Rowland Taylor, Archdeacon of Exeter

Find a Grave for Rowland Taylor https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23000159/rowland-taylor. Rowland Taylor was born 6 October 1510 Northumberland, England to John Taylor and Susan Rowland. He died 9 February 1555 in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. He was an English martyr during the Marin Persecutions. Rowland Taylor received his L.L.B. degree from Cambridge University in 1534 the same that Martin Luther completed his German Bible. One year later, 1535, William Tyndale was tried and denounced as a heretic for his new English Bible translation. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1555. At the time of his death he was Rector (an Anglican parish priest) of a small parish in a small market town called Hadleigh . Taylor provided pastoral leadership for several parishes in the English county of Suffolk. He was Queen Mary's third martyr, among 250 or so during her five year reign, as she attempted to bring the Counter-Reformation to England. His sentence was execution by burning at the stake, the common method of punishment for dealing with heretics in the 16th century. However, Taylor is viewed by Protestants as one of their great Christian martyrs. Dr. Taylor married Margaret Tyndall, c. 1539. After Dr. Taylor's death, his widow married Rev. Wright. She was William Tyndale's niece, her father being his brother, John. As Dr. Taylor neared the day Taylor was taken back to his own place of Rectory - Hadleigh - where his wife awaited him in the early morning hours at St. Botolph's churchyard. They exchanged a few last brief words and Margaret promised to be present for his burning in a couple days. That same day Taylor was handed over to the Sheriff of Essex at Chelmsford. Before he was handed over he spoke these words to his family: saying these words to his Wife Margaret and children, "The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favorable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye thereforein Him by the means of our dear Savior Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him; pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home." Following Rogers on the February 4, and Saunders on the 8th, Taylor became Mary's third Protestant to be burned at the stake. His execution took place on February 9, 1555, at Aldham Common just outside Hadleigh. His wife, two daughters, and his son Thomas, were present that day. Family: Rowland Taylor and his wife Margaret Tyndale had nine children: Susan Taylor born 1535 who married Mardecai Pendleton. Anne Taylor born 1536 who married Williamt Palmer. Ellen Taylor born 1537 who married Thomas Harrison. Robert Taylor born 1543 who married Milly Tyndale. Zachary Taylor born 1545 who married Elizabeth Nelson. George Taylor born 1546 who married Elizabeth Gaines. Thomas Taylor 1548-1572 who married Elizabeth Burwell. Mary Taylor born 1550. Elizabeth Taylor born 1552. While in prison, Dr. Taylor spent the greater part of his time in prayer, in reading the Scriptures, and in teaching the poor prisoners who were confined with him in that dismal place. The prison to which Dr. Taylor was sent was called the King's Bench. Here he met a good man named John Bradford, whose companionship cheered him much. After Dr. Taylor had been some time in prison, he was ordered to appear at Bow church, in Cheapside, to answer to the dean concerning his marriage. When he was brought before this officer, he defended marriage in such a masterly manner, that the dean did not venture, as was his custom in such cases, to pronounce a divorce, but only deprived him of his pastorate. He was then sent back to prison, and kept there about a year and a half; after which he was brought out to be examined again before the chancellor. Being charged with heresy by the chancellor, and the other bishops who were present, Dr. Taylor admitted that he was opposed to the practices of the church of Rome, and that he would hold to his faith until the last, believing it consistent with the doctrines laid down by Christ and his apostles. The consequences of such a free and open declaration of faith can readily be imagined. The chancellor at once pronounced the prisoner guilty of heresy, and sentenced him to be first degraded and then burned. He was hurried to a prison in London--in Southwark--called the Clink, where he remained till night, when he was sent to another prison, called the Compter. After he had been there seven days, Bonner, bishop of London, with others, came and degraded him from the priesthood. The next day they went on to Hadleigh. When they had come near to the town there waited, in the road, a poor man with five small children; who, when he saw Dr. Taylor, held up his hands, and cried out, "O dear friend and good pastor, Dr. Taylor, God help thee, as thou hast many a time helped me and my poor children!" The sheriff and others that led Taylor were astonished at this; and the sheriff rebuked the poor man for crying out so. But soon the streets of Hadleigh were filled on both sides of the way with men and women, who waited to see their good pastor; and when they beheld him led to death, they cried one to another, "Ah! there goes our good friend, who so faithfully hath taught us, so fatherly hath cared for us, and so kindly hath governed us. Good Lord, strengthen him, and comfort him!" SUFFERINGS AND MARTYRDOM OF DR. ROWLAND TAYLOR By John Foxe (1517 - 1587 Speaking to his wife, Margaret and children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favorable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye thereforein Him by the means of our dear Savior Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him; pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home. Rowland Taylor was influential in the religious reformation of England during the reign of Queen Mary I. At the time of his death he was rector of a small church in Hadleigh, England. The English Parliament banned the William Tyndale English Bible in 1543. During this time, many people who opposed the Catholic church teachings were put to death. Taylor opposed several Catholic teachings, including celibacy of a priest and the way the church practiced Holy Communion. On March 26, 1554 he was arrested for hersey because he was spreading the word of God in public. He was burned at the stake on February 09, 1555. Before being burned at the stake, he was killed by having his skull bashed.

Additional Curator's Notes:

Dr. Rowland Taylor, LL.D. is often listed as the son of John Taylor and Susan Rowland. John Taylor was one of the Taylor triplets of Barton-under-Needwood educated by Henry VII and became a noted cleric and public servant. This would make sense, as Rowland would then be carrying his maternal grandfather's name and would have been following on his father's career path.

This parentage, however, may just be wishful thinking. Foxe's Book of Martyrs does not list his parents in the discussion of his life and education. The Dictionary of National Biography does not list his parentage. It is only found in family lore and is repeated in web trees. This does not mean it is untrue, only that it is unproven.

As Curator of this profile, I have chosen to leave John Taylor and Susan Rowland as his parents, with the disclaimer above, until it can be proven otherwise. Maria Edmonds-Zediker, Volunteer Curator 8/14/2012

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https://rowlandtaylor.wordpress.com/category/life-and-times/

Rowland Taylor (October 6, 1510 - February 9, 1555) was an English martyr during the Marian Persecutions.

He was born in Northumberland, England, and died at Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. Taylor received his L.L.B. degree from Cambridge University. From 1531-1538 Rowland Taylor was Principal of Borden Hostel. In 1534 he received the L.L.D. from Cambridge, the same year Martin Luther completed his German Bible. One year later, 1535, William Tyndale was tried and denounced as a heretic for his new English Bible translation. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. Rowland's wife - Margaret Tyndale - was William Tyndale's niece.

At the time of his death he was Rector (an Anglican parish priest) of a small parish in a small market town called Hadleigh (also spelled Hadley). Taylor provided pastoral leadership for several parishes in the English county of Suffolk. He was Queen Mary's third martyr, among 250 or so during her five year reign, as she attempted to bring the Counter-Reformation to England. His sentence was execution by burning at the stake, the common method of punishment for dealing with heretics in the 16th century. However, Taylor is viewed by Protestants as one of their great Christian martyrs.

Dr. Taylor married Margaret Tyndall, c. 1539. They had nine children, four of whom lived to adulthood. After Dr. Taylor's death, his widow married Rev. Wright.

" By his [Rowland Taylor's] wife, whom he married probably about 1539, he had nine children, of whom four survived him. The eldest son's name was Thomas, and a daughter Anne married William Palmer (1539? 1605) [q. v.] His widow married one Wright, a divine (Parker Corresp. p. 221). Jeremy Taylor [q. v.] is said (Heber, Life of Jeremy Taylor) to have been a lineal descendant of Rowland Taylor, but the assertion has not been proved (Notes and Queries, 7th ser. ii. 56). "Taylor, Rowland". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Taylor,_Rowland_(DNB00)_

Taylor's religious career

• In the late 1530s Taylor served as Hugh Latimer's chaplain and commissary general of the Diocese of Winchester.
• In March 1538 Taylor was collated by Latimer to the parish church of Hanbury.
• When Hugh Latimer resigned, Taylor was taken under the wing of Thomas Cranmer, living with him and (1539) serving as his chaplain. He was ordained by Cranmer and admitted to the parish church of St. Swithins in Worcester, England. He was thus given his license to preach and did so in the diocese of London.
• On April 16, 1544 he was presented to the living of Hadleigh, Suffolk, thus becoming their spiritual leader and Rector.
• In 1543 the English Parliament banned Tyndale's English version and all public reading of the Bible by laymen. Religious persecution of Protestant clergy, especially by Roman Catholics, intensified in Britain at this time.
• In 1546 the Council of Trent, an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, decreed that the Latin Vulgate was the authoritative version of the Bible.
• In the Summer of 1547 Rowland Taylor was employed as a preacher for the royal visitation within the dioceses of Lincoln, Oxford, Lichfield and Coventry.
• On August 15, 1547 he became canon of Rochester, the same King Henry the VIII died, January.
• 1548, Taylor was appointed Archdeacon of Bury St Edmunds and preached at the request of the Lord Mayor at Whitsuntide or Pentecost.
• Edward VI, who reigned from 1547–1553, followed Henry VIII and in 1549 the Book of Common Prayer became the Protestant liturgical text in England.
• In 1550, Taylor was called to serve on a commission against Anabaptists. The same year he also helped to administer the vacant diocese of Norwich.
• In 1551, at age 41, Taylor was made Archdeacon of Exeter in the Diocese of Exeter, was also appointed one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral and was appointed chancellor to Bishop Nicholas Ridley. His leadership was expanded by serving on a commission to revise the ecclesiastical laws.
• In 1552, he helped administer the vacant Diocese of Worcester.
• On July 25, 1553, he was arrested just six days after the new Queen, Mary I, ascended the throne. He was charged with heresy for having preached a sermon in Bury St. Edmunds denouncing the Roman Catholic practice of clerical celibacy, which required that a priest in holy orders be unmarried. He was later released and continued his ministry.

Martydom

January 1555 was an ominous month for Anglican clergy in England. After several years of separation from Roman worship and governance, the accession of Mary I in 1553 and her immediate reversion to Roman Catholic rule in obedience to the Pope (an attempt to turn back the Reformation of the English Church) led her to unleash her wrath upon those whom she defined as treasonably minded heretics. On January 22, 1555, Rowland Taylor (Rector of Hadleigh), and several other clergy, including John Hooper, were examined by a commission of leading bishops and lawyers. The Lord Chancellor presided at the hearings. Just two days previously, January 20th, Parliament had revived the old statute of burning convicted heretics.

