William Latymer’s ecclesiastical career spanned several decades, marked by numerous appointments and significant involvement in the religious upheavals of 16th-century England. His roles reflected his evangelical sympathies and his ability to navigate the shifting political and religious landscape under multiple monarchs.
Early Appointments Latymer’s career began in 1537 when he was granted a license to hold incompatible benefices of any value while remaining non-resident. On 1 October 1538, he was appointed Rector of
Witnesham in Suffolk, a position presented by his eldest brother, Edward Latymer, which he held until 1554. That same year, on 22 October 1538, at the age of 40, he was appointed by the
king as Master of the College of
St Lawrence Pountney in London, a position he held alongside the living of
Speldhurst in
Kent. The college, a chantry founded in 1345 by Sir John Pountney, was closely tied to Corpus Christi, Cambridge. Latymer remained Master until the college’s dissolution in 1547 by
Edward VI and then sold
John Cheke, after which he received an annual pension of 28 pounds, 13
shillings and 4 pence. The college and its associated church were later destroyed in the
Great Fire of 1666, and their site is now marked by a memorial tablet in Lawrence Pountney Lane. During his tenure, Latymer sat in convocation as a proctor for the clergy of the Diocese of
Norwich and voted in favor of priests’ marriages, a stance that brought him into prominence.
Trial of Edmund Bonner Latymer was among a group of evangelicals, including
Thomas Cranmer and
Matthew Parker, who gathered around
Anne Boleyn as Queen and patron of the reformers. His evangelical stance became evident in 1549 when he became involved in the trial of
Edmund Bonner,
Bishop of London. Following Bonner’s Paul’s Cross sermon on 1 September 1549, which failed to satisfy the authorities, Latymer, alongside
John Hooper and William Pountney, served as a witness against him. Bonner was sentenced to deprivation and committed to Marshalsea Prison on 1 October 1549. Latymer made no objection to the dissolution of St Lawrence Pountney and, with others, received a pension under Queen Mary. His involvement in Bonner’s trial is documented in historical accounts such as John Foxe’s
Actes and Monuments and John Gairdner’s
History of the English Church in the Sixteenth Century, however, In several editions the name
Hugh Latimer has been mistakenly substituted for this William.
Later Appointments On 22 July 1553, Latymer was appointed Rector of
St Mary Abchurch, a parish adjacent to St Lawrence Pountney, with his relative Thomas Alured as patron. The accession of
Queen Mary in 1553 temporarily halted his career due to the revocation of the Act of 1549, which had allowed married priests to hold office. Having renounced his wife, Latymer retired to his hometown of
Freston, was appointed Rector of St Stephen and St Lawrence in 1556 and remained there for a few years. After Queen Mary’s death in November 1558, his career resumed under
Queen Elizabeth. On 17 April 1559, he was admitted to the Rectory of
St George’s, Southwark. In 1560, he was appointed
Prebendary of Westminster and
Dean of Peterborough, positions he held until his death in 1583. As Prebendary, he was required to reside at
Westminster for at least four months and four days each year, overseeing ecclesiastical and pastoral duties, as well as managing the annual accounts and financial affairs of Westminster Abbey. He also served as
Treasurer of
Westminster Abbey from 1561 to 1570 and was occasionally referred to as Archdeacon of Westminster. During
Queen Elizabeth’s 1564 visit to
Cambridge, Latymer held the position of
Clerk of the Closet. == Chronickille of Anne Bulleyne ==