Oxford Thomas Cranmer Commemoration

Where:	Oxford at the Church of St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket St (formerly at St Mary the Virgin on the High Street) and at the Martyr's Memorial on Magdalen Street near Beaumont Street junction and Balliol College
When:	21st March
Time:	11 am Service

March 21st marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer, Henry VIII’s Archbishop of Canterbury, who was executed for heresy by Mary I in 1556. The impressive Martyr’s Memorial, near the junction of Magdalen Street and Beaumont Street and Balliol College , commemorates his execution all year round, along with those of Bishops Latimer and Ridley, and on the anniversary a special service and wreath laying ceremony are held in his memory. Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer still is use in many churches today, and the commemoration is organised by the Prayer Book Society. The day begins with mattins, formerly at St Mary’s where the trial of the Archbishop took place but currently at the Church of St Michael at the North Gate, and a procession of robed clergy follows the service, with a stop for prayers at the cross marking the place of his execution on Broad Street before wreaths are laid at the Martyrs Memorial. Related prayers and lectures follow during the afternoon.

Helpful Hints

The commemoration usually takes place on the actual anniversary regardless of the day of the week it falls upon. The service lasts about an hour or so, and the arrival at the Martyrs’ memorial when we went was around 12.30.

Click here for the Prayer Book Society’s website: https://www.pbs.org.uk

and here for the Church: https://www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk