ABSTRACT
Most of what we know about Edward Cradock (ca. 1536–ca. 1594) is associated with Oxford University. A Staffordshire man, he matriculated at Christ Church in 1552 at the age of 16, and he was to remain there for the rest of his known life. When Queen Mary came to the throne, he conformed to Catholicism, only to revert to the reformed church upon Elizabeth’s accession. He graduated B.A. on 11 January 1555/6 and M.A. on 10 February 1558/9, both degrees being in divinity; he took holy orders in the latter year. Although Wood says he was “numbered among the learned men of his time,” he cites the circumstance that Cradock’s election as Lady Margaret professor on 24 October 1565 was “upon a great scarcity of Protestant divines in the university,” perhaps implying that he was not in the first rank of theologians. 1 Nevertheless, he held the professorship for nearly thirty years, resigning it only in 1594, probably near the end of his life, at age 58. There is no record of him after this date.
