Thomas Thirlby

Thomas Thirlby
Bishop of Ely
Enthroned	1554
Reign ended	1559
Predecessor	Thomas Goodrich
Successor	Richard Cox
Other posts	Bishop of Westminster, Bishop of Norwich
Personal details
Nationality	English
Denomination	Roman Catholic

Thomas Thirlby (c. 1500–1570) was an English bishop. While he acquiesced in the Henrician schism, with its rejection in principle of the Roman papacy, he remained otherwise loyal to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church during the English Reformation.

He was Bishop of Westminster between 1540 and 1550, the first and only Bishop to hold the title in the Church of England. He was then made Bishop of Norwich until 1554, when he became Bishop of Ely. In 1559, following the accession of Elizabeth I, he was deposed.

External links

• C. S. Knighton, ‘Thirlby, Thomas (c.1500–1570)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006, accessed 4 June 2007

Church of England titles
Preceded by only office-holder	Bishop of Westminster 1540–1550	Succeeded by only office-holder
Preceded by William Rugg	Bishop of Norwich 1550–1554	Succeeded by John Hopton
Preceded by Thomas Goodrich	Bishop of Ely 1554–1559	Succeeded by Richard Cox