St Edward King and Martyr, Cambridge
| St Edward King and Martyr, Cambridge | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Peas Hill, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3PP |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Church website |
| History | |
| Founded | 13th century |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Royal Peculiar |
| Administration | |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Cambridge |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ely |
| Clergy | |
| Chaplain(s) | The Revd Mark Scarlata |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Jillian Wilkinson |
St Edward King and Martyr is a church located on Peas Hill in central Cambridge, England. It is dedicated to Edward the Martyr, who was King of England from 975 until his murder in 978. It was at St Edward's in 1525 that what is said to have been the first sermon of the English Reformation took place, and the church is sometimes labelled the "Cradle of the Reformation".
The present church was founded in the 13th century on what is believed to be the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. In around 1400 the church was rebuilt, creating the present chancel and arches of the nave, though the arch at the base of the tower dates from the original building. There are some pictures and a description at the Cambridgeshire Churches website.
When Henry VI ordered the clearing of land in order to create King's College, the church of St John Zachary that was used by both Trinity Hall and Clare was demolished. In 1445, by way of recompense, the living of St Edward's church was granted to Trinity Hall, and the chaplain is still appointed by the college. Two 15th-century side-chapels were built in St Edward's, the north chapel used by Trinity Hall, and the south by Clare.
St Edward's played a pivotal role in the English Reformation. During the 1520s a group of evangelicals led by Thomas Bilney had been meeting to discuss the preachings of Martin Luther and Erasmus's translation of the New Testament.
At the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1525, one of the group, Robert Barnes, gave what is believed to be the first openly evangelical sermon in any English church, and accused the Catholic Church of heresy. Over the next decade many of the great reformers preached at St Edward's, including Hugh Latimer, who was a regular preacher until he left Cambridge in 1531. These events have led to St Edward's being referred to as the "Cradle of the Reformation".
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Wikipedia