Research: With all the significant developments within English reformation research over the past century it is inevitable that the study of certain important figures is neglected. John Ponet – Cambridge humanist, Edwardian bishop, exiled reformer – is precisely one of these figures. He earned the deepest admiration and respect of his contemporaries during the reign of Henry VIII and Edward VI, and was the leading English ecclesiastic during the Marian exile. Given the paucity of attention given to this significant English reformer, and exciting new bibliographical discoveries of almost 40 books he owned and annotated, this thesis aims to rectify the academic lacuna by answering the question: How does this treasure-house of newly discovered manuscript material illuminate the life and theology of John Ponet? In doing so, this thesis will not only shed light on an important figure of the period, but also enhance our wider understanding of the vision for the Church of England held by evangelicals during the early modern period.
Funding: Joan Augusta Mackenzie Travelling Scholarship (Australia), Roberts Scholarship (Australia).
