Background
Thomas Goldwell was the son of William Goldwell of Great Chart, Kent.
Thomas Goldwell was the son of William Goldwell of Great Chart, Kent.
Thomas Goldwell is thought to have studied at Canterbury College, Oxford. In January 1532 a student surnamed Goldwell was questioned concerning books in his possession which supported Catherine of Aragon, and Goldwell later referred to Richard Thorndon, who was warden of that College from 1524 to 1534, as his ‘old friend and master’. He graduated Bachelor in 1528, Master of Arts on 17 July 1531, and BTh on 20 March 1534.
Mary planned to make him Bishop of Oxford and ambassador to Rome in November 1558, and the documents were drawn up, but were not enacted due to her death. Goldwell attended Cardinal Pole"s funeral by the Queen"s permission and then returned to Street Asaph"son When Elizabeth came to the throne, Goldwell complained of not being invited to her first parliament as a bishop, but then by June 1559 decided to escape from England.
He was the only English bishop at the council of Trent, and in 1562 was again attainted.
In the following year he was appointed vicar-general to Carlo Borromeo, archbishop of Milan. Later, he returned to Rome, where he is known to have ordained the famous Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria as a priest.
He died in Rome in 1585.