This week in Christian history: Bible Society founded, ‘Apostle of the North’ dies

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, March 03, 2019

‘Apostle of the North’ dies – March 4, 1583

British clergyman Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583), a noted Church of England official who became known as the 'Apostle of the North.' — British clergyman Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583), a noted Church of England official who became known as the "Apostle of the North." | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Bernard Gilpin, a British clergyman who was an early supporter of the Church of England whose ministry in Northern England earned him the name “Apostle of the North.”

Born the same year that the Protestant Reformation began, Gilpin was ordained in 1542 and maintained various Catholic traditions even after recognizing the creation of the Church of England.

He eventually became Rector at Houghton-le-Spring from 1558 until his death, garnering a positive reputation for his treatment of the poor and of local Puritans.

“Today his tradition of feeding the parish’s poor with a roasted ox between Michaelmas and Easter is still re-enacted each year at the festival of Houghton Feast,” noted the Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Society.