Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated by Roman Catholics as Saint Thomas More. He was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a councillor to Henry VIII and Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to 16 May 1532.

He was married to Jane Colt in 1505. The couple had four children before Jane died in 1511: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cicely, and John. After the death of his wife he quickly remarried a rich widow, Alice, (within 30 days) for the sake of their four children.

More had no children from his second marriage, although he raised Alice's daughter from her previous marriage as his own. More also became the guardian of a young girl named Anne Cresacre, who would eventually marry his son, John More.

An affectionate father, More wrote letters to his children whenever he was away on legal or government business, and encouraged them to write to him often.

More insisted upon giving his daughters the same classical education as his son, a highly unusual attitude at the time.

More's decision to educate his daughters set an example for other noble families.

More supported the Catholic Church and saw the Protestant Reformation as heresy, a threat to the unity of both church and society. Believing in the theology, polemics, and ecclesiastical laws of the church, More "heard Luther's call to destroy the Catholic Church as a call to war.

Once while More was at Mass, which he attended every morning, King Henry sent for him. He did not leave until the Mass was finished, but sent this message: “As soon as my audience with the King of Heaven is ended, I will at once obey the desire of my earthly king.”

As the conflict over supremacy between the Papacy and the King reached its apogee, More continued to remain steadfast in supporting the supremacy of the Pope as Successor of Peter over that of the King of England.

In 1530, More refused to sign a letter by the leading English churchmen and aristocrats asking Pope Clement VII to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine, and also quarrelled with Henry VIII over the heresy laws.

In 1533, More refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn (King Henry’s new wife) as the Queen of England.

With his refusal to support the King's annulment, More's enemies had enough evidence to have the King arrest him on treason.

On 1 July 1535, More was tried before a panel of judges that included the new Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, as well as Anne Boleyn's father, brother, and uncle.

The jury took only fifteen minutes to find More guilty.

After the jury's verdict was delivered and before his sentencing, More spoke freely of his belief that "no temporal man may be the head of the spirituality". He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered (the usual punishment for traitors who were not the nobility), but the King commuted this to execution by decapitation. The execution took place on 6 July 1535. When he came to mount the steps to the scaffold, he is widely quoted as saying (to the officials): "I pray you, I pray you, Mr Lieutenant, see me safe up and for my coming down, I can shift for myself"; while on the scaffold he declared that he died "the king's good servant, but God's first."

He was sentenced to death, and was executed on 6 July 1535. He was beatified by Leo XIII in 1886 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935. His Feast day, formerly 9 July; is now paired, with St. John Fisher, on 22 June.

[Source: Information extracted and compiled from Wikipedia, as previously reported in The Link for May 2015.]

Site of scaffold at Tower Hill where More was executed by decapitation

The commemorative plaque, above, is at the site of the ancient scaffold at Tower Hill, with Sir Thomas More listed among other notables executed at the site.