Thomas Martyn (jurist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Martyn D.C.L. (d. 1597?) was an English jurist and controversialist, prominent in the trial of Thomas Cranmer
.
, and educated first at Winchester School and then at New College, Oxford
. He became a Fellow of his college 7 March 1538, and after two years of probation was in 1539 admitted perpetual fellow. He is said to have acted as Lord of Misrule
during some Christmas festivities at the college. Subsequently he travelled with pupils in France, and took the degree of doctor of civil law at Bourges
.
In 1553 he resigned his fellowship at New College. He was admitted a member of the College of Advocates at Doctors' Commons
15 January 1555. About that period he was official of the archdeaconry of Berkshire, chancellor to Stephen Gardiner
, bishop of Winchester
, with whom he was in favour, and a master in chancery. His treatise against the marriage of priests and monks, finished in 1553 with the assistance, it is said, of Nicholas Udall
, was esteemed by Queen Mary
, to whom it was dedicated; she granted him a commission to make Frenchmen and Dutchmen free denizens, and this he executed with such success in the spring of 1554 that he made himself a gentleman
. He was incorporated D.C.L. at Oxford 29 July 1555, when he was sent there as one of the queen's commissioners.
Martyn took a conspicuous part in the proceedings against Bishop Hooper, Rowland Taylor
, John Taylor, alias Cardmaker, and John Careless. In the prosecution against Archbishop Cranmer he was effective in bringing out the oaths Cranmer swore in 1533. It appears that he interfered to procure the discharge of Robert Horneby, the groom of the chamber to Princess Elizabeth, who had been committed to the Marshalsea
for refusing to hear mass. In May and June 1555 he was at Calais, apparently in attendance on Bishop Gardiner, then lord chancellor. In July 1556 he was one of the masters of requests, and he was employed with Sir Roger Cholmeley to examine Silvester Taverner on a charge of embezzling the queen's plate. They were empowered to put him to such tortures as by their discretion should be thought convenient. In September 1556 it was intended that he should succeed Nicholas Wotton
as ambassador at the French court; but in the following month he was despatched by the privy council to Philip II of Spain
at Ghent, concerning the contemplated marriage of the Duke of Savoy to the Princess Elizabeth, and also with respect to the trade between England and the States of the Low Countries. The king sent him to the States to treat with them on the latter subject. In June 1557 he was one of the council of the north, and in the following month a commissioner with the Earl of Westmorland
, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall
, and Robert Hyndmer, LL.D., for the settlement of certain differences between England and Scotland, which had been occasioned by the inroads of the Grahams and others. On 13 May 1558 he and others were authorised to bring to the torture, if they should so think good, one French, a prisoner in the Tower of London
.
During Mary's reign he was Member of Parliament, for Saltash
and for Hindon
, several times. He was vilified in particular by John Bale
, and after the accession of Queen Elizabeth he kept a low profile. In 1587 he was incorporated doctor of the civil law at Cambridge. Commissions to him and other civilians to hear admiralty cases were issued in 1591 and 1592. He probably survived till 1597.
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...
.
Life
A younger son of John Martyn, gentleman, he was born at Cerne, DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, and educated first at Winchester School and then at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. He became a Fellow of his college 7 March 1538, and after two years of probation was in 1539 admitted perpetual fellow. He is said to have acted as Lord of Misrule
Lord of Misrule
In England, the Lord of Misrule — known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots — was an officer appointed by lot at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools...
during some Christmas festivities at the college. Subsequently he travelled with pupils in France, and took the degree of doctor of civil law at Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
.
In 1553 he resigned his fellowship at New College. He was admitted a member of the College of Advocates at Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil law in London. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildings with rooms where its members lived and worked, and a large library...
15 January 1555. About that period he was official of the archdeaconry of Berkshire, chancellor to Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
, bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
, with whom he was in favour, and a master in chancery. His treatise against the marriage of priests and monks, finished in 1553 with the assistance, it is said, of Nicholas Udall
Nicholas Udall
Nicholas Udall was an English playwright, cleric, pederast and schoolmaster, the author of Ralph Roister Doister, generally regarded as the first comedy written in the English language.-Biography:...
, was esteemed by Queen Mary
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...
, to whom it was dedicated; she granted him a commission to make Frenchmen and Dutchmen free denizens, and this he executed with such success in the spring of 1554 that he made himself a gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
. He was incorporated D.C.L. at Oxford 29 July 1555, when he was sent there as one of the queen's commissioners.
