Marprelate Controversy
Preserved but no longer current.
The name given to the vituperative paper war of about 1589, in which the Puritan pamphleteers attacked the Church of England under the pseudonym "Martin Marprelate." Thomas Cooper, Bishop of _ Winchester, defended the Church, and the chief of the "Martinists" were probably Udall, Throckmorton, Penry, and Barrow. Udall died in pnson (1592); Penry and Barrow were executed in 1593.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Marprelate Controversy” mean?
The name given to the vituperative paper war of about 1589, in which the Puritan pamphleteers attacked the Church of England under the pseudonym "Martin Marprelate." Thomas Cooper, Bishop of _ Winchester, defended the Church, and the chief of the "Martinists" were probably Udall, Throckmorton, Penry, and Barrow. Udall died in pnson (1592); Penry and Barrow were executed in 1593.
Is “Marprelate Controversy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.