Ralph Baines or "Bayne"[1] (c. 1504 – 18 November 1559) was the last Roman Catholic Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, in England.
[2] He came out against Hugh Latimer, and opposed Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, being incited to the latter by John Fisher.
[6] He was the author of the work Compendium Michlol (also with the Hebrew title, Ḳiẓẓur ha-Ḥeleḳ Rishon ha-Miklol), containing a Latin abstract of the first part of David Ḳimḥi's Hebrew grammar, and dealing methodically with the letters, reading, nouns, regular and irregular verbs, prefixes and suffixes (Paris, 1554).
He vigorously opposed the Protestant Reformers, and features largely in Foxe's Book of Martyrs,[7] conducting many examinations with his Chancellor, Anthony Draycot.
His captivity lasted until 18 November 1559, when, in the words of fellow Roman Catholic John Pitts, Baines "died an illustrious Confessor of the Lord".