He was the confessor and spiritual adviser of Elizabeth Barton, "The Holy Maid of Kent", a popular seer who spoke out against the marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn.
He was serving as the cellarer of Christ Church Priory, in Canterbury, when at the request of Archbishop William Warham, the prior sent him with others to access the credibility of Elizabeth Barton, "The Holy Maid of Kent", and her alleged divine revelations.
According to George C Alston, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia, Bocking is said to have induced her to declare herself an inspired emissary for the overthrow of Protestantism and the prevention of the divorce of Queen Catherine.
In November, 1533 Bocking, Barton and others were made to mount a scaffold at St Paul's Cross to do public penance for promoting "superstition" and "disloyalty".
Eustace Chapuys, Imperial ambassador for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, nephew of Queen Catherine of Aragon, noted that there was some difficulty in obtaining a conviction for treason, and the trial ended without a sentence.
[5] Alston indicates that Barton's purported visions of declaiming against the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn were instigated and promoted by Bocking for his own purposes.