Dr. Taylor, in March 1553/4 offered strenuous opposition to the performance of mass by a priest in his church at Hadleigh. He appeared at the church during the mass and demanded it be stopped, calling the priest an idolater. He was arrested and taken to prison in London, charged with heresy. On 8 May following he signed the confession of faith of the religious prisoners and their protest against the way in which disputations were managed. He was examined on various occasions by Gardiner, whom he charged with breaking his oath to Henry VIII and Edward VI. On 22 Jan. 1554/5 he was condemned to death, on the 29th he was excommunicated, and on 4 Feb. he was degraded (stripped of his clerical garments in a symbolic manner) by Bonner.

He was removed to Hadleigh, and on 9 Feb. was burnt on Aldham Common, near Hadleigh. A local butcher was ordered to set a torch to the wood but resisted. A couple of bystanders finally threw a lighted torch on to the wood. A sympathetic guard named Warwick struck Dr. Taylor over the head with a halbard, which apparently killed him instantly. The fire consumed his body shortly thereafter.

His final words to his son Thomas are moving:

"Almighty God bless thee, and give you his Holy Spirit, to be a true servant of Christ, to learn his word, and constantly to stand by his truth all the life long. And my son, see that thou fear God always. Fly from all sin and wicked living. Be virtuous, serve God daily with prayer, and apply thy boke. In anywise see thou be obedient to thy mother, love her, and serve her. Be ruled by her now in thy youth, and follow her good counsel in all things. Beware of lewd company of young men, that fear not God, but followeth their lewd lusts and vain appetites. Flee from whoredom, and hate all filthy lying, remembering that I they father do die in the defense of holy marriage. And another day when God shall bless thee, love and cherish the poor people, and count that thy chief riches to be rich in alms. And when thy mother is waxed old, forsake her not, but provide for her to thy power, and see that she lacks nothing. For so will God bless thee, give thee long life upon earth, and prosperity, which I pray God to grant thee."

Links to additional material:

• http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/foxs-book-of-martyrs/the-lif...
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowland_Taylor
• http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Taylor,_Rowland_(DNB00)
• http://rowlandtaylor.wordpress.com/category/1510/
• http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/TAYLOR/2000-03/095280...

Inscription on Dr Rowland TAYLOR's monument erected in 1818, at Hadley ENGLAND

Under this stone, lo, here doth lie

Dust sacrificed to tyranny:

Yet precious in Immanuel's sight

Since martyred for his kingly right

When He condemns their hellish druges

By suffering saints shall judge their judges.

• 1530 - LLD Cambridge
• 1538 - Rector of Hanbury, Worcestershire
• 1539 - Advocate in Law, Chaplain to Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1544 - Rector of Hadleigh
• 1552 - Archdeacon of Cornwall
• 1554/55 - Burned at the stake after conviction of heresy

The Life and Conduct of Dr. Rowland Taylor of Hadley

• from Foxe's Book of Martyrs
• by John Foxe (1517 - 1587)

Dr. Rowland Taylor, vicar of Hadley, in Suffolk, was a man of eminent learning, and had been admitted to the degree of doctor of the civil and canon law. His attachment to the pure and uncorrupted principles of Christianity recommended him to the favour and friendship of Dr. Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, with whom he lived a considerable time, until through his interest he obtained the living at Hadley.

Not only was his word a preaching unto them, but all his life and conversation was an example of unfeigned Christian life and true holiness. He was void of all pride, humble and meek as any child; so that none were so poor but they might boldly, as unto their father, resort unto him; neither was his lowliness childish or fearful, but, as occasion, time, and place required, he would be stout in rebuking the sinful and evildoers; so that none was so rich but he would tell them plainly his fault, with such earnest and grave rebukes as became a good curate and pastor. He was a man very mild, void of all rancor, grudge or evil will; ready to do good to all men; readily forgiving his enemies; and never sought to do evil to any.

To the poor that were blind, lame, sick, bedrid, or that had many children, he was a very father, a careful patron, and diligent provider, insomuch that he caused the parishioners to make a general provision for them; and he himself (beside the continual relief that they always found at his house) gave an honest portion yearly to the common almsbox. His wife also was an honest, discreet, and sober matron, and his children well nurtured, brought up in the fear of God and good learning. He was a good salt of the earth, savorly biting the corrupt manners of evil men; a light in God's house, set upon a candlestick for all good men to imitate and follow.

Thus continued this good shepherd among his flock, governing and leading them through the wilderness of this wicked world, all the days of the most innocent and holy king of blessed memory, Edward VI. But on his demise, and the succession of Queen Mary to the throne, he escaped not the cloud that burst on so many beside; for two of his parishioners, Foster, an attorney, and Clark, a tradesman, out of blind zeal, resolved that Mass should be celebrated, in all its superstitious forms, in the parish church of Hadley, on Monday before Easter. This Dr. Taylor, entering the church, strictly forbade; but Clark forced the Doctor out of the church, celebrated Mass, and immediately informed the lord-chancellor, bishop of Winchester, of his behaviour, who summoned him to appear, and answer the complaints that were alleged against him.

The doctor upon the receipt of the summons, cheerfully prepared to obey the same; and rejected the advice of his friends to fly beyond sea. When Gardiner saw Dr. Taylor, he, according to his common custom, reviled him. Dr. Taylor heard his abuse patiently, and when the bishop said, "How darest thou look me in the face! Knowest thou not who I am?" Dr Taylor replied: "You are Dr. Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, and lord-chancellor, and yet but a mortal man. But if I should be afraid of your lordly looks, why fear ye not God, the Lord of us all? With what countenance will you appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and answer to your oath made first unto King Henry VIII, and afterward unto King Edward VI, his son?"

A long conversation ensued, in which Dr. Taylor was so piously collected and severe upon his antagonist, that he exclaimed: "Thou art a blasphemous heretic! Thou indeed blasphemest the blessed Sacrament, (here he put off his cap) and speakest against the holy Mass, which is made a sacrifice for the quick and the dead." The bishop afterward committed him into the king's bench.

When Dr. Taylor came there, he found the virtuous and vigilant preacher of God's Word, Mr. Bradford, who equally thanked God that He had provided him with such a comfortable fellow-prisoner; and they both together praised God, and continued in prayer, reading and exhorting one another.

After Dr. Taylor had lain some time in prison, he was cited to appear in the arches of Bow-church. Dr. Taylor being condemned, was committed to the Clink, and the keepers were charged to treat him roughly; at night he was removed to the Poultry Compter. When Dr. Taylor had lain in the Compter about a week on the fourth of February, Bonner came to degrade him, bringing with him such ornaments as appertained to the massing mummery; but the Doctor refused these trappings until they were forced upon him. The night after he was degraded his wife came with John Hull, his servant, and his son Thomas, and were by the gentleness of the keepers permitted to sup with him.

After supper, walking up and down, he gave God thanks for His grace, that had given him strength to abide by His holy Word. With tears they prayed together, and kissed one another. Unto his son Thomas he gave a Latin book, containing the notable sayings of the old martyrs, and in the end of that he wrote his testament: "I say to my wife, and to my children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favourable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye therefore in Him by the means of our dear Saviour Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him: pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home."

On the morrow the sheriff of London with his officers came to the Compter by two o'clock in the morning, and brought forth Dr. Taylor; and without any light led him to the Woolsack, an inn without Aldgate. Dr. Taylor's wife, suspecting that her husband should that night be carried away, watched all night in St. Botolph's church-porch beside Aldgate, having her two children, the one named Elizabeth, of thirteen years of age (whom, being left without father or mother, Dr. Taylor had brought up of alms from three years old), the other named Mary, Dr. Taylor's own daughter.

Now, when the sheriff and his company came against St. Botolph's church, Elizabeth cried, saying, "O my dear father! mother, mother, here is my father led away." Then his wife cried, "Rowland, Rowland, where art thou?" for it was a very dark morning, that the one could not well see the other. Dr. Taylor answered, "Dear wife, I am here", and stayed. The sheriff's men would have led him forth but the sheriff said, "Stay a little, masters, I pray you; and let him speak to his wife", and so they stayed.

Then came she to him, and he took his daughter Mary in his arms; and he, his wife, and Elizabeth kneeled down and said the Lord's Prayer, at which sight the sheriff wept apace, and so did divers others of the company. After they had prayed, he rose up and kissed his wife, and shook her by the hand, and said, "Farewell, my dear wife, be of good comfort, for I am quiet in my conscience. God shall stir up a father for my children."

All the way Dr. Taylor was joyful and merry, as one that accounted himself going to a most pleasant banquet or bridal feast. He spake many notable things to the sheriff and yeomen of the guard that conducted him, and often moved them to weep, through his much earnest calling upon them to repent, and to amend their evil and wicked living. Oftentimes also he caused them to wonder and rejoice, to see him so constant and steadfast, void of all fear, joyful in heart, and glad to die.

When Dr. Taylor had arrived at Aldham Common, the place where he should suffer, seeing a great multitude of people, he asked, "What place is this, and what meaneth it that so much people are gathered hither?" It was answered, "It is Aldham Common, the place where you must suffer; and the people have come to look upon you." Then he said, "Thanked be God, I am even at home" and he alighted from his horse and with both hands rent the hood from his head.

His head had been notched and clipped like as a man would clip a fool's; which cost the good bishop Bonner had bestowed upon him. But when the people saw his reverend and ancient face, with a long white beard, they burst out with weeping tears, and cried, saying: "God save thee, good Dr. Taylor! Jesus Christ strengthen thee, and help thee! the Holy Ghost comfort thee!" with such other like good wishes. When he had prayed, he went to the stake and kissed it, and set himself into a pitch barrel, which they had put for him to stand in, and stood with his back upright against the stake, with his hands folded together, and his eyes towards heaven, and continually prayed.

They then bound him with the chains, and having set up the fagots, one Warwick cruelly cast a fagot at him, which struck him on his head, and cut his face, so that the blood ran down. Then said Dr. Taylor, "O friend, I have harm enough; what needed that?"

Sir John Shelton standing by, as Dr. Taylor was speaking, and saying the Psalm Miserere in English, struck him on the lips: "You knave," he said, "speak Latin, I will make thee." At last they kindled the fire; and Dr. Taylor holding up both his hands, calling upon God, and said, "Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus Christ, my Saviour's sake, receive my soul into Thy hands."

So he stood still without either crying or moving, with his hands folded together, until Joyce, with a halberd struck him on the head until his brains fell out, and the corpse fell down into the fire.

Thus rendered up this man of God his blessed soul into the hands of his merciful Father, and to his most dear Saviour Jesus Christ, whom he most entirely loved, faithfully and earnestly preached, obediently followed in living, and constantly glorified in death.

