Henry Brinklow
Encyclopedia
Henry Brinklow, also Brynklow or Brinkelow, (d. 1545 or 1546), was an English polemicist. As he worked for a number of years under the pseudonym Roderyck, or Roderigo, Mors, he may also be referred to by this name in contemporaneous accounts.
, Berkshire
. Both parents died shortly before Henry, Sibyl ca. 1545, and Robert in 1543.
Brinklow lived most of his life in London
, where he could observe many of the political changes in England. He became a mercer — at that time probably meaning a merchant in cloth and similar commodities. This career brought him into company with evangelical christians, such as the Mercers' Company chaplain and reformer Richard Harris, and was to influence his favour for evangelical reform.
Brinklow claimed to have been a Franciscan
friar
. If so, then at some point he left the order and married. He claimed to have been for a time exiled from England for his outspoken criticism of the bishop
s.
If Brinklow wrote before 1542, it was not published. It was only at this time that the work of 'Roderyck Mors' began to be dissipated in England.
Brinklow died on or shortly before 20 January 1546. At death he was worth at least £350, and bequeathed £109 13s. 4d. This included £5 to the godly learned men … that wt goddes worde doo fight ayenst Antechrist and his membres, and £9 to the remission of debt. He also left a widow, Margery (d. 1557), and a son, John. His will, of 20 June 1545, was as vigorous as much of his writing, demanding a funeral without pomp or ceremony, and that his wife not wear mourning.
Throughout his life, Brinklow was never publicly associated with the writings of Roderick Mors. It was not until the 1550s that it was revealed, by the churchman and controversialist John Bale
, that Mors was Brinklow's pseudonym.
The pseudonym was carefully protected; Brinklow had all his work printed abroad. Bishop Stephen Gardiner
suspected that Mors was a pseudonym, but that it was the creation of George Joye
.
The work includes sections on economic reform ("Of inhansing of rent ys by land lordes &ce."), land management ("Of the incolosing of parkys, forestys, chasys. &ce."), church reform ("A lamentacyon for that the body and tayle of the pope is not banisshed with his name"), and militant enforcement of Biblical law ("Of the sellyng of wardys for mariage, wher of ensueth adultery, which owght to be ponysshed by deth").
Roderick Mors, Brinklow's pseudonym, acquired a biography of his own, claiming to be an exiled former Franciscan
, a story that fitted the fact that Brinklow had his work printed abroad.
He was one of, and perhaps the first of, a number of Christian commentators, the so-called commonwealth men, to arise in the 1530s and 1540s as a reaction against conditions and changes in the period. He attributed contemporary disorders and greed to economic roots, and recommended the King to use his wealth to keep his subjects prosperous.
He demanded that traditional religion be completely swept away — 'forcked cappes' (bishops) and all — and criticised Henry VIII
for his ambivalence over reform. Where the government and the church were at odds, he condemned both. For example, he reviled monasteries, but equally reviled the Dissolution of the Monasteries
— despite also putting forward a "programme for full-scale redistribution of ecclesiastical wealth". Calls for religious reform were accompanied by equally radical calls for social reform, such as "reform of rents, enclosures, wardships, and of the heresy and treason laws; for a stipendiary bar and judiciary; and for the two houses of parliament
to be merged".
He was also concerned with the state of neglect in medicine, and around 1542, proposed that revenue gained from the Church - this was the time of the Dissolution - should be diverted into medical facilities, stating that phisicyans and surgeons ... to lyue upon their stipend (fixed and regular payment) only, without taking any peny of there pore, upon payne of losing both his earys and his stypend also
, and, according to one source, were to live on this payment on pain of mutilation.
His ideas and beliefs were published in three or four polemics. He is the definite author of three works, though one is lost. The two surviving are The Complaynt of Roderyck Mors (1542), and Lamentacion of a Christian (1542). It is possible that he is the author of A Supplication of the Poore Commons, printed in the year of his death, 1546. His known works went through at least eight editions.
