Thomas Norton
Encyclopedia
Thomas Norton was an English
lawyer, politician, writer of verse — but not, as has been claimed, the chief interrogator of Queen Elizabeth I
.
and was educated at Cambridge
, and early became a secretary to the Protector Somerset
. In 1555 he was admitted a student at the Inner Temple, and married Margery Cranmer, the daughter of the archbishop.
In 1562 Norton, who had served in an earlier parliament as the representative of Gatton, became M.P. for Berwick
, and entered with great activity into politics. He became the unofficial leader of the 'choir' a group of about fifty members of the House of Common which G R Elton saw as the first semi official opposition in Parliament In religion he was inspired by the sentiments of his father-in-law, and was in possession of Cranmer
's manuscript code of ecclesiastical law; this he permitted John Foxe
to publish in 1571. He went to Rome
on legal business, in 1579, and from 1580 to 1583, he frequently visited the Channel Islands
as a commissioner to inquire into the status of these possessions.
Norton's Calvinism
grew with years, and towards the end of his career he became a rabid fanatic. Norton held several interrogation sessions in the Tower of London
using torture instruments such as the rack
. The rack stretched the body apart, until the joints were dislocated and then separated from the rest of the body. His punishment of the Catholics, as their official censor from 1581 onwards, led to his being nicknamed "Rackmaster-General" and "Rackmaster Norton."
At last his turbulent puritan
ism made him an object of fear even to the English bishops; he was deprived of his office and thrown into the Tower
. Walsingham
presently released him, but Norton's health was undermined, and in March 1584 he died in his house at Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire
.
; as a writer of "sonnets" he contributed to Tottel's Miscellany
, and in 1560 he composed, in company with Sackville
, the earliest English tragedy, Gorboduc
, which was performed before Elizabeth I
in the Inner Temple
on 18 January 1562.
Gorboduc was revised into a superior form, as The Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex, in 1570. Norton's early lyrics have in the main disappeared. The most interesting of his numerous anti-Catholic
pamphlets are those on the rebellion of Northumberland
and on the projected marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Duke of Norfolk
. Norton also translated Calvin
's Institutes (1561) and Alexander Nowell
's Catechism (1570).
Gorboduc appears in various dramatic collections, and was separately edited by W.D. Cooper (Shakespeare Society, 1847), and by Miss Toulmin Smith
in Volkmoller's Englische Sprache-und Literatur-denkmale (1883). The best account of Norton, and his place in literary history, is that of Sidney Lee
in his Dictionary of National Biography
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
lawyer, politician, writer of verse — but not, as has been claimed, the chief interrogator of Queen Elizabeth I
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...
.
Official career
Norton was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was educated at Cambridge
University 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...
, and early became a secretary to the Protector Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
. In 1555 he was admitted a student at the Inner Temple, and married Margery Cranmer, the daughter of the archbishop.
In 1562 Norton, who had served in an earlier parliament as the representative of Gatton, became M.P. for Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, and entered with great activity into politics. He became the unofficial leader of the 'choir' a group of about fifty members of the House of Common which G R Elton saw as the first semi official opposition in Parliament In religion he was inspired by the sentiments of his father-in-law, and was in possession of 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 manuscript code of ecclesiastical law; this he permitted John Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
to publish in 1571. He went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on legal business, in 1579, and from 1580 to 1583, he frequently visited the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
as a commissioner to inquire into the status of these possessions.
Norton's Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
grew with years, and towards the end of his career he became a rabid fanatic. Norton held several interrogation sessions 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...
using torture instruments such as the rack
Rack (torture)
The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one, or both, ends, having at one end a fixed bar to which the legs were fastened, and at the other a movable bar to which the hands were tied...
. The rack stretched the body apart, until the joints were dislocated and then separated from the rest of the body. His punishment of the Catholics, as their official censor from 1581 onwards, led to his being nicknamed "Rackmaster-General" and "Rackmaster Norton."
At last his turbulent puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ism made him an object of fear even to the English bishops; he was deprived of his office and thrown into the Tower
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...
. Walsingham
Thomas Walsingham
- Life :He was probably educated at St Albans Abbey at St Albans, Hertfordshire, and at Oxford.He became a monk at St Albans, where he appears to have passed the whole of his monastic life, excepting a period from 1394 to 1396 during which he was prior of Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk, England, another...
presently released him, but Norton's health was undermined, and in March 1584 he died in his house at Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
Literature
From his eighteenth year Norton had begun to compose verse. We find him connected with Jasper HeywoodJasper Heywood
Jasper Heywood, SJ , son of John Heywood, translated into English three plays of Seneca, the Troas , the Thyestes and Hercules Furens ....
; as a writer of "sonnets" he contributed to Tottel's Miscellany
Tottel's Miscellany
Songes and Sonettes, usually called Tottel's Miscellany, was the first printed anthology of English poetry. It was published by Richard Tottel in 1557, and ran to many editions in the sixteenth century.-Richard Tottel:...
, and in 1560 he composed, in company with Sackville
Thomas Sackville
Thomas Sackville may refer to:*Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset , English statesman, poet and playwright*Tom Sackville , British Conservative Member of Parliament...
, the earliest English tragedy, Gorboduc
Gorboduc (play)
Gorboduc, also titled Ferrex and Porrex, is an English play from 1561. It was performed before Queen Elizabeth I on 18 January 1562, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple...
, which was performed before Elizabeth I
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 the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
on 18 January 1562.
Gorboduc was revised into a superior form, as The Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex, in 1570. Norton's early lyrics have in the main disappeared. The most interesting of his numerous anti-Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
pamphlets are those on the rebellion of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and on the projected marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
. Norton also translated Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
's Institutes (1561) and Alexander Nowell
Alexander Nowell
Alexander Nowell was an English Puritan theologian and clergyman, who served as dean of St Paul's during much of Elizabeth I's reign.-Biography:...
's Catechism (1570).
Gorboduc appears in various dramatic collections, and was separately edited by W.D. Cooper (Shakespeare Society, 1847), and by Miss Toulmin Smith
Lucy Toulmin Smith
Lucy Toulmin Smith was an Anglo-American antiquarian and librarian, known for her first publication of the York Mystery Plays and other early works.- Life :...
in Volkmoller's Englische Sprache-und Literatur-denkmale (1883). The best account of Norton, and his place in literary history, is that of Sidney Lee
Sidney Lee
Sir Sidney Lee was an English biographer and critic.He was born Solomon Lazarus Lee at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London and educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated in modern history in 1882. In the next year he became assistant-editor of the...
in his Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
.