• ******

On October 5, 1551 Rev. John Taylor and Dr. Rowland Taylor were among the 32 men appointed to reform the Canon Laws, still in use.

When persecution began in England soon after the death of Henry VIII , many Protestants fled to other countries. It is believed that Dr. Taylor's brothers Edmond and Nathaniel went to Ireland when he was martyred.

Dr. Rowland Taylor was educated at Cambridge where he specialized in ecclesiastical and Civil Law and received L.L.D. in 1530 In 1531 he was appointed Principal of Borden Hostel in Cambridge where he trained students in civil and canon law. Thomas Bilney, who preached at Hadleigh before Dr. Rowland Taylor arrived, was a former student at Broden Hostel. By legal injunction the hostel came to an end in 1535.

In March 1538 Dr. Rowland Taylor was appointed Rector of Hanbury, Worcester Diocese. On November 3, 1539 he was admitted as Advocate in Law and the same year was ordained a deacon and became Chaplain to Thomas Cranmer who had become Archbishop of Canterbury March 30, 1533.

In 1542 Dr. Taylor was ordained a Priest and on April 16, 1544 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer appointed him Rector of Hadleigh in the Deanery of Bocking, a Peculiar under the Archbishop of Canterbury. On May 3, 1552 Dr. Taylor was appointed to the Archdeaconry of Cornwall for life.

Hadleigh of County Suffolk, England is an old town dating back to Guthrum (d 890) King of the East Anglians. Located on the river Brett, the town was the center of the cloth-making industry. Five of the famous Mercantile Guilds, including Merchant Tailors, were located there. Their representatives were responsible for town government. The Guild Hall, still in good repair, is near St. Mary's Church. Members met at the hall for business and banqueting and afterwards marched tin procession to the church.

Dr. Taylor was first arrested July 25, 1553 when he was accused of being involved in the case of Lady Jane Grey. He was released on November 9th. During his absence the Catholic Mass had been restored and became mandatory in December.

In March 1554 Dr. Taylor was again arrested for his objections to the Catholic Mass in his church. Before leaving for prison he appointed "A godly old priest, age 70, Sir Richard Yeoman" to take charge of the church. Yeoman was tortured and burned at the stake July 10, 1558.

John Alcocke, a Shearman by trade, came to Hadleigh looking for work and after Yeoman's death, he read services at the church. He was an old man, too. When Parson Newell came to preach one Sunday and Alcocke, who was standing in the back, failed to remove his cap, Newell had him arrested as a heretic; Robert Rolfe tried to reason with the Parson and with Alcocke to no avail.

There is a brass memorial in Hadleigh Church near the Vestry door which says, "Here lieth buried the bodies of Briddgett Champnies and Thomas Champnies her second son the wife and son of Richard Champnies of Bexley in County of New Kent and third daughter of Robert Rolfe of Hadley in County of Suffolk who left this life the 18the day of September 1617."

After defending his faith before church officials, Alcocke was thrown into the lowest dungeon of Newgate Prison where he died of ill treatment and neglect. His body, like Yeoman's, was thrown out into a field with no burial.

John Bradford, who was already in prison, became Dr. Taylor's cellmate. They were both tried and sentenced to death January 22, 1555. Archbishop Cranmer and more than 800 others were also sentenced soon afterwards and died at the stake.

On February 5, 1555 at 2:00 P.M. the officials put Dr. Taylor in a room at the "Woolsack", an inn near the prison, to await transport to Hadleigh. Margaret suspected they would take him away in the night, so she and two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, waited nearby.

They brought Dr. Taylor out at 11:00 P.M. and Margaret and the children ran to meet him to say goodbye. A short distance further, a servant, John Hull, waited with Thomas to say goodbye.

At Chelmsford Dr. Taylor was delivered to the Sheriff of Suffolk who took him on to Lavenham where Dr. Taylor spent two nights in the cellar of the Guild Hall of Corpus Christi. While there, many "great men and justices" came to persuade Dr. Taylor to change his mind, to no avail.

On the way to Aldham Common Dr. Taylor spent another night at the old hostel in Sudbury, known as the White Hart.

During Dr. Taylor's trial he said he had 9 children, 5 of whom were deceased: Susan, George, Ellen, Robert, Zachary. A son Thomas b. September 15, 1548 was 6 years old when his father died.

The following children with the same names as the deceased children of Dr. Rowland were children of Thomas Taylor, apparently brother of Dr. Rowland. Thomas was b c 1513 and m about 1534.

Susan Taylor b 20 July 1535 m Mordecai Pendleton 6 May 1558. Ellen Taylor b 6 August 1557 m Thomas Harrison 9 Dec. 1561. Robert Taylor b 11 Aug 1543 m Milly Tyndale 30 April 1570. Zachary Taylor b 29 Nov 1545 m Elizabeth Nelson 9 Oct 1575. George Taylor b 17 Dec 1546 m Elizabeth Gaines 10 Apr 1581.

An inscription in All Saints Chapel, York Minister, names Anne Taylor daughter of Rowland Taylor as wife of William Palmer, Rector of Kirk Deighton and Weldrakes, Yorkes. They had 7 children.

This accounts for 8 of Dr. Rowland Taylor's children by wife Margaret, or it may be that Anne and adopted daughter Elizabeth were by other woman, which would account for the 9. Elizabeth had been adopted at age 3.

Sometime after Dr. Taylor's death, his widow Margaret m Rev. Charles Wright of Yorkshire, B.A. 1553-4, St. John's College. He became Vicar of Chesterton near Cambridge in 1557.

(Source: The life of Dr. Rowland Taylor, by William James Brown, courtesy of Rev. John Betton, present Rector of Hadleigh, Suffolk, England.

Birth: Oct. 6, 1510 Northumberland, England Death: Feb. 9, 1555 Suffolk, England

Rowland Taylor was influential in the religious reformation of England during the reign of Queen Mary I. At the time of his death he was rector of a small church in Hadleigh, England. The English Parliament banned the William Tyndale English Bible in 1543. During this time, many people who opposed the Catholic church teachings were put to death. Taylor opposed several Catholic teachings, including celibacy of a priest and the way the church practiced Holy Communion. On March 26, 1554 he was arrested for hersey because he was spreading the word of God in public. He was burned at the stake on February 09, 1555. Before being burned at the stake, he was killed by having his skull bashed.

He was the son of John Taylor & Susan Rowland Taylor.

Husband of Margaret Tyndale Taylor

Children: Susan Taylor Anne Taylor Ellen Taylor Harrison Robert Taylor Zachary Taylor George Taylor Thomas Taylor, I Mary Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Annie Taylor Palmer

Burial: Hadleigh, St Mary Churchyard Hadleigh Babergh District Suffolk, England

Created by: Paul Taylor "Moochie" Record added: Nov 20, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 23000159

Educated at Cambridge in Ecclesiastical & Civil Law LLD in 1530 On May 3 1552 was appointed to Archdeacon of Cornwall for life. Died at the stake for heresy

Rowland Taylor was influential in the religious reformation of England during the reign of Queen Mary I. At the time of his death he was rector of a small church in Hadleigh, England. The English Parliament banned the William Tyndale English Bible in 1543. During this time, many people who opposed the Catholic church teachings were put to death. Taylor opposed several Catholic teachings, including celibacy of a priest and the way the church practiced Holy Communion. On March 26, 1554 he was arrested for hersey because he was spreading the word of God in public. He was burned at the stake on February 09, 1555. Before being burned at the stake, he was killed by having his skull bashed.

He was the son of John Taylor & Susan Rowland Taylor.

Husband of Margaret Tyndale Taylor

Children: Susan Taylor Anne Taylor Ellen Taylor Harrison Robert Taylor Zachary Taylor George Taylor Thomas Taylor, I Mary Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Annie Taylor Palmer

Family links:

Parents:

 John Taylor (1478 - 1550)

 Susan Rowland Taylor (1482 - 1582)

Spouse:

 Margaret Tyndale Taylor (1510 - ____)

Burial: St Mary Churchyard Hadleigh Babergh District Suffolk, England

Rowland Taylor (sometimes spelled "Tayler")[1] (6 October 1510 – 9 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions.

At the time of his death by burning at the stake, he was Rector of a small parish in a market town, Hadleigh in Suffolk.

Early life and education[edit] Taylor was born in Northumberland. In 1530, he received his LL.B. degree from Cambridge University. From 1531 to 1538 he was principal of Borden Hostel. In 1534 he received the LL.D. from Cambridge, the same year Martin Luther completed his German Bible. One year later, in 1535, William Tyndale was tried and denounced as a heretic for his new English Bible translation. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. Taylor's wife - Margaret Tyndale - was William Tyndale's niece.

Religious career[edit] In the late 1530s Taylor served as Hugh Latimer's chaplain and commissary general of the diocese of Winchester. In March 1538 Taylor was collated by Latimer to the parish church of Hanbury, Worcestershire. When Hugh Latimer resigned, Taylor was taken under the wing of Thomas Cranmer, living with him and (1539) serving as his chaplain. He was ordained by Cranmer and admitted to the parish church of St. Swithin's in Worcester. He was thus given his licence to preach and did so in the diocese of London. On 16 April 1544, he was presented to the living of Hadleigh, Suffolk, thus becoming their spiritual leader and rector. In 1543 the English Parliament banned Tyndale's English version and all public reading of the Bible by laymen. Religious persecution of Protestant clergy, especially by Roman Catholics, intensified in Britain at this time. In 1546 the Council of Trent, an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, decreed that the Latin Vulgate was the authoritative version of the Bible. In the summer of 1547, Taylor was employed as a preacher for the royal visitation within the dioceses of Lincoln, Oxford, Lichfield and Coventry. On 15 August 1547, he became canon of Rochester, the same year during which King Henry VIII had died in January. In 1548, Taylor was appointed archdeacon of Bury St Edmunds and preached at the request of the Lord Mayor at Whitsuntide or Pentecost. Edward VI, who reigned from 1547 to 1553, followed Henry VIII, and in 1549 the Book of Common Prayer became the Protestant liturgical text in England. In 1550, Taylor was called to serve on a commission against Anabaptists. The same year, he also helped to administer the vacant diocese of Norwich. In 1551, at age 41, Taylor was made archdeacon of Exeter in the diocese of Exeter, was also appointed one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral and was appointed chancellor to Bishop Nicholas Ridley. His leadership was expanded by serving on a commission to revise the ecclesiastical laws. In 1552, he helped administer the vacant diocese of Worcester. Political troubles from 1553[edit] Taylor's troubles began on 25 July 1553. He was arrested just six days after the new queen, Mary I, ascended the throne. Aside from the fact that Taylor had supported Lady Jane Grey, Mary's rival, he was also charged with heresy for having preached a sermon in Bury St Edmunds denouncing the Roman Catholic practice of clerical celibacy, which required that a priest in holy orders be unmarried. Many English clergymen, including Taylor, had abandoned this teaching since the 1530s as a token of the English Reformation.

