John Field was born in London sometime around 1545. He attended Christ Church, Oxford, and was ordained in the ministry by Edmund Grindal (then Bishop of London, later Archibishop of Canterbury) when he (Field) was only 21. This was a departure from custom, as ministers were not usually ordained until age 24. In 1568, he was a lecturer, curate and school master in London.
John Field was one of the leaders of a group of clergymen who advocated reforms of the Church of England. He was so outspoken in his criticism of the Church, that he was barred from preaching from 1571 to 1579, and occasionally imprisoned. He wrote "A View of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church" in 1572, and, together with Thomas Wilcox, wrote, "An Admonition to the Parliament." He is said to have founded the first Presbyterian Church in England at Wandsworth in Surrey, in 1572, and sought to organize the Puritans in England into a hierarchy of Presbyterian synods, advocating a decrease in formal ritual and gesture in public prayer, and a greater emphasis on preaching. He was probably the author of some of the Marprelate tracts.
An interesting article on him (though it appears to have his death date wrong) can be found at:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/MemoirsPuritans/MemoirsPuritansJohnField.htm
It is rather interesting, since John Field spent much of his career denouncing Bishops....and also the decadence of the theatre, that one of his sons, Theophilus Field (1574-1636), became Bishop of Llandaf, and later Bishop of Hereford; and his youngest son, Nathan Field (1587-1619/20), was one of the most accomplished playwrights and actors of his day.
John Field was one of the leaders of a group of clergymen who advocated reforms of the Church of England. He was so outspoken in his criticism of the Church, that he was barred from preaching from 1571 to 1579, and occasionally imprisoned. He wrote "A View of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church" in 1572, and, together with Thomas Wilcox, wrote, "An Admonition to the Parliament." He is said to have founded the first Presbyterian Church in England at Wandsworth in Surrey, in 1572, and sought to organize the Puritans in England into a hierarchy of Presbyterian synods, advocating a decrease in formal ritual and gesture in public prayer, and a greater emphasis on preaching. He was probably the author of some of the Marprelate tracts.
An interesting article on him (though it appears to have his death date wrong) can be found at:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/MemoirsPuritans/MemoirsPuritansJohnField.htm
It is rather interesting, since John Field spent much of his career denouncing Bishops....and also the decadence of the theatre, that one of his sons, Theophilus Field (1574-1636), became Bishop of Llandaf, and later Bishop of Hereford; and his youngest son, Nathan Field (1587-1619/20), was one of the most accomplished playwrights and actors of his day.
John Field was born in London sometime around 1545. He attended Christ Church, Oxford, and was ordained in the ministry by Edmund Grindal (then Bishop of London, later Archibishop of Canterbury) when he (Field) was only 21. This was a departure from custom, as ministers were not usually ordained until age 24. In 1568, he was a lecturer, curate and school master in London.
John Field was one of the leaders of a group of clergymen who advocated reforms of the Church of England. He was so outspoken in his criticism of the Church, that he was barred from preaching from 1571 to 1579, and occasionally imprisoned. He wrote "A View of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church" in 1572, and, together with Thomas Wilcox, wrote, "An Admonition to the Parliament." He is said to have founded the first Presbyterian Church in England at Wandsworth in Surrey, in 1572, and sought to organize the Puritans in England into a hierarchy of Presbyterian synods, advocating a decrease in formal ritual and gesture in public prayer, and a greater emphasis on preaching. He was probably the author of some of the Marprelate tracts.
An interesting article on him (though it appears to have his death date wrong) can be found at:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/MemoirsPuritans/MemoirsPuritansJohnField.htm
It is rather interesting, since John Field spent much of his career denouncing Bishops....and also the decadence of the theatre, that one of his sons, Theophilus Field (1574-1636), became Bishop of Llandaf, and later Bishop of Hereford; and his youngest son, Nathan Field (1587-1619/20), was one of the most accomplished playwrights and actors of his day.
John Field was one of the leaders of a group of clergymen who advocated reforms of the Church of England. He was so outspoken in his criticism of the Church, that he was barred from preaching from 1571 to 1579, and occasionally imprisoned. He wrote "A View of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church" in 1572, and, together with Thomas Wilcox, wrote, "An Admonition to the Parliament." He is said to have founded the first Presbyterian Church in England at Wandsworth in Surrey, in 1572, and sought to organize the Puritans in England into a hierarchy of Presbyterian synods, advocating a decrease in formal ritual and gesture in public prayer, and a greater emphasis on preaching. He was probably the author of some of the Marprelate tracts.
An interesting article on him (though it appears to have his death date wrong) can be found at:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/MemoirsPuritans/MemoirsPuritansJohnField.htm
It is rather interesting, since John Field spent much of his career denouncing Bishops....and also the decadence of the theatre, that one of his sons, Theophilus Field (1574-1636), became Bishop of Llandaf, and later Bishop of Hereford; and his youngest son, Nathan Field (1587-1619/20), was one of the most accomplished playwrights and actors of his day.
