Edmund Bolton
Edmund Bolton was a 16th-century English poet and writer, born around 1575 to Roman Catholic parents in Leicestershire. A free commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, he later studied law in London while maintaining connections with the Catholic community. Bolton published several notable works, including a selection of pastoral poems in "England's Helicon" in 1600 and various writings on historical and antiquarian subjects, such as "Nero Caesar" and "The Elements of Armories." Despite his literary talents, his strong Catholic faith became a hindrance to his career, particularly after King Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church. His advocacy for his beliefs led to persecution, fines, and imprisonment. Bolton's last known correspondence dates to 1633, and he is believed to have died that same year. While his works have been largely overshadowed by contemporaries like Shakespeare, Bolton's commitment to his faith and his literary contributions reflect a complex life marked by both creativity and struggle.
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Edmund Bolton
Historian
- Born: c. 1575
- Birthplace: England
- Died: c. 1633
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Edmund Bolton was born in about 1575 to Roman Catholic parents in Leicestershire, England. Harley Manuscript 6521 in the British Library preserves his signature, Edmundus Maria Boltonus, the middle name demonstrating his devotion to the faith of his parents. Due to his family’s station in society, Bolton was able to stay for many years as a free commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. After leaving Cambridge, Bolton studied law in London and resided for some time with the lawyers at the Inner Temple, where he also associated with Catholics. In about 1606, Bolton married, and he and his wife had three sons.
Bolton’s earliest publication of note was a selection of five pastoral poems that appeared in England’s Helicon in 1600. This remarkable volume contains poems by noteworthy authors such as Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, and Christopher Marlowe. Bolton’s works included “Theorello: A Sheepheards Edillion,” “A Palinode,” “A Canzon Pastorall in Honour of Her Majestie,” “A Pastorall Ode to an Honourable Friend,” and “The Sheepheard’s Song: A Caroll or Himne for Christmas.”
Bolton’s strong association with the Roman Catholic Church proved a liability to his career in scholarship and politics after King Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic church. For example, Bolton wrote his Life of King Henry II for John Speed’s History of Great Britaine in 1611, but Bolton’s article was rejected for its overly favorable portrayal of the controversial Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket, who had defied Henry II’s efforts to control the church.
Bolton’s avid interest in historical and antiquarian subjects led him to write several memorable volumes. These include The Elements of Armories (1610), treating heraldry; a translation of the works of Lucius Iulius Florus, a minor Roman historian, published in 1619; Nero Caesar: Or, Monarchie Depraved (1624), a life of Nero; and The Cities Advocate (1629), another volume on heraldry. Perhaps his most noteworthy writing, Hypercritica: Or, A Rule of Judgment for Writing or Reading Our Histories, was written in about 1618, but was not published until 1722 by Anthony Hall in Nicolai trivete annalium continuatio.
Bolton’s latter years were plagued with persecution and poverty. Because he was a recusant— a Roman Catholic who refused to attend the services of the Church of England—he was fined six pounds in 1628, and because he could not afford to pay the fine, he was imprisoned in 1629. The last record of Bolton occurs in a letter to Henry, Lord Falkland, on August 20, 1633. Bolton is assumed to have died in that year.
Bolton realized few of his dreams. His poetic talents were overshadowed by geniuses such as Shakespeare and Spencer. Bolton’s efforts to gain support from the monarchy achieved brief and fleeting success. His proposal to King James I in 1617 that a royal academy or college of letters be created in association with the Order of the Garter bore no fruit. Bolton championed his Roman Catholic faith to the end, preferring to suffer for his convictions than be deprived of them.