Editing William Whittingham (section)

==A Dean of Durham==

In 1564, Whittingham wrote a long letter to Leicester protesting against the 'old popish apparel' and the historic associations with Massing-vestments and theology. He refused to wear the [[surplice]] and [[cope]], and proceedings by Church officials were begun against him in 1566. Whittingham eventually yielded, taking Calvin's moderating advice not to leave the ministry for external and minor matters of order. In 1577, however, he incurred the enmity of [[Edwin Sandys (archbishop)|Edwin Sandys]], the new archbishop of York, by resisting his claim to visit [[Durham Cathedral]]. According to [[William Hutchinson (topographer)|William Hutchinson]] a commission had been issued in 1576 or 1577 to examine complaints against him. But this proved ineffectual because the Earl of Huntingdon and [[Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York|Matthew Hutton]] sided with the dean against the third commissioner, Sandys. A fresh commission was issued on 14 May 1578. This included the three former commissioners and about a dozen others.

The articles against Whittingham are printed from the domestic state papers in the 'Camden Miscellany'; the charge that 'he is defamed of {{lang|enm|italic=no|adulterie}}' is entered as 'partly proved' and that of drunkenness as 'proved;' but the real allegation against Whittingham was the alleged inadequacy and invalidity of his ordination in Geneva. He admitted to not having been ordained according to the rites of the church of England. Archbishop Sandys further added that Whittingham had not even been validly ordained even according to Genevan standards, but had been elected preacher without the imposition of hands. Huntingdon repudiated the Archbishop and suggested a stay of the proceedings against Whittingham, arguing that 'it could not but be ill-taken of all the godly learned both at home and in all the reformed churches abroad, that we should allow of the popish massing priests in our ministry, and disallow of the ministers made in a reformed church'. However Archbishop [[Richard Bancroft]], in ''<nowiki/>'Dangerous Positions'<nowiki/>'', referred to him as 'afterward ''unworthily'' Dean of Durham', and ranks him with [[Christopher Goodman|Goodman]], [[Anthony Gilby|Gilby]], and other Puritans. So does [[Roger L'Estrange]] in his violent philippic, ''<nowiki/>'The Holy Cheat'''.

As the proceedings to deprive Whittingham of holy orders were proceeding, he was met with death, on 10 June 1579.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Annals, II.ii.|last=Strype|pages=167, 168, 620}}</ref> He was buried in Durham Cathedral, where his tomb (ironically) was destroyed by the Presbyterian Scots in 1640. His will, dated 18 April 1579, is printed in 'Durham Wills and Inventories' (Surtees Soc. ii. 14–19).