By the early 1540s, England’s religious landscape was a minefield. The dissolution of the monasteries had shaken traditional Catholic structures, and Protestant reformers like Archbishop Thomas Cranmer were pushing Henry VIII’s Church further from Rome.

Not everyone was on board.

A faction of conservative clergy and laymen began working covertly to stop these changes. This movement, known as the Prebendaries’ Plot, was centred around five prebendary canons of Canterbury Cathedral, including William Hadleigh, a former monk of Christchurch Canterbury.

On this day in Tudor history, 4th December, merchant tailor and prominent Lollard Richard Hunne was found hanging in his prison cell in suspicious circumstances (1514) and the pope deprived Thomas Cranmer of his archbishopric and permission was granted for his fate to be decided by the secular authorities (1555)…

On this day in Tudor history, 30th March, Thomas Cranmer was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury; Robert Ferrar, Bishop of St David’s, was burnt to death; Mary I made her will, believing she was pregnant; and administrator Sir Ralph Sadler died…

On this day in Tudor history, 2nd July 1489, Tudor clergyman, statesman, theologian, scholar and highly intelligent man Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was born.

In this video, I share “13 things you probably didn’t know about Thomas Cranmer”…

On this day in Tudor history, 4th December 1514, merchant tailor and leading member of the Lollard community in London, Richard Hunne died while imprisoned in the Lollard’s Tower at St Paul’s.

Hunne, who had been arrested for heresy in October 1514, was discovered hanging from the ceiling of his cell. The Bishop of London and his chancellor claimed that Hunne had used his own silk girdle to commit suicide, but a coroner’s inquest ruled that the hanging was faked and that Hunne was murdered.

But why was Richard Hunne murdered? And why had this merchant tailor been arrested in the first place? Was it just for heresy, or was there more to it?

Find out all about Hunne, his arrest, the charges against him, his death and what happened next, in this talk…

Today is the anniversary of the birth of that famous Tudor clergyman, statesman, theologian, scholar and highly intelligent man, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was born on 2nd July 1489 at Aslockton in Nottinghamshire.

I thought I’d mark mark the occasion by sharing a few facts that you might not know about this Tudor birthday boy. Thomas Cranmer is a fascinating Tudor man.