Identity and Authorship
The true identity of "Martin" has long been speculated upon. For many years, the main candidate was John Penry, a Welsh preacher and author of several impassioned polemics against the state of the church. In 1981 Leland Carlson suggested that a Warwickshire squire and Member of Parliament, Job Throckmorton was the primary author and that Penry assisted him.
The tracts had to be printed in secrecy, and some sort of organisation was involved to handle their production and distribution. Penry was definitely involved in the printing, and the press was frequently relocated to different parts of the country in order to avoid the authorities. Penry himself denied any involvement in the actual authorship.
Read more about this topic: Martin Marprelate
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