Taylor also denounced the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, which is the belief that the two elements (bread and wine) taken during Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Since the Roman Catholic position is that the Eucharist (and the miracle of transubstantiation) is a sacrament commanded by God, anyone denying it, particularly a cleric or pastor, is considered a heretic. This teaching was opposed universally by the Reformed and Protestant Churches, who maintained that, since a sacrament is a sign, it cannot also be the thing signified. For similar reasons relating to the problem of idolatry, Taylor took issue with the Roman Catholic form of the Mass and received much support from the villagers of Hadleigh.

These issues came to a head after Edward VI died (6 July 1553) and was succeeded by Queen Mary I. In 1554, Mary began a program of re-establishing Catholicism in England. However, the English clergy and Anglican faithful, whose hopes for a Protestant royal succession had been dashed by Mary's imprisonment and execution of Lady Jane Grey, saw it as a matter of English Christian duty to resist this backlash, not least to resist the political ambitions of the king of Spain (Philip II, whom Mary married) to draw England within the sphere of the Holy Roman Empire and its Roman Catholic satellites. Although Mary, as Henry VIII's eldest daughter, was a legitimate successor to Edward VI, England was no longer minded to tolerate a Roman Catholic monarch, and the courage and endurance unto death of men such as Taylor provided the public example which ensured that the Reformation was not in fact overturned, but became established in the realm of England.

On 26 March 1554, the Privy Council ordered the arrest of Taylor, and he thus appeared before Bishop Stephen Gardiner. The proceedings against Taylor ran over several years. During this time he was kept in the King's Bench Prison. While in prison he befriended many inmates and was instrumental in many conversions to Anglicanism.

Trial and martyrdom[edit] January 1555 was an ominous month for Anglican clergy in England. After several years of separation from Roman worship and governance, the accession of Mary I in 1553 and her immediate reversion to Roman Catholic rule in obedience to the pope (an attempt to turn back the Reformation of the English church) led her to unleash her wrath upon those whom she defined as treasonably minded heretics. On 22 January 1555, Rowland Taylor (vicar or rector of Hadleigh) and several other clergy, including John Hooper, were examined by a commission of leading bishops and lawyers. As Lord Chancellor, Gardiner presided at the hearings. Just two days previously, on 20 January, Parliament had revived the old statute for burning convicted heretics.

One of the men, Edward Crome, recanted and was thus pardoned. William Barlow equivocated and was sent to the Tower of London, but not executed. Rowland Taylor, who remained committed, was probably taken to Compter Prison in London after his examination by Gardiner. Taylor gave a fervent defence of clerical marriage, which put him at odds with the Roman Catholic Church.

On 29 January 1555, Taylor was brought before Gardiner again at St Mary's. The next day he was excommunicated and sentenced to death. He was stripped of his clerical garments in a symbolic manner, and offered a last supper with his family.

His reaction to his accusers, as recorded by the martyrologist John Foxe, was this:[2]

"And although I know, that there is neither justice nor truth to be looked for at my adversaries hands, but rather imprisonment and cruel death: yet know my cause to be so good and righteous, and the truth so strong upon my side, that I will by God's grace go and appear before them and to their beards resist their false doings."

Final words[edit] Taylor was taken back to Hadleigh, where his wife awaited him in the early morning hours at St Botolph's churchyard. They exchanged a few last brief words and Margaret promised to be present for his burning in a couple of days. That same day, Taylor was handed over to the sheriff of Essex at Chelmsford. Before he was handed over, he spoke these words to his family:

"I say to my wife, and to my children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favourable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye therefore in Him by the means of our dear Saviour Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him: pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home."

Following Rogers on 4 February and Saunders on 8 February, Taylor became Mary's third Protestant to be burned at the stake. His execution took place on 9 February 1555, at Aldham Common just to the north of Hadleigh. His wife, two daughters, and his son Thomas were present that day.

His final words to his son Thomas, as reported by Foxe:

"Almighty God bless thee, and give you his Holy Spirit, to be a true servant of Christ, to learn his word, and constantly to stand by his truth all the life long. And my son, see that thou fear God always. Fly from all sin and wicked living. Be virtuous, serve God daily with prayer, and apply thy boke. In anywise see thou be obedient to thy mother, love her, and serve her. Be ruled by her now in thy youth, and follow her good counsel in all things. Beware of lewd company of young men, that fear not God, but followeth their lewd lusts and vain appetites. Flee from whoredom, and hate all filthy lying, remembering that I they father do die in the defense of holy marriage. And another day when God shall bless thee, love and cherish the poor people, and count that thy chief riches to be rich in alms. And when thy mother is waxed old, forsake her not, but provide for her to thy power, and see that she lacks nothing. For so will God bless thee, give thee long life upon earth, and prosperity, which I pray God to grant thee."

A local butcher was ordered to set a torch to the wood but resisted. A couple of bystanders finally threw a lighted torch onto the wood. A perhaps sympathetic guard, named Warwick, struck Taylor's head with a halberd, which apparently killed him instantly. The fire consumed his body shortly thereafter. That same day, John Hooper was burned at the stake in Gloucester.

The inscription on the 1818 Taylor Monument An unhewn stone marks the place of Taylor's death at Aldham Common (just to the north of Hadleigh, where the B1070 Lady Lane meets the A1071 Ipswich Road). Next to the unhewn stone, there is also a monument erected in 1818, and restored by parishioners in 1882.[3][4] The stone is inscribed:

1555 D.TAYLOR.IN.DE FENDING.THAT WAS.GOOD.AT THIS.PLAS.LEFT HIS.BLODE See also[edit] English Reformation Roman Catholicism Anglicanism Martyrdom Christian martyrs Historical roots of Catholic Eucharistic theology Marian Persecutions Mary I of England References[edit] Jump up ^ Tayler, Charles Benjamin (1853). Memorials of the English Martyrs. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 59. Jump up ^ This quote and those following are taken from Foxe's Book of Martyrs - John Foxe. Acts and Monuments [%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A6] (1576 edition).(hriOnline, Sheffield). Available from: http://www.hrionline.shef.ac.uk/foxe/. [Accessed: 21 September 2004] Jump up ^ "Rowland Taylor (1555)". ukwells.org/. Retrieved 3 June 2013. Jump up ^ Historic Sites and Other Remarkable and Interesting Places in the County of Suffolk, by John Wodderspoon, 1839, pp. 47-58 Sources[edit] John Foxe. Foxe's Book of Martyr's. The account of Rowland Taylor's martyrdom is the entire subject of Chapter 14. James Ridley. Bloody Mary's Martyrs: The Story of England's Terror. 2002. External links[edit]

"Taylor, Rowland". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. John Foxe: Acts and Monuments. The Variorum Edition, hriOnline, Sheffield 2004 Memoirs of the Reformers (Rowland Taylor) The Legacy of Rowland Taylor Hadleigh in Suffolk Wikimapia location of Rowland Taylor statue, Hadleigh, Suffolk, UK. Authority control	 WorldCat Identities VIAF: 2000933 LCCN: nb2008012515 Categories: 1510 births1555 deathsPeople excommunicated by the Roman Catholic ChurchExecuted people from Northumberland16th-century English Anglican priestsArchdeacons of ExeterPeople executed for heresyExecuted British peoplePeople executed under Mary I of England16th-century Protestant martyrsPeople executed by the Kingdom of England by burningProtestant martyrs of England

This page was last edited on 22 August 2017, at 19:24.

SUFFERINGS AND MARTYRDOM OF DR. ROWLAND TAYLOR

By John Foxe (1517 - 1587) ROWLAND TAYLOR was born at the town of Hadleigh, in the county of Suffolk, which was one of the first places in England to accept the reformed faith. After coming of age, and being admitted to the ministry, he began to preach in his native town, and continued to do so during the reign of the young king Edward. Archbishop Cranmer, who was a good judge of men, and loved to reward merit, took Taylor into his family, and gave into his charge the church of Hadleigh. Here he proved himself a most excellent preacher and a truthful pastor. He became the friend of every person in his parish, and taught many the Scriptures while visiting from house to house. He was not only a preacher of sermons, but practised what he preached. He was full of pity for the poor, and his charity was bounded only by his means.

In the course of Taylor's labors he often met with opposition, and even with abuse from those who did not agree with him, but he bore all patiently, saying that in this world we must go through evil as well as good report.

After some years passed in this way he married a good woman and began to keep house. It was said of him that he never sat down to dinner with his family, without first inquiring whether there was any poor man at his door who needed food. He was also a tender, affectionate husband, and brought up his children in the fear of God, often saying that to lay a deep foundation is the only way to build a good house.

In this excellent manner, Dr. Taylor, as he was now called, continued to fill his place at Hadleigh, as long as king Edward lived; but no sooner was that monarch dead, than the times took a very different aspect.

In obedience to queen Mary's proclamation, a Romish priest came to Hadleigh to say mass. Two gentlemen of the town named Clarke and Foster, with others of the old faith, aided him in rebuilding the altar, and it was arranged that mass should be said on Palm Sunday. But some who were opposed to this met together in the evening, and pulled down the altar; it was, however, built up again, and a watch was appointed, lest it should be destroyed a second time. On the day following, Clarke and Foster came with an armed guard, bringing with them the priest who was to perform the service of mass. The priest was dressed in his robes for the occasion, and the guard was ordered to protect him if he should be attacked by the people.

Dr. Taylor was sitting in his house when he heard the church bell begin to ring. He went out to learn the cause, and seeing a crowd around the church tried to enter, but was at first unable to open the door. At last, getting in by another way he found an armed guard drawn up around the chancel and a priest at the altar saying mass. Dr. Taylor at once cried out against this, and called the priest an idolater, who replied by calling Dr. Taylor a traitor for disobeying the queen's proclamation. Dr. Taylor said he was no traitor, but a minister of the gospel, commanded to teach the people; and then ordered the priest to retire, as one who came there to poison the minds of the People with false doctrine. Foster, who was the principal supporter of the priest, also called Dr. Taylor a traitor, and violently dragged him out of the church; although Mrs. Taylor, on her knees, begged that he might be released.

Foster and Clarke next brought accusation of heresy against Dr. Taylor to the chancellor Gardiner, who sent a messenger, commanding him to appear to answer the charge.

