Thomas Cooper (bishop) facts for kids

Thomas Cooper (born around 1517, died April 29, 1594) was an important English bishop, a writer of dictionaries (a lexicographer), a religious scholar (a theologian), and an author. He lived during the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

Thomas Cooper's Life

Thomas Cooper was born in Oxford, England. He went to Magdalen College for his education. After finishing his studies, he became the head teacher at Magdalen College School. Later, he worked as a doctor in Oxford.

Becoming a Bishop

Queen Elizabeth I was very impressed with one of his books, a dictionary called Thesaurus. It was often known as Cooper's Dictionary. Around 1559, Thomas Cooper became a priest. In 1567, he was made the Dean of Christ Church, which is a high position in the church.

Two years later, in 1569, he became the Dean of Gloucester. He continued to rise in the church. In 1571, he was chosen to be the Bishop of Lincoln. A bishop is a senior leader in the Christian church. Then, in 1584, he became the Bishop of Winchester, another very important role.

Defending the Church

Thomas Cooper was known for strongly defending the beliefs and practices of the Church of England. He wrote against those who disagreed with the church, including Roman Catholics and a group called the Puritans. He worked to make sure the church's rules were followed in his area. He passed away in Winchester on April 29, 1594.

Thomas Cooper's Books

Thomas Cooper started his writing career in 1548. He helped to put together a Latin dictionary called Bibliotheca Eliotae. This book was originally started by Sir Thomas Elyot.

Cooper's Chronicle

In 1549, he published a book called Cooper's Chronicle. This book continued a history of the world that another writer, Thomas Lanquet, had started. Cooper's version covered events from the year 17 AD up to his own time. He later updated and expanded this chronicle in 1560 and 1565.

His Famous Dictionary

His most famous work, Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae, first came out in 1565. This was a very important dictionary of Latin and English. He published three more updated versions of this dictionary.

There's an interesting story about how he wrote this huge dictionary. A writer named John Aubrey shared it in his book Brief Lives. He said that Thomas Cooper's wife was not happy with him staying up late to work on his dictionary. One day, when he had finished about half of it, she got into his study. She took all his hard work and threw it into the fire, burning it!

But Thomas Cooper was very dedicated to learning. Even after this happened, he started all over again. He worked hard and finished the dictionary. It became a very useful book for many people.

It is believed that the famous playwright William Shakespeare used Cooper's Thesaurus when he was writing his plays and poems. This shows how important Cooper's dictionary was at the time.