This talk will examine Thomas Cartwright’s ministry in Warwick during his mastership of the Lord Leycester between 1585 and 1603. Cartwright (1534/5-1603) is probably the most prominent individual to have served as master of Leicester’s almshouse since it was founded.
Cartwright was a somebody; in fact, one of the most famous Reformed theologians in Europe in this period. He was, for a brief time, the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge until he fled to Geneva for offending Queen Elizabeth I in his inaugural lectures. His mastership was intermittent (disrupted by a lengthy imprisonment in the Fleet prison in London and then a residency in the Channel Islands).
Despite these absences, Cartwright was actively involved in the town’s affairs and the lives of its inhabitants, which this talk will discuss. He was active in responding to the pressing issue of poor relief and the punishment of sexual crimes. The divine also preached in the parish churches and further afield.
Moreover, there are some interesting accusations that Cartwright performed miracles, he used the almshouse to financially enrich himself, and that the local women threw stones at him in response to his preaching. It is because of Cartwright’s prominence that the affairs of this West Midlands town and the Lord Leycester almshouse, momentarily, became of national concern, as shown by the interest of the Queen’s leading theologians (such as Richard Bancroft, Bishop of London, and a future Archbishop of Canterbury) in his Warwick ministry.
Event organiser is The Lord Leycester.
Disclaimer: All information was correct when the listing was prepared. Any questions about the event should be directed to the event organiser.