When Dr. Taylor's friends heard this, they were much alarmed, as justice was not to be expected from the party then in power, and they advised the accused minister to go abroad to save his life. But this he would not do; saying that it was more honorable to suffer for the cause of truth, than to flee from the wrath of wicked men. "God," said he, "will either protect me from suffering, or he will enable me to bear it." He said, also, "That he believed his dying for the truth would be of more service to the cause than dying from the persecutions of his enemies."

When his friends saw that they could not persuade him, they took leave of him with tears. He then set out for London, accompanied by a servant, named John Hull, who had been a considerable time in his family. This faithful servant also advised his master to make his escape, but to no purpose.

Gardiner, when he saw Taylor, according to his usual custom assailed him with abuse, calling him "knave, traitor, heretic," with many other hard names; all of which Taylor heard patiently, and at last said to him,

"My lord, I am neither traitor nor heretic, but a true subject and a faithful Christian man, and am come, according to your command, to know what is the reason that your lordship hath sent to me."

Then said the bishop, "Art thou come, thou villain? How darest thou look me in the face for shame? Knowest thou not who I am?"

Dr. Taylor then answered the bishop boldly, saying he knew he was the persecutor of God's people. He also put Gardiner in mind of the oath he had taken at the beginning of King Edward's reign, to oppose the papal supremacy; but Gardiner answered that the oath had been forced from him, so that he was not obliged to abide by it. After some further questioning Taylor was committed to prison.

While in prison, Dr. Taylor spent the greater part of his time in prayer, in reading the Scriptures, and in teaching the poor prisoners who were confined with him in that dismal place. The prison to which Dr. Taylor was sent was called the King's Bench. Here he met a good man named John Bradford, whose companionship cheered him much. After Dr. Taylor had been some time in prison, he was ordered to appear at Bow church, in Cheapside, to answer to the dean concerning his marriage. When he was brought before this officer, he defended marriage in such a masterly manner, that the dean did not venture, as was his custom in such cases, to pronounce a divorce, but only deprived him of his pastorate. He was then sent back to prison, and kept there about a year and a half; after which he was brought I out to be examined again before the chancellor.

Being charged with heresy by the chancellor, and the other bishops who were present, Dr. Taylor admitted that he was opposed to the practices of the church of Rome, and that be would hold to his faith until the last, believing it consistent with the doctrines laid down by Christ and his apostles. The consequences of such a free and open declaration of faith can readily be imagined. The chancellor at once pronounced the prisoner guilty of heresy, and sentenced him to be first degraded and then burned. He was hurried to a prison in London--in Southwark-called the Clink, where he remained till night, when he was sent to another prison, called the Compter. After he had been there seven days, Banner, bishop of London, with others, came and degraded him from the priesthood.

The night after Taylor was degraded, his wife, with his son Thomas, and John Hull, the serving-man, came to see him; and the keeper kindly permitted them to go into his cell and sup with him. Then was a great difference between the keeper of the bishop's prison and the keeper of the Compter. The bishop's keepers were always hard and cruel, like their master; but the keepers of the royal prisons, for the most part, showed as much kindness as they dared to those condemned far their religion.

After supper, the doctor walked two or three times across the room; and then, turning to his sea, he said, "My dear son, may God bless thee, and give thee his Holy Spirit, to be a true servant of Christ; to hear his word, and constantly to stand by the truth all thy life long; and, my son, see that thou flee from all sin and wicked living; be virtuous; attend closely to the Bible, and pray to God sincerely. In all things that come to pass, see that thou be obedient to thy mother; love her and serve her; be ruled and directed by her now in thy youth, and follow her good counsel in all things. When thou hast become a man, and if God bless thee with means, love and cherish the poor people, and make it thy chief aim to be rich in alms. When thy mother is old provide for her according to thy abilities, and see that she want for nothing; then will God bless thee, and give thee a long and prosperous life upon earth."

Then turning to his wife, Taylor said, "My dear wife, I need not tell thee to continue steadfast in the faith. I have tried to be unto thee a faithful yokefellow; and so hast thou been to me; for the which I doubt not, my dear, but God will reward thee. Now the time is come that I am to be taken away, and thou wilt be freed from the wedlock bond: therefore I will give thee my counsel, what I think best for thee. Thou art yet a young and comely woman, and therefore, it may be proper for thee to marry again; for, doubtless, thou wilt not be able thyself, alone, to support our dear children, nor be out of trouble till thou art married. Therefore, should providence bring to thee some good, honest man, willing to support the poor children, marry him, and live in the Fear of God."

Having said these words, Taylor prayed with his family; and then he gave his wife an English prayer-book of the time of king Edward VI.; and to his son Thomas he gave a Latin book, containing writings of the early Christian fathers, telling of the courage and constancy of the ancient martyrs.

The next day, as early as two o'clock in the morning, the sheriff of London, and his officers, came to the prison to get Taylor and take him to Hadleigh, to be burned. Now his wife had heard that they would take him away, so she watched all night in St. Botolph's church porch, near by, having with her two children, the one named Elizabeth, thirteen years of age (who, being an orphan without father or mother, Taylor had brought up through charity from three years old), and the other named Mary, his own daughter.

Now, when the sheriff and his company came by St. Botolph's church, Elizabeth cried out, saying, "0 my dear father! Mother, mother, look! there is my father being led away!" Then his wife called, "Rowland, Rowland, where art thou?" for it was a very dark morning, so that the one could hardly see the other. Taylor answered, "Dear wife, I am here," and stopped. The sheriffs men would have forced him to go on; but the sheriff said, "Stay a little, masters, I pray you, and let him speak to his wife;" and so they stayed.

Then she came to him, and he took his daughter Mary in his arms; and he, his wife, and Elizabeth kneeled down, and said the Lord's prayer. At this sad sight the sheriff wept apace, and so did others of the company. Alter they had prayed, he rose up and kissed his wife, and took her by the hand, and said, "Farewell, my dear wife; be of good comfort, for I am quiet in my conscience. God shall find a father for my children." And then he kissed his daughter Mary, and said, "God bless thee, and make thee his servant;" and kissing Elizabeth, he said, "God bless thee. I pray you all stand strong and steadfast to Christ and his word." Then his wife said, "God be with thee, dear Rowland; I will meet thee at Hadleigh."

And so he was led forth to the inn called the Woolpack, and his wife followed him. As soon as they came there, he was put into a chamber, where he was kept with four yeomen of the guard and the sheriff's men. As soon as he was come into the chamber, he fell down on his knees and prayed. The sheriff then, seeing Taylor's wife there, would not let her speak any more with her husband, but gently desired her to go to his house and take it as her own, and promised her that her husband should lack nothing, and sent two officers to conduct her there. But she wished rather to go to her mother's; so the officers led her there, and charged her mother to keep her till they came again.

Dr. Taylor remained at the Woolpack inn until eleven in the forenoon, when the sheriff of Essex came to receive him, and they set out together on horseback. As they came out of the gate of the inn, John Hull, the faithful servant, was there waiting, having with him Taylor's son Thomas; John lifted up the boy that he might see his father, and then set him on the hone before him. The prisoner, taking off his hat, said, "Good people, this is my son." He then lifted up his eyes towards heaven, and prayed for the boy, laying his hand upon his head, and blessing him. After this he gave him back to John Hull, whom he shook by the hand, and said, "Thou hast been the faithfulest servant a man ever had"

When they came to Brentwood, the prisoner was greeted by his friends who saw him pass by; so they put on him a close hood, having two holes for his eyes, and one for his mouth, to breathe at They did this so that no man should know him or speak to him. Yet, all the way, Taylor was as joyful as if he had been going to take possession of an estate instead of to die a dreadful death. At Chelmsford they were met by the sheriff of Suffolk, who was to take him into that county to be executed. At supper, the sheriff of Essex very earnestly persuaded the prisoner to return to the Romish religion, and said, " Good master doctor, we are right sorry for you: God has given you great learning and wisdom, wherefore you have been in great favor in times past with the rulers of this realm. Besides this, you me a man of goodly person, in your best strength, and by nature likely to live many years, and without doubt you should in time to came be in as good reputation as ever you were, or rather better. For you are well beloved of all men, as well for your virtues as for your learning, and it were a great pity you should cast yourself away willingly, and so come to such a painful and shameful death. You would do much better to recant your opinions, and return to the church of Rome, acknowledge the pope to be the supreme head of the church, and reconcile yourself to him. You may do well yet, if you will; and doubtless may find favor at the queen's hands." But Taylor firmly refused to listen to their entreaties, so that the sheriff and his company were amazed at his constancy.

The next day they went on to Hadleigh. When they had come near to the town there waited, in the road, a poor man with five small children; who, when he saw Dr. Taylor, held up his hands, and cried out, "0 dear friend and good pastor, Dr. Taylor, God help thee, as thou hast many a time helped me and my poor children!" The sheriff and others that led Taylor were astonished at this; and the sheriff rebuked the poor man for crying out so. But soon the streets of Hadleigh were filled on both sides of the way with men and women, who waited to see their good pastor; and when they beheld him led to death, they cried one to another, "Ah! there goes our good friend, who so faithfully hath taught us, so fatherly hath cared for us, and so kindly hath governed us. Good Lord, strengthen him, and comfort him!"

At last, coming to Aldham common, the place where Taylor was to suffer, he asked, "What place is this, and why are so many people gathered here?" It was answered, "It is Aldham common, the place where you must burn; and the people are come to look upon you." Taylor replied, "Thanks to God, I am near home!" Then he alighted from his horse, and with both his hands rent the hood, which had been put on him to prevent his being known, from his head. He then stood a little apart from the guards, and looked about him.

When the people saw his familiar face and long white beard, they burst out weeping, and cried, "God save thee, good Dr. Taylor!" Then he would have spoken to the people, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, one of the guards thrust the end of a staff into his mouth, and prevented his uttering a word.

Then Taylor asked of the sheriff permission to speak; but the sheriff refused, and bade him remember his promise to the council.

"Well," replied Taylor, "a promise must be kept." What promise he referred to is unknown; but the common saying was, that after he and others were condemned, the council sent for them, and threatened they would cut their tongues out of their heads, unless they would promise that at their burning they would keep silence, and not speak to the people. Wherefore they, desiring to have the use of their tongues for the little time they might live, promised that they would remain silent when brought to the stake.

