For many who had long held strong traditional or Catholic beliefs, the English Reformation was a violent stripping of their way of life.
This position was the official doctrine as explicated at King Edward's command, but still proved controversial among more conservative clerics.
[8] Years afterwards during the reign of Mary I, a fellow conservative priest, Robert Parkyn, remembered Tonge as a heretic for his preaching.
[9] For his performance and preaching skills, the King granted Tonge the Prebendary of Winchester, underneath Bishop Gardiner.
[11] Shortly before Tonge's tour in the area, a violent mob murdered the archdeacon of nearby Helston over the destruction of church images.