Martyn took a conspicuous part in the proceedings against Bishop Hooper, Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions....
, John Taylor, alias Cardmaker, and John Careless. In the prosecution against Archbishop Cranmer he was effective in bringing out the oaths Cranmer swore in 1533. It appears that he interfered to procure the discharge of Robert Horneby, the groom of the chamber to Princess Elizabeth, who had been committed to the Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
for refusing to hear mass. In May and June 1555 he was at Calais, apparently in attendance on Bishop Gardiner, then lord chancellor. In July 1556 he was one of the masters of requests, and he was employed with Sir Roger Cholmeley to examine Silvester Taverner on a charge of embezzling the queen's plate. They were empowered to put him to such tortures as by their discretion should be thought convenient. In September 1556 it was intended that he should succeed Nicholas Wotton
Nicholas Wotton
Nicholas Wotton was an English diplomat-Life:He was a son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent, and a descendant of Nicholas Wotton, lord mayor of London in 1415 and 1430, and member of parliament for the city from 1406 to 1429.He early became vicar of Boughton Malherbe and of Sutton...
as ambassador at the French court; but in the following month he was despatched by the privy council to Philip II of Spain
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....
at Ghent, concerning the contemplated marriage of the Duke of Savoy to the Princess Elizabeth, and also with respect to the trade between England and the States of the Low Countries. The king sent him to the States to treat with them on the latter subject. In June 1557 he was one of the council of the north, and in the following month a commissioner with the Earl of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland for leading the Rising of the North. It was revived in 1624 in favour of Sir Francis...
, Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser...
, and Robert Hyndmer, LL.D., for the settlement of certain differences between England and Scotland, which had been occasioned by the inroads of the Grahams and others. On 13 May 1558 he and others were authorised to bring to the torture, if they should so think good, one French, a prisoner 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...
.
During Mary's reign he was Member of Parliament, for Saltash
Saltash (UK Parliament constituency)
Saltash, sometimes called Essa, was a "rotten borough" in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1552 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
and for Hindon
Hindon (UK Parliament constituency)
Hindon was a parliamentary borough consisting of the village of Hindon in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1448 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
, several times. He was vilified in particular by John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, and after the accession of Queen Elizabeth he kept a low profile. In 1587 he was incorporated doctor of the civil law at Cambridge. Commissions to him and other civilians to hear admiralty cases were issued in 1591 and 1592. He probably survived till 1597.
Works
His works are:- ‘A Traictise declaryng and plainly prouyng that the pretensed marriage of Priestes, and professed persones, is no mariage, but altogether unlawful, and in all ages, and al countreies of Christendome, bothe forbidden, and also punyshed. Herewith is comprised in the later chapitres a full confutation of Doctour Poynettes boke entitled a defense for the marriage of Priestes,’ London, May 1554, dedicated to Queen Mary. Poynet, whose book had appeared in 1549, published, apparently at Strasburg, a rejoinder to Martyn entitled ‘An Apologie’ in 1556. ‘A Defence of priestes mariages,’ another answer to Martyn's treatise, London [1562?], 4to, with a preface and additions by Archbishop Parker, has been assigned to both Poynet and Sir Richard Morysin.
- ‘Orations to Archbishop Cranmer, and Disputation and Conferences with him on matters of Religion,’ 1555 and 1556. Printed in Foxe's ‘Acts and Monuments.’
- ‘Certayne especiall notes for Fishe, Conyes, Pigeons, Artochokes, Strawberries, Muske, Millons, Pompons, Roses, Cheryes, and other fruite trees,’ 1578, manuscript in the Lansdowne collection in the British Museum, No. 101, ff. 43–9.
- ‘Historica Descriptio complectens vitam ac res gestas beatissimi viri Gulielmi Wicami quondam Vintoniensis Episcopi et Angliæ Cancellarii et fundatoris duorum collegiorum Oxoniæ et Vintoniæ,’ London, 1597, and in a very limited edition, privately printed by Dr. Nicholas, warden of New College, Oxford, 1690. Martyn took the substance of his work from the ‘Life of Wycliffe’ written by Thomas ChandlerThomas ChandlerThomas Chandler may refer to:*Thomas Alberter Chandler , U.S Representative from Oklahoma*Thomas R. Chandler , candidate for Congress from Ohio in the 1990s*Thomas Chandler...
.