Biography
John Bradford was born around 1510 in Blackley, near Manchester, England. His family was of some means, and he was well educated. He went to the grammar school in Manchester and then worked for a time as a secretary to the treasurer of Calais, in the service of Henry VIII. He was a young man of ability, and he held a responsible position at court. As a young man, he lived without much care for his soul and, as he later confessed, he was guilty of misusing funds in the course of his work. He made an error of accounting, and when it was discovered, he had to make good the loss.
A sermon by Hugh Latimer, which he heard around 1547, brought him to repentance. Latimer preached against the sin of restitution, urging those who had wronged others to put things right. Bradford was moved, and he repaid the money he had taken. He gave up his career and entered the University of Cambridge, where he studied law and then theology at Pembroke Hall. He was influenced by the teaching of Martin Bucer, who was then at Cambridge. In 1549 he was made a fellow of Pembroke Hall.
He was ordained in 1550 by Nicholas Ridley, the Bishop of London, who made him a deacon and appointed him to a prebend at St. Paul's. He became one of the most popular preachers of London. He was a chaplain to King Edward VI, and he preached before the court. He was also a pastor of great diligence. He traveled around Lancashire and Cheshire, preaching to the people in the north, and he was loved for his goodness. He was known for the simplicity of his life and for his tenderness toward those in trouble. He was a man of deep prayer, and he rose early in the morning to read.
When Edward died in 1553 and Mary became queen, the situation turned dangerous for the reformers. A few weeks after her accession, Bradford was preaching at Bow Church, in London, when a riot broke out in the congregation. A mob was angry at a sermon preached by another man. Bradford calmed the crowd and saved the preacher from harm. But the authorities, who were looking for a reason, arrested him on a charge of sedition. He was sent to the Tower of London in August 1553.
He spent nearly two years in prison, first in the Tower and later in the King's Bench and Newgate prisons. He used the time to write letters and meditations. His letters, full of comfort and Scripture, were smuggled out and circulated among the faithful. He also wrote a number of treatises on the doctrine of election and on the Lord's Supper. He was visited by friends and also by Catholic priests who tried to persuade him to recant. He answered them firmly and kindly. He was examined before the lord chancellor, Stephen Gardiner, and other officials, and he defended his faith.
He was condemned as a heretic in January 1555. He spent several more months in prison. On July 1, 1555, he was taken to Smithfield and burned at the stake with a young man, John Leaf, an apprentice who was also condemned. It is said that he comforted his companion and said to him that they would sup with the Lord that night. He was about forty-five years old. He had never married.
He is also remembered for a saying that is attributed to him, that when he saw a criminal led to execution, he said that but for the grace of God, there goes John Bradford. There is no clear proof that he said it, but it sums up his spirit. He was a man who was deeply aware of his own sin. His life shows how a man who has been forgiven much may face death with calm. His letters are a legacy for those in trouble.