May 6, 1541 King Henry VIII, orders Bible be placed in every church
The Bible in English was still something new, and it took time for it to be accepted. In May, 1541, King Henry VIII ordered that a copy of the Bible in English be placed in every parish church with instructions that the Scriptures were to be read “humbly and meekly, reverently and obediently.” The Great Bible placed in the churches was basically a revision of Tyndale’s translation done by Myles Coverdale. However, King Henry intended these Bibles to be used in the churches under the watchful eye of the church, and he still restricted the private use of the Bible. In 1543 Parliament prohibited all of Tyndale’s translations and said no woman, except a noble or gentlewoman, no journeyman, no farmer or servant should read the Bible “under pain of imprisonment.” There was still a fear that those not properly educated might misread the Scriptures and fill their minds with error - and so William Malden got a beating from his father for having a Bible!
When Henry’s son Edward became king, there was an important change as Edward exhorted the clergy to encourage every person to read the Bible “as the very lively word of God, and the special food of man’s soul that all Christian persons are bound to embrace, believe, and follow, if they look to be saved.”
Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, and was born October 12, 1537 in Hampton Court Palace. He ruled from January 28, 1547-July 6, 1553. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on February 20, 1547 at 9 years, 3 months of age. His title, before he became king, was Duke of Cornwall.
Edward VI died on July 6, 1553; at Greenwich Palace (at age 15), and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, the duke of Somerset, was made “Protector of the Realm.” Edward was Protestant and his uncle saw to it that all shrines and pictures of saints were destroyed. Young Edward founded a number of grammar schools, and a workhouse for the poor at Bridewell, and Christ’s Hospital in London.
Edward named Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Edward’s last year was a painful one. He, like his half-sister, Mary, had congenital syphilis from his father, Henry VIII, and his condition was complicated by consumption.
Facts About Edward VI:
- Edward wrote a book called, A Tract Against the Pope at age 12.
- When King Edward VI did badly on his lessons, his whipping boy, Barnaby Fitzpatrick, was smacked.
- King Edward VI dislike Windsor Castle.His last words were: “Oh my Lord God, defend this realm from papisty and maintain their true religion.”
- Edward’s tutor said: “Every day (he) readeth a portion of Solomon’s Proverbs, wherein he delighteth much; and learneth there…to beware of strange and wanton women.”
