Thomas Goldwell

Not to be confused with Thomas Goldwell (prior), the last prior of Christ Church, Canterbury.

Thomas Goldwell (died 3 April 1585) was an English bishop, the last of those who had refused to accept the English Reformation.

Life

He began his career as rector of Cheriton in 1532, after graduating BA (probably at Canterbury College) and then MA at All Souls College, Oxford.

He became chaplain to Cardinal Pole and lived with him at Rome, was attainted in 1539, but returned to England on Mary's accession, and in 1555 became bishop of St Asaph, a diocese, largely within Wales, which he did much to win back to the Roman Catholic Church. Mary planned to make him Bishop of Oxford and ambassador to Rome in November 1558, and the documents were drawn up, but were not enacted due to her death. Thus, Goldwell attended Cardinal Pole's funeral by the queen's permission and then returned to St Asaph's. When Elizabeth came to the throne, Goldwell complained of not being invited to her first parliament as a bishop, but then by June 1559 decided to escape from England, which he then did.

In 1561 became superior of the Theatines at San Silvestro, their house in Rome. He was the only English bishop at the council of Trent, and in 1562 was again attainted. In the following year he was appointed vicar-general to Carlo Borromeo, archbishop of Milan.

He died in Rome in 1585.

References

• Dictionary of National Biography entry
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)