(Thomas), a celebrated archbishop, reformer, and martyr, was the son of Thomas Cranmer, Esq.; of Asheton in Nottinghamshire, where our author was born in 1489. At the age of 14, he was admitted a student of Jesus' college, Cambridge, of which he afterwards became fellow; but, marrying the relation of an inn-keeper's wife, he lost his fellowship, and quitted the college. On the death of his wife, he was re-admitted fellow of Jesus' college. In 1523, he took the degree of doctor of divinity, and was made theological lecturer and examiner. The plague being at Cambridge, he retired to the house of a relation at Waltham abbey, where, meeting with Fox the king's almoner, and Gardiner the secretary, he gave his opinion concerning king Henry's marriage with Catharine, so much to the satisfaction of his majesty, that he sent for him to court, made him one of his chaplains, and ordered him to write in vindication of the divorce in agitation. This book having quieted the tender conscience of the king, he was desirous that all Europe should be convinced of the illegality of his marriage with queen Catharine; and for that purpose sent Cranmer to France, Italy, and Germany, to dispute the matter with the divines of those countries. At Nuremberg he married a second wife. Being returned to England, in March 1533, he was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury; in May following he pronounced the sentence of divorce between the king and queen, and soon after married the amorous monarch to Anne Boleyn. Being now at the head of the church, he exerted himself in the business of the reformation. The bible was translated into English, and monasteries dissolved principally by his means. In 1536 the royal conscience again required the affluence of our archbishop; in this year he divorced the king from Ann Boleyn; but, soon after, retaining his content in parliament to the appropriation of the dissolved monasteries to the sole use of the crown, he fell into disgrace, and retired from the business of the state. Nevertheless the king continued to protect him from his enemies; and at his death appointed him one of the executors of his will, and one of the regents of the kingdom. In 1546 he crowned young Edward, during whose short reign he promoted the reformation to the utmost of his power; and was particularly instrumental in composing, correcting and establishing the liturgy by act of parliament. He had also a share in compiling the thirty-nine articles of religion. On the accession of queen Mary, the poor archbishop was accused of blasphemy, perjury, insincerity, and heresy. He defended himself with some resolution; but being degraded and most ignominiously treated, he was at last flattered and terrified into an insincere recantation, and renunciation of the protestant faith. But this triumph was not sufficient to gratify the pious vengeance of the Roman Catholic*. Cranmer was condemned to the flames, and died a Protestant. He suffered at Oxford in the year 1556, in the 67th year of his age. As to his character, he was doubtless a man of learning, an indefatigable and sincere promoter of the reformation; nevertheless he wanted moderation and resolution. He wrote a great number of books: many of them he published himself; and many of them still remain in MSS. viz., two folio volumes in the king's library, several letters in the Cotton collection, &c.