William Whittingham facts for kids

William Whittingham (around 1524–1579) was an English religious leader known as a Puritan. Puritans were Protestants who wanted to "purify" the Church of England from practices they thought were too much like the Roman Catholic Church. Whittingham was also a Marian exile, meaning he had to leave England during the reign of Queen Mary I because she was Catholic and persecuted Protestants. He helped translate the Geneva Bible, a very important English Bible version.

Whittingham was connected to famous religious reformers like John Knox, Heinrich Bullinger, and John Calvin. He strongly disagreed with the traditional English church services while he was in exile. He was later ordained (made a minister) by the Presbyterians in Geneva. When he returned to England, he became a well-known opponent of the Church of England's rituals. With the help of the Earl of Leicester, he became the Dean of Durham. However, in 1579, efforts began to remove him from his religious roles because his ordination was not done by the Church of England. He died in 1579 while this process was still happening.

Early Life and Studies

William Whittingham was born in Chester, England, around 1524. His father was also named William Whittingham, and his mother was from the Haughton family in Lancashire.

When he was 16, in 1540, he started studying at Brasenose College, Oxford. He earned his first degree and became a fellow at All Souls' College in 1545. By 1547, he was a senior student at Christ Church, Oxford, and received his master's degree in 1548.

In 1550, he was allowed to travel for three years to study languages and law. He went to France, spending most of his time at the University of Orleans. He also visited Lyon and studied in Paris, where he sometimes helped the English ambassador as an interpreter.

Towards the end of 1552, Whittingham visited universities in Germany and Geneva. He briefly came back to England in May 1553. Whittingham had strong Puritan beliefs. However, when Queen Mary I became queen, she brought back Catholic policies. This led to fears of persecution for Protestants, like the burning of William Tyndale in 1536. Whittingham tried to help Peter Martyr Vermigli, a Protestant reformer, get released from prison. After a few weeks, Whittingham himself left England with difficulty, traveling through Dover to France.

Time in Frankfort

In the spring of 1554, the city of Frankfort became a main gathering place for English Protestants who had fled England (the Marian exiles). Whittingham was one of the first to arrive there on June 27, 1554. He invited other exiles to join them.

Soon, disagreements arose between two groups. One group, led by Whittingham and John Knox, wanted to get rid of all English church services and adopt the simpler Genevan (Presbyterian) style of worship. The other group wanted to keep the Anglican Prayer Books, especially Edward VI's second prayer-book.

Whittingham was chosen to help create a new service book. He even got a letter from John Calvin, a very influential reformer, which helped his side. However, the arrival of Richard Cox, who strongly supported the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, caused more problems. John Jewel, who later became a famous bishop, also opposed Whittingham and Knox. Whittingham was Knox's main supporter during these arguments. But he couldn't stop Knox from being expelled from Frankfort in March 1555. Whittingham was unhappy with how things turned out. Around September 1555, he followed Knox to Geneva, which was becoming a center for Protestant learning and influence. There, he was ordained in the Presbyterian way.

A book published in 1575, called A Brieff Discours off the Troubles begonne at Franckford, describes these conflicts. Many scholars believe Whittingham wrote this book.

Work in Geneva

In Geneva, Whittingham was chosen as a Presbyterian elder in December 1555 and again in December 1556. In December 1558, he became a deacon. In 1559, he took over from Knox as the Presbyterian minister, at Calvin's request.

When Queen Mary died, most of the English exiles in Geneva went back home. But Whittingham stayed to finish translating the Geneva Bible. He worked with other scholars to review earlier English Bible versions, like those by Tyndale and Coverdale. He had already produced a version of the New Testament, which was published in Geneva in 1557. He also helped with smaller changes to the Old Testament. The notes in the Geneva Bible mostly explained the text.

The full Geneva Bible was printed in Geneva in 1560. It remained very popular even after 1611, with over 150 editions printed until 1644. It was a very influential Bible version for about 100 years.

