Henry Pendleton

Controversialist, born at Manchester ; died in London, September, 1557; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, 18 July, 1552. Though he had preached against Lutheranism in Henry VIII's reign, he conformed under Edward VI and was appointed by Lord Derby as an itinerant Protestant preacher. In 1552 he received the living of Blymhill, Staffordshire. He is described as "an able man, handsome and athletic, possessed of a fine clear voice, of ready speech and powerful utterance" (Halley, "Lancashire"), On the accession of Mary he returned to the Catholic Church, and during 1554 received much preferment. He was made canon of St. Paul's and of Lichfield, Vicar of Todenham, Gloucester, and St. Martin Outwich in London ; in 1556 he exchanged the latter living for St. Stephen Walbrook. He was appointed chaplain to Bishop Bonner, for whom he wrote two homilies : "Of the Church what it is", and "Of the Authority of the Church ". He also wrote "Declaration in his sickness of his faith or belief in all points as the Catholic Church teacheth against sclaunderous reports against him" (London, 1557). Foxe, who purports to record some of his discussions with persons charged with heresy, states that on his death-bed he repented of his conversion ; but the authority of this writer can never be accepted without confirming evidence which in this instance, as in so many others, is lacking.

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