John Atherton (Bishop)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Atherton (left) and John Childe (right) on the cover of the anonymous pamphlet The shameful ende of Bishop Atherton and his Proctor Iohn Childe

John Atherton (* 1598 in Somerset ; † 1640 ) was an English Anglican bishop who was executed for same-sex fornication .

Atherton was born in Somerset , graduated from Oxford University and became a member of the Anglican clergy . In 1634 Atherton became Bishop of Lismore and Waterford in Ireland . In 1640 Atherton was charged with fornication with John Childe, sentenced to death and hanged. Contemporary sources report that Atherton confessed his wrongdoing right before execution, despite previously insisting on his innocence. Recent research suggests that Atherton was the victim of a conspiracy designed to discredit him and his cartridge.

See also

literature

  • Alan Bray: Homosexuality in Renaissance England ; London: Gay Men's Press, 1982
  • Matthew Parris: The great unfrocked: two thousand years of church scandal ; London: Robson Books, 1998; ISBN 1861051298
  • Rictor Norton (ed.): The Life and Death of John Atherton, 1641 ; in Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook
personal data
SURNAME Atherton, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English Anglican bishop
DATE OF BIRTH 1598
PLACE OF BIRTH Somerset
DATE OF DEATH 1640