Dr. Edward Crome

Dr.Edward Crome D.D. (died 1562) was an English reformer and courtier.

Crome was arrested in April 1546 for heresy. He recanted, but when made to do this again, publicly, he attacked the Mass and transubstantiation.

Crome may have been born in Worcestershire. He was educated at Cambridge, taking the degrees of B.A. in 1503, M.A. in 1507, and D.D. in 1526. He was a fellow of Gonville Hall.

In 1516 Crome was the university preacher. He was at Cambridge until he attracted Henry VIII's notice by his approval of Thomas Cranmer's book demonstrating the nullity of the king's marriage with Catherine of Aragon. By his action Crome was one of the delegates appointed by the university, 4 February 1530, to discuss and decide the same question proposed by the king. During the following Lent he was three times commanded to preach before the king, and shortly after (24 May) was one of the representatives of his university who, together with the same number from Oxford, assisted the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of Durham in drawing up a condemnation of certain doctrinal views. These were expressed in certain English religious books, such as The Wicked Mammon and The Obedience of a Christian Man, which assailed the Catholic doctrines of purgatory, the merit derived from good works, invocation of saints, confession, and others.

It was probably about this time that Crome became parson of St Antholin's Church in the city of London, a rectory in the gift of the dean and chapter of St.Paul's. While at Cambridge Crome had gained some insight into the ideas of religious reformers by attending the meetings of "gospellers" at the White Horse tavern in St. Benet's, and in spite of his acquiescence in the prohibition of their books, his preaching was so coloured with their views that he was brought before the Bishop of London to be examined. At his trial the king himself was present. The answers he gave were in accordance with the popular articles of belief, even in such matters as purgatory and the efficacy of fasting. His confessions were immediately printed by the bishops, but old friends muttered openly that he was lying; speaking against his conscience in preaching purgatory. Articles were formally produced against him by Hugh Latimer, and Thomas Bilney in the convocation of March 1531, but given his recantation no further steps were taken.

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