Matthew Parker, antiquarian and archbishop of Canterbury, was born in Norfolk in 1504. He came up to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, probably in 1520, and graduated BA in 1525. He was elected a fellow of the college in 1527 when he proceeded MA, and then proceeded BTh and DTh before becoming master of the college from 1544 to 1553. He also held several ecclesiastical positions during this time, including that of royal chaplain and dean of Stoke by Clare, both from 1535, and dean of Lincoln 1552-4.

Although not particularly radical, Parker was still known as a Protestant reformer. Furthermore, he was also a married priest, and he retained his deanery at Lincoln while he was also master at Corpus. Such practices were not tolerated after Queen Mary came to the throne in 1553. Parker

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Citation: Stokes, Peter Anthony. "Matthew Parker". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3481, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3481 Matthew Parker 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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