Alexander Nowell facts for kids
Alexander Nowell (born around 1517, died February 13, 1602) was an important English church leader and thinker. He was a priest in the Church of England and served as the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London for most of Queen Elizabeth I's time on the throne. He is best known today for writing special books called catechisms, which helped teach people about the Christian faith.
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Early Life and Education
Alexander Nowell grew up in Lancashire, England. He was the oldest son of John Nowell. He had a brother named Laurence and another named Robert, who became a lawyer.
Alexander went to school in Middleton, near Rochdale, and then studied at Brasenose College, Oxford. He spent about 13 years at Oxford and became a fellow (a senior member) of the college in 1526. He even shared rooms with John Foxe, who wrote famous books about Christian martyrs.
Time in London
In 1543, Nowell became the headmaster of Westminster School in London. Later, in 1551, he was made a special priest (called a prebendary) at Westminster Abbey.
In 1553, Alexander Nowell was chosen to be a Member of Parliament for a place called West Looe. However, he couldn't keep his seat. A group in Parliament decided that because he was a prebendary at Westminster Abbey, he also had a place in a church council called Convocation. This meant he couldn't be in the House of Commons at the same time. He also lost his position at Westminster Abbey in 1554.
Leaving England (Marian Exile)
When Queen Mary I came to power, she was a Catholic and made England a Catholic country again. Many Protestants, like Nowell, had to leave England to avoid being punished for their beliefs. These people were known as the Marian exiles.
Nowell left England in 1555 and went to cities like Strassburg and Frankfurt. While he was away, he tried to help settle disagreements among the English Protestants living in exile.
Dean of St Paul's Cathedral
When Elizabeth I became Queen, England became Protestant again, and Nowell returned home. In 1561, he was given several important jobs in the church. In November 1561, he became the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London, a very important position.
In 1563, Nowell played a big part in a church meeting called the Convocation. He gave a sermon where he suggested that Queen Elizabeth should get married. This made the Queen upset, and it was said she never spoke kindly to him again. Despite this, he was chosen to lead the Lower House of the Convocation.
Nowell and the Queen had other disagreements. Once, she scolded him for giving her a prayer book with pictures of saints, which she thought looked too much like the Catholic Church. Another time, she interrupted his sermon, telling him to stick to his topic and not criticize the use of crucifixes.
In 1594, he also became a Canon at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, a position he held until his death.
Death and Lasting Impact
Alexander Nowell was the Dean of St Paul's for 42 years. He died on February 13, 1602, and was buried inside St Paul's Cathedral.
He and his brother Robert helped restart a free school in Middleton. He also gave money to Brasenose College, Oxford to help students.
After he died, people started telling a story that Alexander Nowell accidentally invented bottled beer! The story says he left a bottle of ale in the grass while fishing. When he found it days later, it made a loud "gun-like" sound when opened, showing it had become fizzy.
Nowell was also a big fan of fishing. A famous writer named Izaak Walton said that Nowell spent a tenth of his time fishing and gave a tenth of his money, and all his fish, to poor people living near the rivers where he fished. He believed that helping others brought life to religion.
His Writings (Catechisms)
Nowell is most famous for his work on catechisms. These were books that taught the basics of Christian faith. In 1563, he wrote a catechism in Latin. It was officially printed in 1570 and was required to be used in schools starting in 1571. It was also translated into English and later into Welsh. He also created shorter versions of his catechism for different age groups.
Family Life
Alexander Nowell was married twice but did not have any children. His first wife was Jane Mery, and his second was Elizabeth Hast. He was also the uncle of another important church thinker, William Whitaker.
