Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley
by CCW | 16 October 2010 05:00
The collect for a Martyr, in commemoration of Hugh Latimer (1485-1555) and Nicholas Ridley (c. 1500-1555), Bishops, Reformation Martyrs, from The Book of Common Prayer[1] (Canadian, 1962):
O GOD, who didst bestow upon thy Saints such marvellous virtue, that they were able to stand fast, and have the victory against the world, the flesh, and the devil: Grant that we, who now commemorate thy Martyrs Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, may ever rejoice in their fellowship, and also be enabled by thy grace to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold upon eternal life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Epistle: 1 St Peter 4:12-19[2]
The Gospel: St Matthew 16:24-28[3]
[4]
Two leaders of the English Reformation were burned at the stake in Oxford on this day in 1555. Nicolas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, were removed from their positions and imprisoned after Queen Mary ascended the throne in 1553. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533, was deposed and taken to Oxford with Latimer and Ridley.
The three were tried for heresy, convicted, and condemned to death. Cranmer was forced to watch the burning of Latimer and Ridley and was burned at the stake five months later on 21 March 1556.
The burnings were carried out just outside the walls of Oxford. The location is marked by a cobble-stone cross set in the middle of Broad Street. Around the corner, at the south end of St Giles, the Martyrs’ Memorial[5] was placed in their honour in 1841.
As Ridley was being tied to the stake, he prayed[6]: “Oh, heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks, for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee even unto death. I beseech thee, Lord God, have mercy on this realm of England, and deliver the same from all her enemies.”
As the flames rose, Latimer encouraged Ridley with these famous words[7]: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.”
Artwork: Burning of Latimer and Ridley, woodcut, John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (1563).
- The Book of Common Prayer: http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/164--the-collects-epistles-and-gospels-page-94#martyr
- 1 St Peter 4:12-19: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20peter%204:12-19&version=ESV
- St Matthew 16:24-28: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:24-28&version=ESV
- [Image]: http://christchurchwindsor.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Ridley_Latimer.jpg
- Martyrs’ Memorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs%27_Memorial
- prayed: http://books.google.com/books?id=GNHNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA242&lpg=PA242&dq=nicholas+ridley+prayer+professor+of+thee&source=bl&ots=bp2UbQRFYk&sig=vLJFULOe8Oph77pR-Y1wgGi14Mw&hl=en&ei=ioCwTO_8KIGpngeu0pTuBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=nicholas%20ridley%20prayer%20professor%20of%20thee&f=false
- famous words: http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2003/10/daily-10-16-2003.shtml
Source URL: https://christchurchwindsor.ca/2010/10/16/hugh-latimer-and-nicholas-ridley/