Julins Palmer facts for kids
Julins Palmer (died 1556) was an English Protestant who was killed for his religious beliefs during a time when England was changing its official religion. His first name, Julins, was likely a different spelling of Joscelin, and it has often been incorrectly written as Julius.
Early Life and Education
Julins Palmer was born in Coventry, which is in Warwickshire, England. When he was young, he went to Magdalen College School, Oxford. There, one of his teachers was John Harley, who later became a bishop.
Julins Palmer's father was Roger Palmer, a businessman in Coventry. His father was an important person in the town, serving as sheriff in 1525 and later as mayor in 1533.
During King Edward VI's Reign
After school, Julins Palmer became a student assistant at Magdalen College. He earned his first degree in March 1548. In 1549, he was chosen to be a fellow (a senior member of the college), and in 1550, he taught logic.
At this time, King Edward VI was on the throne, and England was becoming more Protestant. However, Julins Palmer was known for his strong Roman Catholic views. In 1552, he was accused of writing critical poems about the college president. Palmer denied this, but he spoke out so strongly against the Protestant reformers that he was removed from his position before July. After this, he became a private tutor for the family of Sir Francis Knollys.
During Queen Mary I's Reign
When Queen Mary I became queen, she brought back the Roman Catholic religion to England. Julins Palmer was then allowed to return to his position at Magdalen College. However, reading books like John Calvin's ‘Institutes’ and Peter Martyr's writings started to change his religious ideas.
Seeing important Protestant leaders like Ridley and Latimer executed also deeply affected him. He spoke out strongly against these executions. Because of this, he became a very strong Protestant, just as he had been a strong Catholic before. He stopped attending Catholic church services and would leave when certain parts he disagreed with happened.
To avoid being removed from his position again, he decided to leave Oxford. He found a job as a teacher at Reading School. But he was not left alone for long. Some of his enemies searched his study and found writings that were against the Roman Catholic Church. They threatened to report him unless he left Reading immediately.
Palmer tried to find safety with his mother, who lived in Eynsham. But she refused to help him because of his Protestant beliefs. He then seemed to get letters of recommendation for a teaching job in Gloucestershire. However, he made a risky trip back to Reading to get his writings and money he was owed. This led to his arrest.
He was brought before the mayor of Reading and then taken to Newbury. On July 16, 1556, he was questioned by a church court. He refused to agree to the articles (statements of belief) they presented to him. Because of this, he was sentenced to be burned to death. The sentence was carried out the next morning at a place known as the sandpits, near the town on the Enborne road.
Besides his answer to Peter Morwen, Julins Palmer is thought to have written other short pieces, but these were never printed and are not known to exist today.
