'William Latimer', (c.
1467 –
1545), was an
English clergyman and
scholar of
Ancient Greek.
Latimer studied at
Oxford University, attaining the degree of
Bachelor of Arts before being admitted as a
fellow of
All Souls College, Oxford in
1489. In the
1490s Latimer went to
Italy in order to study Greek, he was eventually awarded an
MA by the
University of Ferrara in
1502.
Shortly after returning to England in 1502, Latimer took
holy orders. Throughout the rest of his life he combined his travels and studies with a career in the priesthood. He also spent several spells serving as a teacher at Canterbury College, Oxford, where, amongst others, he taught
Reginald Pole.
Latimer was one of the foremost scholars of his age, a fact attested by his selection as Pole's tutor and his role as an advisor to
Henry VIII on the theological implications of his divorce from
Catherine of Aragon. Latimer was also a correspondent of
Thomas More and
Desiderius Erasmus, the latter specifically seeking Latimer's help during his translation of the
New Testament.
Although the precise date of his death is unknown, Latimer died at some point between April and October 1545 - the dates that his will was successively made and proven.