When Taylor saw that he could not speak, he sat down, and seeing a man, long at enmity with him, named Soyce, he called him, and said, "Soyce, I pray thee come and pull off my boots, and take them for your labor. Thou hast long looked for them, now take them." Then he stood up and took off his clothes to his shirt, and gave them away. This being done, he said with a loud voice, "Good people, I have taught you nothing but God's holy word, and those lessons that I have taken out of God's blessed book, the Bible; and I am come hither this day to confirm it with my blood." No sooner had he spoken these words, than Homes, yeoman of the guard, who had used the prisoner very cruelly all the way, gave him a great stroke upon the head with a staff and said, "Is that the keeping of thy promise, thou heretic?" Seeing they would not permit him to speak, Taylor kneeled down and prayed, and a poor woman that was among the people came close and prayed with him; but they thrust her away, and threatened to tread her down with horses. In spite of this, she would not go away, but remained and prayed with him. When he had prayed, he went to the stake, and set himself into a pitch-barrel, which they had prepared for him to stand in, and so stood with his back upright against the stake, with his hands folded together, and his eyes toward heaven.

The fagots were then brought, and the fire kindled. One man standing near cruelly cast a piece of wood out of the fire at him, which struck him upon the head, and broke his face, so that the blood ran down. Then said Taylor, "0 friend, I have hurt enough; what needed that?"

Sir John Shelton standing by, as Taylor was speaking and saying the fifty-first psalm,"Have mercy upon us," struck him on the lips; "Ye knave," said he, "speak in Latin, or I will make thee." Taylor, holding up both his hands, called upon God, and said, "Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus sake, receive my soul into thy hands!" So he stood still in the fire, without either crying or moving, with his hands folded together, till at last, Soyce, with a halberd, struck him on the head, and he fell down into the fire.

Rowland Taylor Memorial Bronze Plaque

St. Mary's, Hadleigh

Gloria in altillimis deo (Glory to God in the Highest) Of Rowland Taylor's fame and show An excellent Divine And Doctor of the Civil law A preacher rare and fine King Henry and king Edward days Preacher and parson here That gave to God continual praise And kept his flock in fear And for the truth condemned to die He was in fiery flame Where he received patiently The torment of the same And strongely suffered to the end Which made the standers by Rejoice in God to see their friend And pastor so to Die O Taylor were thy mighty fame Uprightly here enrolled Thy Deeds deserve that thy good name Were ciphered here in gold Obit Anno din. 1555 (Died in the Year of Our Lord 1555)

Rowland Taylor (October 6, 1510 - February 9, 1555) was an English martyr during the Marian Persecutions.

He was born in Northumberland, England, and died at Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. Taylor received his L.L.B. degree from Cambridge University. From 1531-1538 Rowland Taylor was Principal of Borden Hostel. In 1534 he received the L.L.D. from Cambridge, the same year Martin Luther completed his German Bible. One year later, 1535, William Tyndale was tried and denounced as a heretic for his new English Bible translation. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. Rowland's wife - Margaret Tyndale - was William Tyndale's niece.

At the time of his death he was Rector (an Anglican parish priest) of a small parish in a small market town called Hadleigh (also spelled Hadley). Taylor provided pastoral leadership for several parishes in the English county of Suffolk. He was Queen Mary's third martyr, among 250 or so during her five year reign, as she attempted to bring the Counter-Reformation to England. His sentence was execution by burning at the stake, the common method of punishment for dealing with heretics in the 16th century. However, Taylor is viewed by Protestants as one of their great Christian martyrs.

Dr. Taylor married Margaret Tyndall, c. 1539. They had nine children, four of whom lived to adulthood. After Dr. Taylor's death, his widow married Rev. Wright.

Taylor's religious career

In the late 1530s Taylor served as Hugh Latimer's chaplain and commissary general of the Diocese of Winchester. In March 1538 Taylor was collated by Latimer to the parish church of Hanbury. When Hugh Latimer resigned, Taylor was taken under the wing of Thomas Cranmer, living with him and (1539) serving as his chaplain. He was ordained by Cranmer and admitted to the parish church of St. Swithins in Worcester, England. He was thus given his license to preach and did so in the diocese of London. On April 16, 1544 he was presented to the living of Hadleigh, Suffolk, thus becoming their spiritual leader and Rector. In 1543 the English Parliament banned Tyndale's English version and all public reading of the Bible by laymen. Religious persecution of Protestant clergy, especially by Roman Catholics, intensified in Britain at this time. In 1546 the Council of Trent, an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, decreed that the Latin Vulgate was the authoritative version of the Bible. In the Summer of 1547 Rowland Taylor was employed as a preacher for the royal visitation within the dioceses of Lincoln, Oxford, Lichfield and Coventry. On August 15, 1547 he became canon of Rochester, the same King Henry the VIII died, January. 1548, Taylor was appointed Archdeacon of Bury St Edmunds and preached at the request of the Lord Mayor at Whitsuntide or Pentecost. Edward VI, who reigned from 1547–1553, followed Henry VIII and in 1549 the Book of Common Prayer became the Protestant liturgical text in England. In 1550, Taylor was called to serve on a commission against Anabaptists. The same year he also helped to administer the vacant diocese of Norwich. In 1551, at age 41, Taylor was made Archdeacon of Exeter in the Diocese of Exeter, was also appointed one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral and was appointed chancellor to Bishop Nicholas Ridley. His leadership was expanded by serving on a commission to revise the ecclesiastical laws. In 1552, he helped administer the vacant Diocese of Worcester. On July 25, 1553, he was arrested just six days after the new Queen, Mary I, ascended the throne. He was charged with heresy for having preached a sermon in Bury St. Edmunds denouncing the Roman Catholic practice of clerical celibacy, which required that a priest in holy orders be unmarried. He was later released and continued his ministry. Martydom

January 1555 was an ominous month for Anglican clergy in England. After several years of separation from Roman worship and governance, the accession of Mary I in 1553 and her immediate reversion to Roman Catholic rule in obedience to the Pope (an attempt to turn back the Reformation of the English Church) led her to unleash her wrath upon those whom she defined as treasonably minded heretics. On January 22, 1555, Rowland Taylor (Rector of Hadleigh), and several other clergy, including John Hooper, were examined by a commission of leading bishops and lawyers. The Lord Chancellor presided at the hearings. Just two days previously, January 20th, Parliament had revived the old statute of burning convicted heretics.

Dr. Taylor, in March 1553/4 offered strenuous opposition to the performance of mass by a priest in his church at Hadleigh. He appeared at the church during the mass and demanded it be stopped, calling the priest an idolater. He was arrested and taken to prison in London, charged with heresy. On 8 May following he signed the confession of faith of the religious prisoners and their protest against the way in which disputations were managed. He was examined on various occasions by Gardiner, whom he charged with breaking his oath to Henry VIII and Edward VI. On 22 Jan. 1554/5 he was condemned to death, on the 29th he was excommunicated, and on 4 Feb. he was degraded (stripped of his clerical garments in a symbolic manner) by Bonner.

He was removed to Hadleigh, and on 9 Feb. was burnt on Aldham Common, near Hadleigh. A local butcher was ordered to set a torch to the wood but resisted. A couple of bystanders finally threw a lighted torch on to the wood. A sympathetic guard named Warwick struck Dr. Taylor over the head with a halbard, which apparently killed him instantly. The fire consumed his body shortly thereafter.

His final words to his son Thomas are moving:

"Almighty God bless thee, and give you his Holy Spirit, to be a true servant of Christ, to learn his word, and constantly to stand by his truth all the life long. And my son, see that thou fear God always. Fly from all sin and wicked living. Be virtuous, serve God daily with prayer, and apply thy boke. In anywise see thou be obedient to thy mother, love her, and serve her. Be ruled by her now in thy youth, and follow her good counsel in all things. Beware of lewd company of young men, that fear not God, but followeth their lewd lusts and vain appetites. Flee from whoredom, and hate all filthy lying, remembering that I they father do die in the defense of holy marriage. And another day when God shall bless thee, love and cherish the poor people, and count that thy chief riches to be rich in alms. And when thy mother is waxed old, forsake her not, but provide for her to thy power, and see that she lacks nothing. For so will God bless thee, give thee long life upon earth, and prosperity, which I pray God to grant thee."

Links to additional material:

http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/foxs-book-of-martyrs/the-lif... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowland_Taylor http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Taylor,_Rowland_(DNB00) http://rowlandtaylor.wordpress.com/category/1510/ http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/TAYLOR/2000-03/095280... Inscription on Dr Rowland TAYLOR's monument erected in 1818, at Hadley ENGLAND

Under this stone, lo, here doth lie

Dust sacrificed to tyranny:

Yet precious in Immanuel's sight

Since martyred for his kingly right

When He condemns their hellish druges

By suffering saints shall judge their judges.

1530 - LLD Cambridge 1538 - Rector of Hanbury, Worcestershire 1539 - Advocate in Law, Chaplain to Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury 1544 - Rector of Hadleigh 1552 - Archdeacon of Cornwall 1554/55 - Burned at the stake after conviction of heresy The Life and Conduct of Dr. Rowland Taylor of Hadley

from Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe (1517 - 1587) Dr. Rowland Taylor, vicar of Hadley, in Suffolk, was a man of eminent learning, and had been admitted to the degree of doctor of the civil and canon law. His attachment to the pure and uncorrupted principles of Christianity recommended him to the favour and friendship of Dr. Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, with whom he lived a considerable time, until through his interest he obtained the living at Hadley.

Not only was his word a preaching unto them, but all his life and conversation was an example of unfeigned Christian life and true holiness. He was void of all pride, humble and meek as any child; so that none were so poor but they might boldly, as unto their father, resort unto him; neither was his lowliness childish or fearful, but, as occasion, time, and place required, he would be stout in rebuking the sinful and evildoers; so that none was so rich but he would tell them plainly his fault, with such earnest and grave rebukes as became a good curate and pastor. He was a man very mild, void of all rancor, grudge or evil will; ready to do good to all men; readily forgiving his enemies; and never sought to do evil to any.

To the poor that were blind, lame, sick, bedrid, or that had many children, he was a very father, a careful patron, and diligent provider, insomuch that he caused the parishioners to make a general provision for them; and he himself (beside the continual relief that they always found at his house) gave an honest portion yearly to the common almsbox. His wife also was an honest, discreet, and sober matron, and his children well nurtured, brought up in the fear of God and good learning. He was a good salt of the earth, savorly biting the corrupt manners of evil men; a light in God's house, set upon a candlestick for all good men to imitate and follow.

Thus continued this good shepherd among his flock, governing and leading them through the wilderness of this wicked world, all the days of the most innocent and holy king of blessed memory, Edward VI. But on his demise, and the succession of Queen Mary to the throne, he escaped not the cloud that burst on so many beside; for two of his parishioners, Foster, an attorney, and Clark, a tradesman, out of blind zeal, resolved that Mass should be celebrated, in all its superstitious forms, in the parish church of Hadley, on Monday before Easter. This Dr. Taylor, entering the church, strictly forbade; but Clark forced the Doctor out of the church, celebrated Mass, and immediately informed the lord-chancellor, bishop of Winchester, of his behaviour, who summoned him to appear, and answer the complaints that were alleged against him.

