Thomas Fowle
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fowle was a Church of England
clergy
man, Fellow
of St John's College, Cambridge
, rector
of Redgrave
and Hinderclay
, Suffolk
, and prebendary
of Norwich Cathedral
.
He was briefly tutor
to Edward de Vere
, the future Earl of Oxford
, and was later chaplain
to Sir Nicholas Bacon.
, where he matriculated
from St John's
in 1547, graduated BA
in 1549/50 and proceeded MA in 1553. He was elected a Fellow of St John's, but under Queen Mary
was ejected. He then served in or near the City of London
as a minister to a secret congregation of Protestants
.
On 4 May 1558 Fowle began to receive a salary of ten pounds
a year as tutor to the young Edward de Vere
, then aged eight. In November of the same year de Vere matriculated as a fellow-commoner of Queens' College
, Cambridge.
Soon after the accession of Queen Elizabeth
in 1558, Fowle was restored to his fellowship at St John's. On 4 November 1562 he was collated as Rector of Aldham, Essex
, but had resigned before 19 November 1563.
On 22 July 1563, he was installed as second prebendary
of Norwich Cathedral
, when it was noted that he lived at Redgrave
in Suffolk, where he was both rector of the parish and chaplain
to Lord Keeper
Sir Nicholas Bacon.
From 1561 to 1566, he was also Rector of Hinderclay
in Suffolk.
On 4 January 1569/70, Fowle became a senior fellow of St John's College. In 1570, he was part of a group of prebendaries of Norwich who "disaffected to the established order
as regards matters ecclesiastical, entered into the choir of that cathedral, forcibly broke down the organs and committed certain other disorders of the like outrageous character". It was also said of him that he never went to Norwich except to collect the stipend
due to him.
In 1572, he was a member of a commission against Roman Catholic recusants
in Norfolk
, and in 1573 with John Handson and John Grundye he was appointed by John Parkhurst
, the Bishop of Norwich
, to take charge of "religious exercises termed prophesyings" at Bury St Edmunds. Soon afterwards, such exercises were forbidden on the authority of Queen Elizabeth.
He held his prebend at Norwich until 1581, when he resigned. He continued as rector of Redgrave until 1597.
Fowle's will
mentions sons named Nicholas and Thomas.
In 1586, a Thomas Fowle was Master of the school at Botesdale
in Suffolk.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man, Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Redgrave
Redgrave, Suffolk
Redgrave is a civil parish and a small village in the Rickinghall and Walsham ward in the Mid Suffolk district in Suffolk county in eastern England....
and Hinderclay
Hinderclay
Hinderclay is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around northeast of Bury St Edmunds....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, and prebendary
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...
of Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
.
He was briefly tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
to Edward de Vere
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, lyric poet, sportsman and patron of the arts, and is currently the most popular alternative candidate proposed for the authorship of Shakespeare's works....
, the future Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
, and was later chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to Sir Nicholas Bacon.
Life
Fowle was educated at the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he matriculated
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
from St John's
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in 1547, graduated 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...
in 1549/50 and proceeded MA in 1553. He was elected a Fellow of St John's, but under 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...
was ejected. He then served in or near the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
as a minister to a secret congregation of Protestants
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...
.
On 4 May 1558 Fowle began to receive a salary of ten pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
a year as tutor to the young Edward de Vere
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, lyric poet, sportsman and patron of the arts, and is currently the most popular alternative candidate proposed for the authorship of Shakespeare's works....
, then aged eight. In November of the same year de Vere matriculated as a fellow-commoner of Queens' College
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, Cambridge.
Soon after the accession of Queen 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...
in 1558, Fowle was restored to his fellowship at St John's. On 4 November 1562 he was collated as Rector of Aldham, Essex
Aldham, Essex
Aldham is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located west of Colchester. The village is in the borough of Colchester and in the parliamentary constituency of North Essex...
, but had resigned before 19 November 1563.
On 22 July 1563, he was installed as second prebendary
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...
of Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
, when it was noted that he lived at Redgrave
Redgrave, Suffolk
Redgrave is a civil parish and a small village in the Rickinghall and Walsham ward in the Mid Suffolk district in Suffolk county in eastern England....
in Suffolk, where he was both rector of the parish and chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to Lord Keeper
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This evolved into one of the Great Officers of State....
Sir Nicholas Bacon.
From 1561 to 1566, he was also Rector of Hinderclay
Hinderclay
Hinderclay is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around northeast of Bury St Edmunds....
in Suffolk.
On 4 January 1569/70, Fowle became a senior fellow of St John's College. In 1570, he was part of a group of prebendaries of Norwich who "disaffected to the established order
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
as regards matters ecclesiastical, entered into the choir of that cathedral, forcibly broke down the organs and committed certain other disorders of the like outrageous character". It was also said of him that he never went to Norwich except to collect the stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
due to him.
In 1572, he was a member of a commission against Roman Catholic recusants
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and in 1573 with John Handson and John Grundye he was appointed by John Parkhurst
John Parkhurst
John Parkhurst was an English Marian exile and from 1560 the Bishop of Norwich.-Early life:Born about 1512, he was son of George Parkhurst of Guildford, Surrey. He initially attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, before at an early age moving to Magdalen College School at Oxford...
, the Bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
, to take charge of "religious exercises termed prophesyings" at Bury St Edmunds. Soon afterwards, such exercises were forbidden on the authority of Queen Elizabeth.
He held his prebend at Norwich until 1581, when he resigned. He continued as rector of Redgrave until 1597.
Fowle's will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
mentions sons named Nicholas and Thomas.
In 1586, a Thomas Fowle was Master of the school at Botesdale
Botesdale
Botesdale is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The village is about south west of Diss.Botesdale is located about 25 miles from Norwich and 16 miles from Bury St Edmunds.- Road :...
in Suffolk.