Life as Henry Brinklow
Henry Brinklow was the ninth child of Sibyl (or Isabell) Butler, and her husband, Robert Brinklow, a farmer in KintburyKintbury
Kintbury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford.-Amenities:In Kintbury there is the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary, Church of England primary school, post office, corner shop, and a butcher...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Both parents died shortly before Henry, Sibyl ca. 1545, and Robert in 1543.
Brinklow lived most of his life in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he could observe many of the political changes in England. He became a mercer — at that time probably meaning a merchant in cloth and similar commodities. This career brought him into company with evangelical christians, such as the Mercers' Company chaplain and reformer Richard Harris, and was to influence his favour for evangelical reform.
Brinklow claimed to have been a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
. If so, then at some point he left the order and married. He claimed to have been for a time exiled from England for his outspoken criticism of the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s.
If Brinklow wrote before 1542, it was not published. It was only at this time that the work of 'Roderyck Mors' began to be dissipated in England.
Brinklow died on or shortly before 20 January 1546. At death he was worth at least £350, and bequeathed £109 13s. 4d. This included £5 to the godly learned men … that wt goddes worde doo fight ayenst Antechrist and his membres, and £9 to the remission of debt. He also left a widow, Margery (d. 1557), and a son, John. His will, of 20 June 1545, was as vigorous as much of his writing, demanding a funeral without pomp or ceremony, and that his wife not wear mourning.
Throughout his life, Brinklow was never publicly associated with the writings of Roderick Mors. It was not until the 1550s that it was revealed, by the churchman and controversialist John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, that Mors was Brinklow's pseudonym.
The pseudonym was carefully protected; Brinklow had all his work printed abroad. Bishop Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
suspected that Mors was a pseudonym, but that it was the creation of George Joye
George Joye
George Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
.
Polemics, beliefs, and opinions: life as 'Roderick Mors'
In 1544 or 1545 he published the work "The complaynt of Roderyck Mors, somtyme a gray fryre, vnto the parliament howse of Ingland his natural cuntry for the redresse of certen wicked lawes, euel customs ad cruell decreys".The work includes sections on economic reform ("Of inhansing of rent ys by land lordes &ce."), land management ("Of the incolosing of parkys, forestys, chasys. &ce."), church reform ("A lamentacyon for that the body and tayle of the pope is not banisshed with his name"), and militant enforcement of Biblical law ("Of the sellyng of wardys for mariage, wher of ensueth adultery, which owght to be ponysshed by deth").
Roderick Mors, Brinklow's pseudonym, acquired a biography of his own, claiming to be an exiled former Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
, a story that fitted the fact that Brinklow had his work printed abroad.
He was one of, and perhaps the first of, a number of Christian commentators, the so-called commonwealth men, to arise in the 1530s and 1540s as a reaction against conditions and changes in the period. He attributed contemporary disorders and greed to economic roots, and recommended the King to use his wealth to keep his subjects prosperous.
He demanded that traditional religion be completely swept away — 'forcked cappes' (bishops) and all — and criticised Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
for his ambivalence over reform. Where the government and the church were at odds, he condemned both. For example, he reviled monasteries, but equally reviled the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
— despite also putting forward a "programme for full-scale redistribution of ecclesiastical wealth". Calls for religious reform were accompanied by equally radical calls for social reform, such as "reform of rents, enclosures, wardships, and of the heresy and treason laws; for a stipendiary bar and judiciary; and for the two houses of parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
to be merged".
He was also concerned with the state of neglect in medicine, and around 1542, proposed that revenue gained from the Church - this was the time of the Dissolution - should be diverted into medical facilities, stating that phisicyans and surgeons ... to lyue upon their stipend (fixed and regular payment) only, without taking any peny of there pore, upon payne of losing both his earys and his stypend also
, and, according to one source, were to live on this payment on pain of mutilation.
His ideas and beliefs were published in three or four polemics. He is the definite author of three works, though one is lost. The two surviving are The Complaynt of Roderyck Mors (1542), and Lamentacion of a Christian (1542). It is possible that he is the author of A Supplication of the Poore Commons, printed in the year of his death, 1546. His known works went through at least eight editions.
Quotations
- First come, first served. (found in the Complaynt of Roderick Mors)
- What loss feels he that wots not what he loses? (Complaynt of Roderick Mors)