John Aylmer (English bishop)

John Aylmer (1521-1594), English divine, was born in the year 1521 at Aylmer Hall, Tivetshall St Mary, Norfolk. While still a boy, his precocity was noticed by Henry Grey, marquis of Dorset, afterwards duke of Suffolk, who sent him to Cambridge, where he seems to have become a fellow of Queens College. About 1541 he was made chaplain to the duke, and tutor to his daughter, Lady Jane Grey. His first preferment was to the archdeaconry of Stow, in the diocese of Lincoln, but his opposition in convocation to the doctrine of transubstantiation led to his deprivation and to his flight into Switzerland. While there he wrote a reply to John Knoxs famous Blast agaitist the Monstrous Regiment of ,Womein, under the title of An Harborowe for Faitisfull and Trewe Subjects, &c., and assisted - John Foxe in translating the: Acts of the Martyrs into Latin. On the accession of Elizabeth he returned to England. In i559 he resumed the Stow archdeaconry, arId in 1562 he obtained that of Lincoln. He was a member pf the famous convocation of 1562, whith reformed and settled the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England. In 1576 lie was consecrated bishop of Los-~don, and,while in that position made himself notorious by his harsh treatment of all who differed from him on ecclesiastical questions, whether Puritan or Papist. Various efforts were made to remove him to another see. ,He is frequently assailed in the famous Mar prelate Tracts, and is characterized as , Morrell, the bad shepherd, in Spensers Shepheards Calendar (July). His reputation as a scholar hardly balances his inadequacy as a, bishop in the transition time in which he lived. He died in June 1594. His Life was written by John Strype (1loi).

Likeness in the National Portrait Gallery

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)