St. Thomas More

Thomas More was born in London in 1478, the son of a lawyer who later became a judge. After schooling in London and study at Oxford, he trained in law. He also read classical authors and the Fathers of the Church, and formed a lasting friendship with the scholar Erasmus. His learning developed alongside a practical profession that brought him into the concerns of the city and, eventually, the government of England.

As a young man he considered the priesthood and religious life. He lived near the London Charterhouse and took part in the Carthusians' spiritual exercises without making religious vows. He eventually chose marriage. In 1505 he married Jane Colt; they had three daughters and a son. Jane died in 1511, leaving the children young. He then married the widow Alice Middleton, who helped raise the family.

His household made room for study, music, conversation, and prayer. More took a particular interest in his children's education, including the serious education of his daughters. Letters preserved by Bridgett show him asking their tutor to place virtue before reputation for learning. He remained closely attached to his eldest daughter, Margaret, whose visits and correspondence would become especially important during his imprisonment. His public responsibilities did not remove the responsibilities of a husband and father.

More served London as under-sheriff, undertook diplomatic work, and entered royal service. His book Utopia, published in 1516, used an imagined commonwealth to examine the society around him. In 1529 Henry VIII made him Lord Chancellor, one of the kingdom's highest officers. His public record also includes support for and enforcement of laws against heresy, under which people could be put to death. Bridgett's biography discusses that severity as well as his learning and personal kindness.

Henry's attempt to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and his increasing rejection of papal authority placed More in a difficult position. More resigned the chancellorship in 1532. In 1534 he was required to take an oath connected with the Act of Succession. He was willing to recognize Parliament's settlement of the succession, but could not swear the oath in the form offered, which involved accepting claims against the Church's authority. His refusal led to imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Later legislation declared the king supreme head of the Church of England. More tried to avoid a direct confrontation by declining to state his opinion when questioned, while maintaining his loyalty as a subject. Confinement brought illness, loss of income and property, and painful separation from his family. He prayed, wrote letters, and composed works on suffering and Christ's Passion. His Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation grew from these prison years.

At his trial on July 1, 1535, Richard Rich testified that More had denied Parliament's power to give the king ecclesiastical supremacy. More denied Rich's account and challenged his credibility. He was nevertheless convicted of treason. On July 6 he was beheaded on Tower Hill. The early accounts remember his prayer for the king and his conviction that service to a ruler remained subject to his duty to God. The Church honours him as a martyr whose fidelity endured the loss of family companionship, office, liberty, and life.