Perhaps the most famous rector of Chigwell was John Rogers whom Bishop Ridley appointed prebendary of St Pancras in 1551. Rogers had become Chaplain to the English Merchant Adventurers in Antwerp in 1534 where he met Tyndale and was converted to Protestantism. It was here he supervised the publication of the second version of the Bible in English, known as Matthew's Bible and published in Antwerp in 1547.
In Mary's reign he was thrown into prison and tried as a heretic. On February 4th 1555 he was burned at the stake at Smithfield - the first martyr for his faith in that reign.
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