On this day in history, 19th November 1604, one of the most gifted churchmen of Elizabethan and early Jacobean England died. His name was Richard Edes, Dean of Worcester, royal chaplain, poet, playwright, and one of the scholars appointed to help translate the King James Bible.
Sadly, Edes never lived to take part in the work that would define English religious life for centuries, but he still led a remarkable life.
In this video, I explore the life of this little-known scholar:
• His rise through Tudor academia
• The plays and poems he composed
• Queen Elizabeth’s affectionate joke about her “three cousins” from the Isle of Wight
• His church career and court connections
• And the legacy he left behind at Worcester, Oxford, and beyond
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