English Protestant reformer and Marian exile.
, he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford
, of which he became a Fellow.
He graduated B.A. on 19 July 1524, M.A. on 12 July 1529, and B.D. on 27 January 1536, and supplicated for D.D. in 1552.
On 25 January 1536 he was elected to a perpetual chantry
in the king's college at Windsor.
He was appointed by Ralph Morice
, Thomas Cranmer
's secretary, to be rector of Chartham
, Kent
,
where he neglected Catholic rites.
He was a staunch supporter of royal supremacy, and was able to avoid the dangers besetting an ecclesiastic under Henry VIII.
In 1543 a bill of accusation was presented against him and others of Cranmer's chaplains and preachers at the sessions for not complying with the statute of the Six Articles;
this attack was aimed at Cranmer himself, who however possessed the favour of the king, and the indictments in consequence came to nothing.
Turner was at that time living in the family of Ralph Morice.
On 1 July 1545 Turner was instituted to the vicarage of St. Stephen's-by-Saltash in Cornwall
;
he has been doubtfully identified with the Richard Turner who was appointed rector of Chipping Ongar
in Essex
in 1544, and vicar of Hillingdon
in Middlesex
in 1545.
In July 1549, during popular unrest in Kent
against the reformers, Turner went to the rioters' camp and preached against them, narrowly escaping being hanged.
Turner suggested to John Marbeck
, organist at Windsor, the compilation of his concordance of the English Bible which appeared in July 1550.
He had been appointed one of the Six Preachers
in Canterbury Cathedral
in 1550.
On 24 December 1551 he was appointed to a prebend at Windsor, and he also about this time obtained the vicarage of Dartford
in Kent.
In the following year he was recommended by Cranmer for the archbishopric of Armagh, but declined, chiefly on the grounds of his ignorance of the Irish language
.
On the accession of Mary I of England
he went into exile. In 1555, while at Frankfurt
, he joined with other English refugees in publicly repudiating John Knox
's principles on civil government.
They took exception to several passages in Knox's Faythfull Admonition unto the professours of Gods Truthe in England,
assailing Queen Mary, Philip
, and the Emperor Charles V.
They drew the attention of the town authorities to Knox's views, and he was in consequence expelled.
In Basle he delivered lectures on the epistles to the Hebrews and to the Ephesians, and on the general epistle of St. James, which were ‘fit for the press,’ according to Anthony Wood
, in 1558,
but were not published.
Turner returned to England on the accession of Elizabeth I, and in 1559 was restored to the vicarage of Dartford.
In the following year he was selected by Matthew Parker
as a visitor to reform abuses in the two Kentish dioceses.
He probably died in 1565, when he was succeeded as vicar by John Appelbie.
Life
Born in StaffordshireStaffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, of which he became a Fellow.
He graduated B.A. on 19 July 1524, M.A. on 12 July 1529, and B.D. on 27 January 1536, and supplicated for D.D. in 1552.
On 25 January 1536 he was elected to a perpetual chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
in the king's college at Windsor.
He was appointed by Ralph Morice
Ralph Morice
Ralph Morice was the secretary and biographer of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born about 1500, he is presumed to be the younger son of James Morice, clerk of the kitchen and master of the works to Margaret, Countess of Richmond. His father, who was living in 1537, amassed a...
, Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer 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 a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
's secretary, to be rector of Chartham
Chartham
Chartham is a village and civil parish in Kent, west of Canterbury.It is located on the Great Stour river which provided power for the paper mills up until some point before 1955. The name literally means ‘Village on rough ground’, and the word "Chart" is also found in other villages in Kent with...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
,
where he neglected Catholic rites.
He was a staunch supporter of royal supremacy, and was able to avoid the dangers besetting an ecclesiastic under Henry VIII.
In 1543 a bill of accusation was presented against him and others of Cranmer's chaplains and preachers at the sessions for not complying with the statute of the Six Articles;
this attack was aimed at Cranmer himself, who however possessed the favour of the king, and the indictments in consequence came to nothing.
Turner was at that time living in the family of Ralph Morice.
On 1 July 1545 Turner was instituted to the vicarage of St. Stephen's-by-Saltash in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
;
he has been doubtfully identified with the Richard Turner who was appointed rector of Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar is a small market town, and a civil parish called Ongar, in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located East of Epping, South-East of Harlow and North-West of Brentwood.-Geography:...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in 1544, and vicar of Hillingdon
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is a suburban area within the London Borough of Hillingdon, situated 14.2 miles west of Charing Cross.Much of Hillingdon is represented as the Hillingdon East ward within the local authority, Hillingdon Council...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
in 1545.
In July 1549, during popular unrest in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
against the reformers, Turner went to the rioters' camp and preached against them, narrowly escaping being hanged.
Turner suggested to John Marbeck
John Marbeck
John Marbeck, Merbeck or Merbecke was an English theological writer and musician who produced a standard setting of the Anglican liturgy. He is also known today for his setting of the Mass, Missa Per arma justitiae....
, organist at Windsor, the compilation of his concordance of the English Bible which appeared in July 1550.
He had been appointed one of the Six Preachers
Six Preachers
The college of Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral was created by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer as part of the reorganisation of the monastic Christ Church Priory into the new secular Cathedral....
in Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
in 1550.
On 24 December 1551 he was appointed to a prebend at Windsor, and he also about this time obtained the vicarage of Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
in Kent.
In the following year he was recommended by Cranmer for the archbishopric of Armagh, but declined, chiefly on the grounds of his ignorance of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
On the accession of Mary I of England
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
he went into exile. In 1555, while at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, he joined with other English refugees in publicly repudiating John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
's principles on civil government.
They took exception to several passages in Knox's Faythfull Admonition unto the professours of Gods Truthe in England,
assailing Queen Mary, Philip
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, and the Emperor Charles V.
They drew the attention of the town authorities to Knox's views, and he was in consequence expelled.
In Basle he delivered lectures on the epistles to the Hebrews and to the Ephesians, and on the general epistle of St. James, which were ‘fit for the press,’ according to Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
, in 1558,
but were not published.
Turner returned to England on the accession of Elizabeth I, and in 1559 was restored to the vicarage of Dartford.
In the following year he was selected by Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder of Anglican theological thought....
as a visitor to reform abuses in the two Kentish dioceses.
He probably died in 1565, when he was succeeded as vicar by John Appelbie.