The portrait of John Wycliffe shown here is dated 1786 and was originally fixed to the sounding board of the pulpit. It has now been framed and hangs in the church.
The following information is taken from the church guide by the Rev. Peter Casswell (Rector 1978 to 1991) which is available from the Church, Price £1.
John Wycliffe
The Life and Work of John Wycliffe
There are several ways of spelling his name, different dates given for
his birth and various opinions about the significance of his influence.
I found the book written by David Fountain for 1984 and published by
Mayflower Christian Books a sympathetic and very readable account and
would recommend anyone to start there for an understanding of his place
in the history of our Church and our country.
Born in or near Wycliffe in Yorkshire, he first appears in the records
as a scholar at Oxford, where he spent most of his life and expressed
his views in his writings and by his teaching and debating about the
state of the Church. Most of his writings had greatest effect on the
Continent, influencing Huss and later Luther, and undoubtedly laying
a foundation for the Reformation.
His outspoken criticism of the Church and its hierarchy wherever he saw
affluence or power which was not accompanied by the Spirit of Jesus
Christ, attracted the support of Parliament and of some of the nobility,
notably John of Gaunt. In 1374 he was one of four commissioners sent by
King Edward to meet Papal delegates at Bruges. They were complaining
at the high "tax" demanded by the Papacy and the growing tendency for
the Pope to appoint the Bishops and other clergy from among foreigners,
who took the stipend, but sent poorly paid substitutes to do the duties.
It is thought that the King may have appointed Wycliffe to Lutterworth
as a reward for his services on this occasion. Wycliffe certainly had
a closer insight into the Papacy through his visit, rather as Luther
later had from his visit to Rome.
However Wycliffe's writings against some of the teaching of the medieval
Church, especially the dogma of "transubstantiation", lost him some
of his popularity and brought down upon him the censure of the Church
authorities. He was cited to appear at St. Paul's in 1377, but the
hearing broke up over matters of procedure, prompted by John of Gaunt
and Lord Percy, Earl Marshall of England. He was again summoned to
Lambeth Palace, but this time the popular voice and then the
intervention of the Queen Mother prevented him being condemned.
The third time he was cited to appear before the authorities, this time
in Rome, his declining health made it impossible for him to comply, so
that it was not until long after his death that he was eventually branded
a heretic, his books and his bones burned.
Traditionally it was during his last days at Lutterworth that he
initiated the great work for which he is particularly remembered - the
translation of the whole Bible into the English language for the first
time. This was before the time of printing, so copies were costly and
rare, but he sent his "poor preachers", later nicknamed "Lollards",
through the length and breadth of England with portions of the
scriptures, and preaching the Good News of the forgiveness of sinners
through the death of Jesus Christ.
We try here in the Church where he died to follow his threefold example
- to keep the Bible as an open book for all to read and understand, to
share the Gospel with all people and to try to maintain the truth of
Christ in our teaching and our worship.
The John Wycliffe memorial in St Marys. See church guide for more details.
Further reading.
See Church guide for more about John Wycliffe's connection with St Marys.
A very good website with a more extensive biography is www.lwbc.co.uk
Recommended books for further study about the life of John Wycliffe are:
'The Dawn of the Reformation' by Rev. David Fountain
ISBN 0 907821 02 2
Available from:
Mayflower Christian Bookshop,
114, Spring Road,
Bitterne,
Southampton.
SO19 2QB
Telephone 02380 449398
'John Wyclif - Myth and Reality' by G. R. Evans.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7459-5154-6
ISBN-10: 0-7459-5154-6
Available from bookshops.
Published by Lion Hudson plc,
Mayfield House,
256,Banbury Road,
Oxford
OX2 7DH