Oldcastle
SIR JOHN, LORD COBHAM, as English reformer; born in the 14th century, in the reign of Edward III., and obtained his peerage by marrying the daughter of Lord Cobham.
He excited the resentment of the clergy by his zealous adherence to the doctrines of Wyclif, whose works he collected, transcribed, and distributed among the people. Under Henry V. he was accused of heresy; but the king, with whom he was a favorite, delayed the prosecutions against him, and tried to convince him of his alleged errors, but in vain. He was then cited before the Archbishop of Canterbury (1413), condemned as a heretic, and committed to the Tower, whence he escaped into Wales. Four years afterward he was retaken and burned alive in St. Giles' Fields, in December, 1417. He wrote "Twelve Conclusions," addressed to the Parliament of England.