English Reformation was not, by itself, a Reformation. However, the political break with Rome was inseparable from the success of Protestantism. English Catholicism was strong and popular in the early 1500s, and while there were those who held Protestant sympathies, they would have remained a religious minority if political events had not intervened. An earlier reform movement that anticipated some Protestant teachings but remained outside the religious mainstream was Lollardy. Derived from the writings of John Wycliffe, a 14th-century theologian and Bible translator, Lollardy stressed the primacy of Scripture and emphasised the preaching of the word over the sacrament of the altar,
John Spalding (14th-century MP) Hull. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Kingston upon Hull in September 1388. John Spalding (14th-century MP) John Spalding (fl. 1388), of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, was an English politician and cloth merchant. Nothing is known of Spalding's family. John Spalding of York was also a cloth merchant at this time in the same county, but there is no proof that they were related. Spalding was the coroner for Kingston upon Hull by February 1389 until after Michaelmas 1392. He held the title Searcher of ships, Kingston-upon-Hull from 14 November 1379 until 8 February 1384.