The doctor upon the receipt of the summons, cheerfully prepared to obey the same; and rejected the advice of his friends to fly beyond sea. When Gardiner saw Dr. Taylor, he, according to his common custom, reviled him. Dr. Taylor heard his abuse patiently, and when the bishop said, "How darest thou look me in the face! Knowest thou not who I am?" Dr Taylor replied: "You are Dr. Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, and lord-chancellor, and yet but a mortal man. But if I should be afraid of your lordly looks, why fear ye not God, the Lord of us all? With what countenance will you appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and answer to your oath made first unto King Henry VIII, and afterward unto King Edward VI, his son?"

A long conversation ensued, in which Dr. Taylor was so piously collected and severe upon his antagonist, that he exclaimed: "Thou art a blasphemous heretic! Thou indeed blasphemest the blessed Sacrament, (here he put off his cap) and speakest against the holy Mass, which is made a sacrifice for the quick and the dead." The bishop afterward committed him into the king's bench.

When Dr. Taylor came there, he found the virtuous and vigilant preacher of God's Word, Mr. Bradford, who equally thanked God that He had provided him with such a comfortable fellow-prisoner; and they both together praised God, and continued in prayer, reading and exhorting one another.

After Dr. Taylor had lain some time in prison, he was cited to appear in the arches of Bow-church. Dr. Taylor being condemned, was committed to the Clink, and the keepers were charged to treat him roughly; at night he was removed to the Poultry Compter. When Dr. Taylor had lain in the Compter about a week on the fourth of February, Bonner came to degrade him, bringing with him such ornaments as appertained to the massing mummery; but the Doctor refused these trappings until they were forced upon him. The night after he was degraded his wife came with John Hull, his servant, and his son Thomas, and were by the gentleness of the keepers permitted to sup with him.

After supper, walking up and down, he gave God thanks for His grace, that had given him strength to abide by His holy Word. With tears they prayed together, and kissed one another. Unto his son Thomas he gave a Latin book, containing the notable sayings of the old martyrs, and in the end of that he wrote his testament: "I say to my wife, and to my children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favourable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye therefore in Him by the means of our dear Saviour Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him: pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home."

On the morrow the sheriff of London with his officers came to the Compter by two o'clock in the morning, and brought forth Dr. Taylor; and without any light led him to the Woolsack, an inn without Aldgate. Dr. Taylor's wife, suspecting that her husband should that night be carried away, watched all night in St. Botolph's church-porch beside Aldgate, having her two children, the one named Elizabeth, of thirteen years of age (whom, being left without father or mother, Dr. Taylor had brought up of alms from three years old), the other named Mary, Dr. Taylor's own daughter.

Now, when the sheriff and his company came against St. Botolph's church, Elizabeth cried, saying, "O my dear father! mother, mother, here is my father led away." Then his wife cried, "Rowland, Rowland, where art thou?" for it was a very dark morning, that the one could not well see the other. Dr. Taylor answered, "Dear wife, I am here", and stayed. The sheriff's men would have led him forth but the sheriff said, "Stay a little, masters, I pray you; and let him speak to his wife", and so they stayed.

Then came she to him, and he took his daughter Mary in his arms; and he, his wife, and Elizabeth kneeled down and said the Lord's Prayer, at which sight the sheriff wept apace, and so did divers others of the company. After they had prayed, he rose up and kissed his wife, and shook her by the hand, and said, "Farewell, my dear wife, be of good comfort, for I am quiet in my conscience. God shall stir up a father for my children."

All the way Dr. Taylor was joyful and merry, as one that accounted himself going to a most pleasant banquet or bridal feast. He spake many notable things to the sheriff and yeomen of the guard that conducted him, and often moved them to weep, through his much earnest calling upon them to repent, and to amend their evil and wicked living. Oftentimes also he caused them to wonder and rejoice, to see him so constant and steadfast, void of all fear, joyful in heart, and glad to die.

When Dr. Taylor had arrived at Aldham Common, the place where he should suffer, seeing a great multitude of people, he asked, "What place is this, and what meaneth it that so much people are gathered hither?" It was answered, "It is Aldham Common, the place where you must suffer; and the people have come to look upon you." Then he said, "Thanked be God, I am even at home" and he alighted from his horse and with both hands rent the hood from his head.

His head had been notched and clipped like as a man would clip a fool's; which cost the good bishop Bonner had bestowed upon him. But when the people saw his reverend and ancient face, with a long white beard, they burst out with weeping tears, and cried, saying: "God save thee, good Dr. Taylor! Jesus Christ strengthen thee, and help thee! the Holy Ghost comfort thee!" with such other like good wishes. When he had prayed, he went to the stake and kissed it, and set himself into a pitch barrel, which they had put for him to stand in, and stood with his back upright against the stake, with his hands folded together, and his eyes towards heaven, and continually prayed.

They then bound him with the chains, and having set up the fagots, one Warwick cruelly cast a fagot at him, which struck him on his head, and cut his face, so that the blood ran down. Then said Dr. Taylor, "O friend, I have harm enough; what needed that?"

Sir John Shelton standing by, as Dr. Taylor was speaking, and saying the Psalm Miserere in English, struck him on the lips: "You knave," he said, "speak Latin, I will make thee." At last they kindled the fire; and Dr. Taylor holding up both his hands, calling upon God, and said, "Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus Christ, my Saviour's sake, receive my soul into Thy hands."

So he stood still without either crying or moving, with his hands folded together, until Joyce, with a halberd struck him on the head until his brains fell out, and the corpse fell down into the fire.

Thus rendered up this man of God his blessed soul into the hands of his merciful Father, and to his most dear Saviour Jesus Christ, whom he most entirely loved, faithfully and earnestly preached, obediently followed in living, and constantly glorified in death.

• ***** On October 5, 1551 Rev. John Taylor and Dr. Rowland Taylor were among the 32 men appointed to reform the Canon Laws, still in use.

When persecution began in England soon after the death of Henry VIII , many Protestants fled to other countries. It is believed that Dr. Taylor's brothers Edmond and Nathaniel went to Ireland when he was martyred.

Dr. Rowland Taylor was educated at Cambridge where he specialized in ecclesiastical and Civil Law and received L.L.D. in 1530 In 1531 he was appointed Principal of Borden Hostel in Cambridge where he trained students in civil and canon law. Thomas Bilney, who preached at Hadleigh before Dr. Rowland Taylor arrived, was a former student at Broden Hostel. By legal injunction the hostel came to an end in 1535.

In March 1538 Dr. Rowland Taylor was appointed Rector of Hanbury, Worcester Diocese. On November 3, 1539 he was admitted as Advocate in Law and the same year was ordained a deacon and became Chaplain to Thomas Cranmer who had become Archbishop of Canterbury March 30, 1533.

In 1542 Dr. Taylor was ordained a Priest and on April 16, 1544 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer appointed him Rector of Hadleigh in the Deanery of Bocking, a Peculiar under the Archbishop of Canterbury. On May 3, 1552 Dr. Taylor was appointed to the Archdeaconry of Cornwall for life.

Hadleigh of County Suffolk, England is an old town dating back to Guthrum (d 890) King of the East Anglians. Located on the river Brett, the town was the center of the cloth-making industry. Five of the famous Mercantile Guilds, including Merchant Tailors, were located there. Their representatives were responsible for town government. The Guild Hall, still in good repair, is near St. Mary's Church. Members met at the hall for business and banqueting and afterwards marched tin procession to the church.

Dr. Taylor was first arrested July 25, 1553 when he was accused of being involved in the case of Lady Jane Grey. He was released on November 9th. During his absence the Catholic Mass had been restored and became mandatory in December.

In March 1554 Dr. Taylor was again arrested for his objections to the Catholic Mass in his church. Before leaving for prison he appointed "A godly old priest, age 70, Sir Richard Yeoman" to take charge of the church. Yeoman was tortured and burned at the stake July 10, 1558.

John Alcocke, a Shearman by trade, came to Hadleigh looking for work and after Yeoman's death, he read services at the church. He was an old man, too. When Parson Newell came to preach one Sunday and Alcocke, who was standing in the back, failed to remove his cap, Newell had him arrested as a heretic; Robert Rolfe tried to reason with the Parson and with Alcocke to no avail.

There is a brass memorial in Hadleigh Church near the Vestry door which says, "Here lieth buried the bodies of Briddgett Champnies and Thomas Champnies her second son the wife and son of Richard Champnies of Bexley in County of New Kent and third daughter of Robert Rolfe of Hadley in County of Suffolk who left this life the 18the day of September 1617."

After defending his faith before church officials, Alcocke was thrown into the lowest dungeon of Newgate Prison where he died of ill treatment and neglect. His body, like Yeoman's, was thrown out into a field with no burial.

John Bradford, who was already in prison, became Dr. Taylor's cellmate. They were both tried and sentenced to death January 22, 1555. Archbishop Cranmer and more than 800 others were also sentenced soon afterwards and died at the stake.

On February 5, 1555 at 2:00 P.M. the officials put Dr. Taylor in a room at the "Woolsack", an inn near the prison, to await transport to Hadleigh. Margaret suspected they would take him away in the night, so she and two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, waited nearby.

They brought Dr. Taylor out at 11:00 P.M. and Margaret and the children ran to meet him to say goodbye. A short distance further, a servant, John Hull, waited with Thomas to say goodbye.

At Chelmsford Dr. Taylor was delivered to the Sheriff of Suffolk who took him on to Lavenham where Dr. Taylor spent two nights in the cellar of the Guild Hall of Corpus Christi. While there, many "great men and justices" came to persuade Dr. Taylor to change his mind, to no avail.

On the way to Aldham Common Dr. Taylor spent another night at the old hostel in Sudbury, known as the White Hart.

During Dr. Taylor's trial he said he had 9 children, 5 of whom were deceased: Susan, George, Ellen, Robert, Zachary. A son Thomas b. September 15, 1548 was 6 years old when his father died.

The following children with the same names as the deceased children of Dr. Rowland were children of Thomas Taylor, apparently brother of Dr. Rowland. Thomas was b c 1513 and m about 1534.

Susan Taylor b 20 July 1535 m Mordecai Pendleton 6 May 1558. Ellen Taylor b 6 August 1557 m Thomas Harrison 9 Dec. 1561. Robert Taylor b 11 Aug 1543 m Milly Tyndale 30 April 1570. Zachary Taylor b 29 Nov 1545 m Elizabeth Nelson 9 Oct 1575. George Taylor b 17 Dec 1546 m Elizabeth Gaines 10 Apr 1581.

