Henry Brinklow facts for kids

Henry Brinklow, also known as Brynklow or Brinkelow, was an English writer who lived a long time ago. He was born in the early 1500s and died around 1545 or 1546. He often wrote under a secret name, or pseudonym, which was Roderyck Mors or Roderigo Mors. Because of this, some people at the time might have known him by his secret name instead of his real one.

Henry Brinklow's Life

Henry Brinklow was the oldest of nine children. His father, Robert Brinklow, was a farmer in a place called Kintbury, in Berkshire. Henry spent most of his life in London. Living in London allowed him to see many important political changes happening in England.

He worked as a mercer, which meant he was a merchant who sold cloth and other goods. This job helped him meet people who believed in reforming the church, known as Evangelical Christians. One of these people was Richard Harris, who was a chaplain for the Mercers' Company. These connections made Henry Brinklow want to see big changes in the church too.

Brinklow said he used to be a Franciscan friar, which is a type of religious brother. If this is true, he must have left the friars and gotten married at some point. He also claimed that he was sent away from England for a while because he spoke out against the bishops.

Henry Brinklow did not publish any of his writings before 1542. It was only after this time that the works of 'Roderyck Mors' started to be shared in England.

Brinklow died around January 20, 1546. He was quite wealthy when he died, leaving behind a good amount of money. He even left some money to "godly learned men" who fought against what he saw as evil in the church. He also left money to help people pay off their debts.

His will, written in 1545, was very strong, just like his writings. He asked for a simple funeral without any fancy ceremonies. He also asked that his wife not wear mourning clothes. His wife, Margery, later married three more times.

During his life, Henry Brinklow never publicly admitted that he was 'Roderick Mors'. It wasn't until the 1550s that a churchman named John Bale revealed that Mors was Brinklow's secret name. Brinklow kept his identity very secret. He had all his books printed in other countries to avoid being caught. Even Bishop Stephen Gardiner suspected that Mors was a secret name, but he thought it belonged to someone else.

Roderick Mors: His Ideas and Writings

Henry Brinklow, writing as Roderick Mors, was known for his strong opinions. He published a major work around 1544 or 1545. It was called "The complaynt of Roderyck Mors, somtyme a grey fryre, vnto the parliament howse of Ingland his natural cuntry for the redresse of certen wicked lawes, euel customs ad cruell decreys". This long title basically means it was a complaint from Roderick Mors, a former friar, to the English Parliament. He wanted them to fix bad laws, customs, and cruel rules.

In this important book, he wrote about many different topics:

• Economic Changes: He talked about how landlords were raising rents and how land was being enclosed (fenced off).
• Church Reform: He strongly believed that the old ways of the church, including bishops, needed to be completely removed. He even criticized King Henry VIII for not being clear enough about these changes.
• Social Issues: He also wanted big changes in society. He spoke out against problems like how people were treated under certain laws and how the two houses of Parliament should be combined.

Roderick Mors, the character Brinklow created, even had his own made-up story. He claimed to be a former Franciscan friar who had been sent away from England. This story fit well with the fact that Brinklow had his writings printed outside of England.

Brinklow was one of the first writers known as commonwealth men. These were Christian thinkers in the 1530s and 1540s who reacted to the problems and changes happening in England. He thought that greed and problems in society came from economic issues. He suggested that the King should use his wealth to help his people be successful.

He was also worried about how medicine was being ignored. Around 1542, when many monasteries were being closed (this was called the Dissolution of the Monasteries), he suggested that the money from the Church should be used to create medical facilities. He believed doctors and surgeons should live only on a fixed payment, or stipend, without taking any money from poor people. If they did, they would lose their payment and even their ears!

Brinklow's ideas were shared in three or four strong written arguments, called polemics. He definitely wrote two books that still exist today: The Complaynt of Roderyck Mors (from 1542) and Lamentacion of a Christian (also from 1542). It's also possible he wrote A Supplication of the Poore Commons, which was printed in 1546, the year he died. His known books were printed at least eight times, showing they were quite popular.

Quotations

• First come, first served. (found in The Complaynt of Roderyck Mors)
• What loss feels he that wots not what he loses? (Complaynt of Roderick Mors)