William Forrest (poet)
William Forrest stood among the scholars at Christ Church, Oxford, during heated discussions in 1530. Henry VIII sought the university's judgment on his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The air inside the halls likely buzzed with tension as theologians debated royal authority against church doctrine. Forrest witnessed these events firsthand while still a young man. He later attended Queen Catherine's funeral at Peterborough in 1536. Her body lay in state before being buried there after her death. He also saw Wolsey's Cardinal College rise from the ruins of St Frideswide's Priory. The king refounded this institution and appointed Forrest to a post within it. These early years placed him directly in the path of England's religious upheaval.
Anthony Wood recorded that William Forrest was a relative of John Forest, the Franciscan friar executed for treason. This family connection may have shaped his own unwavering Catholic identity during Protestant rule. In 1553 he publicly congratulated Queen Mary upon her accession to the throne. Shortly afterward she nominated him as one of her chaplains. Records show Anthony Lamson presented him to the vicarage of Bledlow on the 1st of July 1556. George Lipscomb later listed the name as William Fortescue instead, creating an unresolved discrepancy. After Queen Mary died, Forrest remained protected by Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. He dedicated his History of Joseph to the duke shortly before Norfolk faced execution in 1572. A handwritten note dated the 27th of October 1572 appears in British Library Harley MS 1703. It reads per me Guil. Forrestum inside a volume treating the life of the Blessed Virgin. Another entry bears the date 1581. These marks confirm his continued presence and faith despite changing political winds.
In 1548 Forrest dedicated a version of De regimine Principum to the Duke of Somerset. Edward VI received this treatise intended for royal education. Two years later he paraphrased selected Psalms and presented them to the same duke. Queen Mary received his poem titled The Second Gresyld in 1558. She also heard his New Ballade of the Marigolde printed by Richard Lant on Aldersgate Street in London. Thomas Park reprinted this ballad decades later in the Harleian Miscellany edition of 1813. Pater Noster and Te Deum appeared versified as prayers within John Foxe's Actes and Monuments first edition from 1563. These works served both political purposes and personal devotion during turbulent transitions between monarchs. They demonstrate how poets navigated courtly expectations while preserving their own convictions.
The History of Joseph the Chaiste stands as one of William Forrest's major literary achievements. He claimed it was originally written twenty-four years before its completion date of the 11th of April 1569. This would place its initial composition around 1545. The work derives largely from the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs according to Forrest himself. It exists today in two distinct parts housed separately. The first part rests upon vellum inside University College Oxford library. The second part resides among Royal manuscripts at British Library under reference 18 C xiii. Sir Thomas Phillipps collected a complete copy bound together as a single folio volume containing 286 pages. That version was written on paper rather than vellum. Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk, received the dedication shortly
before his execution in 1572. The ballad form itself reflects traditional narrative styles adapted for religious instruction.
William Forest completed his narrative poem about Queen Catherine of Aragon's divorce on the 25th of June 1558. He titled it A true and most notable History of a right noble and famous Lady produced in Spain. Ralph Sheldon of Weston Park Warwickshire gave the manuscript to Anthony Wood later. Wood extracted passages for his English Annals of the University of Oxford printed by John Gutch in 1796. Philip Bliss contributed the ninth chapter to Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges's British Bibliographer in 1814. The entire poem finally appeared printed by the Roxburghe Club in London during 1875 edited by William Dunn Macray. An Oration consolatorye to Queen Marye concludes this work. It functions as both historical record and political commentary on royal marriage dissolution. The text
remains preserved within Anthony Wood's collections held at Bodleian Library today.
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Common questions
When did William Forrest attend Queen Catherine's funeral at Peterborough?
William Forrest attended Queen Catherine's funeral at Peterborough in 1536. Her body lay in state before being buried there after her death.
Who was the relative of John Forest executed for treason that influenced William Forrest?
Anthony Wood recorded that William Forrest was a relative of John Forest, the Franciscan friar executed for treason. This family connection may have shaped his own unwavering Catholic identity during Protestant rule.
What date did Anthony Lamson present William Forrest to the vicarage of Bledlow?
Records show Anthony Lamson presented him to the vicarage of Bledlow on the 1st of July 1556. George Lipscomb later listed the name as William Fortescue instead, creating an unresolved discrepancy.
Where are the two distinct parts of The History of Joseph the Chaiste currently housed?
The first part rests upon vellum inside University College Oxford library and the second part resides among Royal manuscripts at British Library under reference 18 C xiii. Sir Thomas Phillipps collected a complete copy bound together as a single folio volume containing 286 pages written on paper rather than vellum.
When did William Forrest complete his narrative poem about Queen Catherine of Aragon's divorce?
William Forest completed his narrative poem about Queen Catherine of Aragon's divorce on the 25th of June 1558. It functions as both historical record and political commentary on royal marriage dissolution.