Jewel, John (1522-1571)

English Bishop of Salisbury. In the 1560s the English Catholics made renewed efforts to re-establish the primacy of their church. The writings of Jewel at this time defined and clarified points of difference between Anglicans and Romanists. His defence of the Church of England against Rome in the Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae (1562), was for long a standard work, and a copy was ordered to be kept in every church.

Jewel was born in Berrynarbor, near Ilfracombe, England. He was educated at Barnstaple and Oxford University, where he became a lecturer. He spent some time abroad during Mary's reign, but returned to England on the accession of Elizabeth I and was made bishop of Salisbury.