An inscription in All Saints Chapel, York Minister, names Anne Taylor daughter of Rowland Taylor as wife of William Palmer, Rector of Kirk Deighton and Weldrakes, Yorkes. They had 7 children.

This accounts for 8 of Dr. Rowland Taylor's children by wife Margaret, or it may be that Anne and adopted daughter Elizabeth were by other woman, which would account for the 9. Elizabeth had been adopted at age 3.

Sometime after Dr. Taylor's death, his widow Margaret m Rev. Charles Wright of Yorkshire, B.A. 1553-4, St. John's College. He became Vicar of Chesterton near Cambridge in 1557.

(Source: The life of Dr. Rowland Taylor, by William James Brown, courtesy of Rev. John Betton, present Rector of Hadleigh, Suffolk, England.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23000159 Birth: Oct. 6, 1510 Northumberland, England Death: Feb. 9, 1555 Suffolk, England

Rowland Taylor was influential in the religious reformation of England during the reign of Queen Mary I. At the time of his death he was rector of a small church in Hadleigh, England. The English Parliament banned the William Tyndale English Bible in 1543. During this time, many people who opposed the Catholic church teachings were put to death. Taylor opposed several Catholic teachings, including celibacy of a priest and the way the church practiced Holy Communion. On March 26, 1554 he was arrested for hersey because he was spreading the word of God in public. He was burned at the stake on February 09, 1555. Before being burned at the stake, he was killed by having his skull bashed.

He was the son of John Taylor & Susan Rowland Taylor.

Husband of Margaret Tyndale Taylor

Children: Susan Taylor Anne Taylor Ellen Taylor Harrison Robert Taylor Zachary Taylor George Taylor Thomas Taylor, I Mary Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Annie Taylor Palmer

Burial: Hadleigh, St Mary Churchyard Hadleigh Babergh District Suffolk, England

Created by: Paul Taylor "Moochie" Record added: Nov 20, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 23000159

Educated at Cambridge in Ecclesiastical & Civil Law LLD in 1530 On May 3 1552 was appointed to Archdeacon of Cornwall for life. Died at the stake for heresy

Birth: Oct. 6, 1510 Northumberland, England Death: Feb. 9, 1555 Suffolk, England Rowland Taylor was influential in the religious reformation of England during the reign of Queen Mary I. At the time of his death he was rector of a small church in Hadleigh, England. The English Parliament banned the William Tyndale English Bible in 1543. During this time, many people who opposed the Catholic church teachings were put to death. Taylor opposed several Catholic teachings, including celibacy of a priest and the way the church practiced Holy Communion. On March 26, 1554 he was arrested for hersey because he was spreading the word of God in public. He was burned at the stake on February 09, 1555. Before being burned at the stake, he was killed by having his skull bashed.

He was the son of John Taylor & Susan Rowland Taylor.

Husband of Margaret Tyndale Taylor

Children: Susan Taylor Anne Taylor Ellen Taylor Harrison Robert Taylor Zachary Taylor George Taylor Thomas Taylor, I Mary Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Annie Taylor Palmer

Family links:

Parents: John Taylor (1478 - 1550) Susan Rowland Taylor (1482 - 1582) Spouse: Margaret Tyndale Taylor (1510 - ____) Burial: St Mary Churchyard Hadleigh Babergh District Suffolk, England

Rowland Taylor (sometimes spelled "Tayler")[1] (6 October 1510 – 9 February 1555) was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions.

At the time of his death by burning at the stake, he was Rector of a small parish in a market town, Hadleigh in Suffolk.

Early life and education[edit] Taylor was born in Northumberland. In 1530, he received his LL.B. degree from Cambridge University. From 1531 to 1538 he was principal of Borden Hostel. In 1534 he received the LL.D. from Cambridge, the same year Martin Luther completed his German Bible. One year later, in 1535, William Tyndale was tried and denounced as a heretic for his new English Bible translation. Tyndale was burned at the stake in 1536. Taylor's wife - Margaret Tyndale - was William Tyndale's niece.

Religious career[edit] In the late 1530s Taylor served as Hugh Latimer's chaplain and commissary general of the diocese of Winchester. In March 1538 Taylor was collated by Latimer to the parish church of Hanbury, Worcestershire. When Hugh Latimer resigned, Taylor was taken under the wing of Thomas Cranmer, living with him and (1539) serving as his chaplain. He was ordained by Cranmer and admitted to the parish church of St. Swithin's in Worcester. He was thus given his licence to preach and did so in the diocese of London. On 16 April 1544, he was presented to the living of Hadleigh, Suffolk, thus becoming their spiritual leader and rector. In 1543 the English Parliament banned Tyndale's English version and all public reading of the Bible by laymen. Religious persecution of Protestant clergy, especially by Roman Catholics, intensified in Britain at this time. In 1546 the Council of Trent, an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, decreed that the Latin Vulgate was the authoritative version of the Bible. In the summer of 1547, Taylor was employed as a preacher for the royal visitation within the dioceses of Lincoln, Oxford, Lichfield and Coventry. On 15 August 1547, he became canon of Rochester, the same year during which King Henry VIII had died in January. In 1548, Taylor was appointed archdeacon of Bury St Edmunds and preached at the request of the Lord Mayor at Whitsuntide or Pentecost. Edward VI, who reigned from 1547 to 1553, followed Henry VIII, and in 1549 the Book of Common Prayer became the Protestant liturgical text in England. In 1550, Taylor was called to serve on a commission against Anabaptists. The same year, he also helped to administer the vacant diocese of Norwich. In 1551, at age 41, Taylor was made archdeacon of Exeter in the diocese of Exeter, was also appointed one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral and was appointed chancellor to Bishop Nicholas Ridley. His leadership was expanded by serving on a commission to revise the ecclesiastical laws. In 1552, he helped administer the vacant diocese of Worcester. Political troubles from 1553[edit] Taylor's troubles began on 25 July 1553. He was arrested just six days after the new queen, Mary I, ascended the throne. Aside from the fact that Taylor had supported Lady Jane Grey, Mary's rival, he was also charged with heresy for having preached a sermon in Bury St Edmunds denouncing the Roman Catholic practice of clerical celibacy, which required that a priest in holy orders be unmarried. Many English clergymen, including Taylor, had abandoned this teaching since the 1530s as a token of the English Reformation.

Taylor also denounced the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, which is the belief that the two elements (bread and wine) taken during Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Since the Roman Catholic position is that the Eucharist (and the miracle of transubstantiation) is a sacrament commanded by God, anyone denying it, particularly a cleric or pastor, is considered a heretic. This teaching was opposed universally by the Reformed and Protestant Churches, who maintained that, since a sacrament is a sign, it cannot also be the thing signified. For similar reasons relating to the problem of idolatry, Taylor took issue with the Roman Catholic form of the Mass and received much support from the villagers of Hadleigh.

These issues came to a head after Edward VI died (6 July 1553) and was succeeded by Queen Mary I. In 1554, Mary began a program of re-establishing Catholicism in England. However, the English clergy and Anglican faithful, whose hopes for a Protestant royal succession had been dashed by Mary's imprisonment and execution of Lady Jane Grey, saw it as a matter of English Christian duty to resist this backlash, not least to resist the political ambitions of the king of Spain (Philip II, whom Mary married) to draw England within the sphere of the Holy Roman Empire and its Roman Catholic satellites. Although Mary, as Henry VIII's eldest daughter, was a legitimate successor to Edward VI, England was no longer minded to tolerate a Roman Catholic monarch, and the courage and endurance unto death of men such as Taylor provided the public example which ensured that the Reformation was not in fact overturned, but became established in the realm of England.

On 26 March 1554, the Privy Council ordered the arrest of Taylor, and he thus appeared before Bishop Stephen Gardiner. The proceedings against Taylor ran over several years. During this time he was kept in the King's Bench Prison. While in prison he befriended many inmates and was instrumental in many conversions to Anglicanism.

Trial and martyrdom[edit] January 1555 was an ominous month for Anglican clergy in England. After several years of separation from Roman worship and governance, the accession of Mary I in 1553 and her immediate reversion to Roman Catholic rule in obedience to the pope (an attempt to turn back the Reformation of the English church) led her to unleash her wrath upon those whom she defined as treasonably minded heretics. On 22 January 1555, Rowland Taylor (vicar or rector of Hadleigh) and several other clergy, including John Hooper, were examined by a commission of leading bishops and lawyers. As Lord Chancellor, Gardiner presided at the hearings. Just two days previously, on 20 January, Parliament had revived the old statute for burning convicted heretics.

One of the men, Edward Crome, recanted and was thus pardoned. William Barlow equivocated and was sent to the Tower of London, but not executed. Rowland Taylor, who remained committed, was probably taken to Compter Prison in London after his examination by Gardiner. Taylor gave a fervent defence of clerical marriage, which put him at odds with the Roman Catholic Church.

On 29 January 1555, Taylor was brought before Gardiner again at St Mary's. The next day he was excommunicated and sentenced to death. He was stripped of his clerical garments in a symbolic manner, and offered a last supper with his family.

His reaction to his accusers, as recorded by the martyrologist John Foxe, was this:[2]

"And although I know, that there is neither justice nor truth to be looked for at my adversaries hands, but rather imprisonment and cruel death: yet know my cause to be so good and righteous, and the truth so strong upon my side, that I will by God's grace go and appear before them and to their beards resist their false doings."

Final words[edit] Taylor was taken back to Hadleigh, where his wife awaited him in the early morning hours at St Botolph's churchyard. They exchanged a few last brief words and Margaret promised to be present for his burning in a couple of days. That same day, Taylor was handed over to the sheriff of Essex at Chelmsford. Before he was handed over, he spoke these words to his family:

"I say to my wife, and to my children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favourable, than is any father or husband. Trust ye therefore in Him by the means of our dear Saviour Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him: pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live, and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our long home."

Following Rogers on 4 February and Saunders on 8 February, Taylor became Mary's third Protestant to be burned at the stake. His execution took place on 9 February 1555, at Aldham Common just to the north of Hadleigh. His wife, two daughters, and his son Thomas were present that day.

His final words to his son Thomas, as reported by Foxe:

"Almighty God bless thee, and give you his Holy Spirit, to be a true servant of Christ, to learn his word, and constantly to stand by his truth all the life long. And my s ---

Disputed Pedigree

https://groups.google.com/g/soc.genealogy.medieval/c/VWD4Sj_G0mw?pli=1

So, to review:

• 0. Taillefer... [fictitious character; not authentic progenitor of any bearing