15 Aug 2026
They gave Hugh Latimer two choices: deny his faith or face the fire.
He was nearly 70 years old. Once a Catholic priest who fiercely opposed the Reformation, Latimer experienced a transformation that changed the course of his life. The man who once fought the reformers became one of England’s most powerful Protestant preachers — and ultimately one of its most remembered martyrs.
Under the reign of Queen Mary I, Latimer was arrested, imprisoned, pressured to recant, and condemned to die. He had opportunities to save himself. He could have fled. He could have remained silent. He could have abandoned what he believed. He refused.
On October 16, 1555, Hugh Latimer was led to the stake in Oxford beside Nicholas Ridley.
As the flames were about to rise, Latimer spoke words that would echo through history: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley… we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
This is the true story of a farmer’s son, priest, bishop, preacher, reformer, and martyr who chose faith over survival — and whose final words became a symbol of courage for generations.