Born one of the two sons of a linen
draper in
Wells, Somerset, Thomas Fulwell (died 1563), and his wife Christabel (née James, died 1584), he was ordained priest in 1566. In 1572 he married Eleanor Warde, who died in 1577. In 1578 he was remarried to Marie Whorwood, by whom he had six children. Only in 1578 did he manage to matriculate at
St Mary Hall, Oxford, where he apparently graduated, as he was termed a master of arts in 1584. The Fulwell play was revived in 1968 and 1988 by the
Poculi Ludique Societas of Toronto, Canada. In 1575 Fulwell published a pro-
Tudor piece of writing,
The Flower of Fame dedicated to
William Cecil, Lord Burghley. This was followed in 1576 by
Ars adulandi, or, The Art of Flattery, a group of eight satires dedicated to
Mildred, Lady Burghley. The criticisms were stringent enough for him to be ordered by the courts to make a recantation on 7 July 1576 before
Gilbert Berkeley,
Bishop of Bath and Wells. A revised edition appeared in 1579. ==Works==