Goodman, Christopher (1521-03-25 - 1603-06-04)

Christopher Goodman was born in 1521/2. His exact birth date is unknown. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1536, graduating B.A. in 1541 and proceeding M.A. in 1544. Subsequently, he became a senior student at Christ Church in 1547. Goodman became rector of Adel, Yorkshire in April 1553. During the reign of Mary I, Goodman left for the continent. He published a significant polemical tract entitled 'How Superior Powers Oght to be Obeyd of their Subjects' in 1558. In 1559, he became minister in Ayr and also preached at the Isle of Man. In 1567, he became rector of Aldford, Cheshire, and in 1571, he became rector of Odell, Bedfordshire, although he was deprived of the latter benefice shortly after. He died on 4 June 1603, and was buried in St Bride's Church. See also Elizabeth Baldwin, ''Obedience is good, but...': Christopher Goodman, the Chester Plays, and the Problem of Authority', The Yearbook of English Studies, 43 (2013), pp. 281-298.