Today in 1570, John Hopkins, a poet, and clergyman was buried at his church in Great Waldingfield. He worked with another poet Thomas Sternhold, to produce the first national English hymn book in 1562. That book has gone through over 600 editions. It’s been outsold only by the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer in England.
Hopkins’ appointment, as the rector in Great Waldingfield, was a nod to the rise in Puritan beliefs that grew after Mary I died and the Marian exiles could come back from the continent. Many of those Puritans had come back to East Suffolk and created a Puritan stronghold that would see the largest amount of pure immigration to the New World 50 years later.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember, you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested link:
MiniCast Notes: Tudor Poets
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.