Besides the Bible, Whittingham also wrote metrical (rhyming) versions of some Psalms. Seven of these were in a collection of 51 psalms published in Geneva in 1556. Others were revised versions of psalms by Thomas Sternhold. He also added a rhyming version of the Ten Commandments. An edition from 1558, which is now lost, is thought to have had nine new psalms by Whittingham. These were reprinted in the 1561 edition, where Whittingham also contributed a version of the 'Song of Simeon' and two versions of the Lord's Prayer. He also translated four psalms for the Scottish psalter, which are not found in English editions.

Whittingham also helped prepare John Knox's work on predestination for printing in 1560. He wrote a special letter for Christopher Goodman's book How Superior Powers ought to be obeyed (Geneva, 1558). He also translated Nicholas Ridley's Brief Declaration of the Lord's Supper (Oxford, 1555) into Latin.

Returning to England

Whittingham officially left Geneva on May 30, 1560. In January 1561, he was chosen to accompany Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford on his trip to the French court. The next year, he became a chaplain to Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, and a minister at Le Havre, a French city then held by the English. He was praised for his work there.

However, William Cecil complained that Whittingham did not follow the English Book of Common Prayer. Thanks to the support of Warwick and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who also sympathized with Puritans, Whittingham was appointed Dean of Durham on July 19, 1563.

As Dean of Durham

Whittingham took his new job seriously. He held two church services a day and dedicated time to his grammar school and song school, and church music. Before the Rising of the North (a rebellion) in 1569, he tried to convince James Pilkington, the bishop of Durham, to prepare the city for defense, but he wasn't successful. He had more success in Newcastle, which resisted the rebels.

In 1572, when Lord Burghley became the lord treasurer, Whittingham was suggested, likely by Leicester, as his replacement for the secretary position. In 1577, Leicester also promised to help Whittingham become the archbishop of York or Durham, as both positions were empty. But Whittingham did not push for these higher roles.

In 1564, Whittingham wrote a long letter to Leicester, complaining about the "old popish apparel" (church vestments) and their connection to Catholic practices. He refused to wear the surplice and cope. Church officials started proceedings against him in 1566. Whittingham eventually gave in, following Calvin's advice not to leave the ministry over small matters of church order.

However, in 1577, he angered Edwin Sandys, the new archbishop of York, by resisting Sandys's right to visit Durham Cathedral. A group was formed in 1576 or 1577 to look into complaints against Whittingham. But this group didn't achieve much because the Earl of Huntingdon and Matthew Hutton supported Whittingham against Sandys. A new group was formed on May 14, 1578, with more members.

The main accusation against Whittingham was that his ordination in Geneva was not valid according to the Church of England's rules. He admitted he had not been ordained by the Church of England. Archbishop Sandys even claimed Whittingham hadn't been properly ordained even by Genevan standards, saying he was chosen as a preacher without the laying on of hands. However, Huntingdon disagreed with the Archbishop and suggested stopping the proceedings against Whittingham. He argued that it would look bad to "all the godly learned" if they allowed Catholic priests into their ministry but rejected ministers made in a reformed church. Despite this, Archbishop Richard Bancroft later called Whittingham "unworthily Dean of Durham," grouping him with other Puritans like Christopher Goodman and Anthony Gilby.

William Whittingham died on June 10, 1579, while the process to remove him from his religious roles was still ongoing. He was buried in Durham Cathedral. Sadly, his tomb was later destroyed by Presbyterian Scots in 1640. His will, dated April 18, 1579, can be found in 'Durham Wills and Inventories'.

Family Life

Whittingham's wife was Catherine, the daughter of Louis Jaqueman. She was likely born after 1535 and married Whittingham on November 15, 1556. Their oldest son, Zachary, was baptized on August 17, 1557, and their oldest daughter, Susanna, on December 11, 1558. Both children died young. Whittingham was survived by two sons, Sir Timothy and Daniel, and four daughters.