Lancelot Ridley
Encyclopedia
Lancelot Ridley was an English clergyman, known as a theological writer, and rector of St James' Church
, Stretham
, Cambridgeshire
.
, and proceeded BA
1523–4, and commenced MA 1527, BD
1537, and DD
1540 or 1541. On the reorganisation of Canterbury Cathedral
under the King's charter on 8 April 1541 he was constituted, on Thomas Cranmer
's recommendation, one of the Six Preachers
of the cathedral. With John Scory
and Michael Drum, he made up the trio of representatives of the 'New Learning' among the original six. This was intentional on Cranmer's part, and Ridley found himself immediately confronted by conservative resistance to his views. He was dismissive of prayers said in foreign languages; Stephen Gardiner
, who had been travelling, noted that this went further than some German reformers. Ridley took part in the disputation
Cranmer set up on Trinity Sunday
1542, in Croydon
, with the other Canterbury preachers and prebendaries
.
Under Edward VI
he was a defender of Protestantism
, and Nicholas Ridley
seems to have meditated his promotion to the chancellorship of St. Paul's Cathedral on the translation of Edmund Grindal
to a bishopric in November 1551. He was collated to the rectory
of Willingham, Cambridgeshire
, on 10 June 1545, holding it until 1554.
On Mary's
accession
Ridley was proceeded against as a married clergyman. He failed to appear on the day of visitation
, but pleaded guilty in the chapter-house
10 days later and was deprived. John Bale heard a report that Ridley subsequently put away his wife and returned to celibacy
and Roman Catholicism. He was deprived of the rectory of Willingham on or before 5 May 1554. Under Elizabeth
, however, he reappears in 1560 as one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury. He was also in the same year appointed rector of St James' Church
, Stretham
in Cambridgeshire
, where he was buried on 16 June 1576.
The first three books are reprinted in Legh Richmond's
Fathers of the English Church. Ridley is also credited by John Tanner
and John Bale
with other expositions of scripture, as well as works De XIII Abusionibus Missæ, and De Conjugio Ministrorum.
, by Margaret, daughter of Richard Horton, and grandson of Sir Nicholas Ridley. Nicholas Ridley
, bishop of London, was his first cousin. He married Mary, daughter of Christopher Paterson, and had two sons, Henry and Mark Ridley
.
St James' Church, Stretham
St James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the...
, Stretham
Stretham
Stretham is a small village and civil parish south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. Its main attraction is Stretham Old Engine, a steam-powered pump used to drain the fens. The pump is still in use today although converted to electric power. It has open...
, 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...
.
Life
He was educated at Clare Hall, CambridgeClare Hall, Cambridge
Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students.Informality is a defining value at Clare Hall and this contributes to its unique character...
, and proceeded BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1523–4, and commenced MA 1527, BD
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
1537, and DD
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
1540 or 1541. On the reorganisation of 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....
under the King's charter on 8 April 1541 he was constituted, on 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 recommendation, 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....
of the cathedral. With John Scory
John Scory
John Scory was a Cambridge Dominican order friar who later became a Bishop in the Church of EnglandHe was Bishop of Rochester from 1551 to 1552, Bishop of Chichester from 1552 to 1553...
and Michael Drum, he made up the trio of representatives of the 'New Learning' among the original six. This was intentional on Cranmer's part, and Ridley found himself immediately confronted by conservative resistance to his views. He was dismissive of prayers said in foreign languages; 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:...
, who had been travelling, noted that this went further than some German reformers. Ridley took part in the disputation
Disputation
In the scholastic system of education of the Middle Ages, disputations offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in sciences...
Cranmer set up on Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity...
1542, in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, with the other Canterbury preachers and prebendaries
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
.
Under Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
he was a defender of Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, and Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
seems to have meditated his promotion to the chancellorship of St. Paul's Cathedral on the translation of Edmund Grindal
Edmund Grindal
Edmund Grindal was an English church leader who successively held the posts of Bishop of London, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.-Early life to the death of Edward VI:...
to a bishopric in November 1551. He was collated to the rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
of Willingham, Cambridgeshire
Willingham, Cambridgeshire
Willingham is a medium to large village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the edge of the Fens just south of the River Ouse. Driving north from the village one may observe the characteristic elevated straight roads and black soil....
, on 10 June 1545, holding it until 1554.
On Mary's
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...
accession
Accession Day
An Accession Day is the anniversary of the date on which a monarch succeeds to the throne upon the death of the previous monarch.-Monarchy:The custom of marking this day was inaugurated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England....
Ridley was proceeded against as a married clergyman. He failed to appear on the day of visitation
Canonical Visitation
A canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view of maintaining faith and discipline, and of correcting abuses by the application of proper remedies.-Catholic usage:...
, but pleaded guilty in the chapter-house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
10 days later and was deprived. John Bale heard a report that Ridley subsequently put away his wife and returned to celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
and Roman Catholicism. He was deprived of the rectory of Willingham on or before 5 May 1554. Under Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, however, he reappears in 1560 as one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury. He was also in the same year appointed rector of St James' Church
St James' Church, Stretham
St James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the...
, Stretham
Stretham
Stretham is a small village and civil parish south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. Its main attraction is Stretham Old Engine, a steam-powered pump used to drain the fens. The pump is still in use today although converted to electric power. It has open...
in 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...
, where he was buried on 16 June 1576.
Notable works
- An Exposition upon the Epistle of Jude the Apostle of Christ, wherein he setteth plainli before every man's eyes false Apostles and their craftes, bi the whiche they have long deceived symple Christian people, London, 1538.
- A Commentary in Englishe upon Sayncte Paule's Epistle to the Ephesians for the instruction of them that be unlearned in tonges gathered out of the Holy Scryptures and of the olde Catholyke Doctours of the Churche, and of the best authors that nowe a dayes do wryte, London, 1540.
- An Exposition in Englyshe upon the Epystyll of Saynt Paule to the Phillipians for the instruction of them, London, 1545(?).
- An Exposition in Englyshe upon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Colossians, London, 1548.
The first three books are reprinted in Legh Richmond's
Legh Richmond
Legh Richmond , English divine, was born on the 29th of January 1772, in Liverpool. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1798 was appointed to the joint curacies of St. Mary's Church, Brading and St. John the Baptist Church, Yaverland on the Isle of Wight...
Fathers of the English Church. Ridley is also credited by John Tanner
Thomas Tanner (bishop)
Thomas Tanner was an English antiquary and prelate.-Life:He was born at Market Lavington in Wiltshire, and was educated at Queen's College, Oxford, taking holy orders in 1694...
and 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...
with other expositions of scripture, as well as works De XIII Abusionibus Missæ, and De Conjugio Ministrorum.
Family
Ridley is said to have been the son of John Ridley of Willimoteswick in NorthumberlandRidley Hall, Northumberland
Ridley Hall is an 18th century country house, now a residential and conference centre, at Bardon Mill, Northumberland. It is a Grade II listed buildingA 16th century house on the site was owned by the Ridley family of Willimoteswick...
, by Margaret, daughter of Richard Horton, and grandson of Sir Nicholas Ridley. Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
, bishop of London, was his first cousin. He married Mary, daughter of Christopher Paterson, and had two sons, Henry and Mark Ridley
Mark Ridley (physician)
Dr. Mark Ridley was an English physician, born in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, to Lancelot Ridley. He became physician to the English merchant in Russia, and then personal physician to the Tsar of Russia. While there, ca. 1594-1599, he compiled a Russian-English, English-Russian dictionary, which is...
.