Thomas More (1478 - 1535)

Born 7 Feb 1478 in Milk Street, London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Joan Colt — married 1505 in Englonde, Cheshire, England

Descendants

Died 6 Jul 1535 at age 57 in Tower of London, London, England

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Biography

Thomas More is Notable.

Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535) was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important counsellor to Henry VIII and Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to 16 May 1532. More opposed the Protestant Reformation and the King's separation from the Catholic Church, and refused to accept him as Supreme Head of the Church of England. Tried for treason, More was convicted on perjured testimony and beheaded.

Born in Milk Street in London, on 7 February 1478, Thomas More was the son of Sir John More, a successful lawyer and later judge, and his wife Agnes (née Graunger). More married Jane Colt in 1505. She was nearly ten years younger. The couple had four children before Jane died in 1511: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cicely, and John. Within thirty days More had married the rich widow Alice Middleton as his second wife. More had no children from his second marriage, although he raised Alice's daughter from her previous marriage as his own.

He was elected to Parliament in 1504, eventually rising to the position of Speaker of the House of Commons in 1523. More was knighted by Henry the VIII in 1521. He became a Sub-Treasurer to the King that same year. Sir Thomas More was appointed the Lord Chancellor of England in 1529. He held this post until 1532 when he resigned due to differences with the King.

In 1526, Thomas was named a beneficiary and also an executor in the will of his father John. Thomas's son John was also named in the will. ^[1]

In 1533, More refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn as the Queen of England. He was charged with high treason for denying the validity of the Act of Supremacy. The Act of Supremacy stated that the divorce of Catherine of Aragon was legal and, contrary to the law of God, the marriage to Anne Boleyn is confirmed. The act also required persons of all stations take an oath swearing to maintain this act of succession. Thomas More refused to take the oath. On 1 July 1535, More was tried before a panel of judges that included the new Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, as well as Anne Boleyn's father, brother, and uncle. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered (the usual punishment for traitors who were not the nobility), but the King commuted this to execution by decapitation. The execution took place on 6 July 1535 at the Tower of London.

He was beatified on 29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII, and canonised on 19 May 1935 by Pope Pius XI. The feast day of St Thomas More is June 22, and he is the patron saint of adopted children lawyers, civil servants, politicians, and difficult marriages. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Sir John More: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858" The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 23 Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 5111 #862321 (accessed 9 October 2022) Will of Johannis More, granted probate on 5 Dec 1530. Died about 1530.
2. ↑ St Thomas More, Catholic Online, World Catholic Library Catholic.org accessed 19 December 2023

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More
• Marshall, George William. The Visitations of the County of Nottingham in the Years 1569 and 1614 (London, 1871) Page 183
• Chalmers, Alexander. The General Biographical Dictionary. 32 volumes. London: J. Nichols and Son, 1812-1817 Volume 22, Pg 358-381