Martin Heton (Heaton) (1554–1609) was an English bishop.
His father George Heton was prominent in the London commercial world and as a church reformer.[1][2][3] His mother Joanna was daughter of Martin Bowes, Lord Mayor of London in 1545.[4] He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford.[5]
He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1588.[6] He became Dean of Winchester in 1589, and Bishop of Ely in 1599.[5] There is a story that Elizabeth I applied pressure to him, or his predecessor Richard Cox, over some land deals disadvantageous to the diocese, in a letter beginning “Proud prelate!”[7] But scholars from the nineteenth century onwards, for example Mandell Creighton, have considered the letter in question a hoax of the eighteenth century.[8]
A fat man, Heton was supposedly complimented by the king James I with the comment "Fat men are apt to make lean sermons; but yours are not lean, but larded with good learning."[9]
His daughter Ann married Sir Robert Filmer.[10]
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Cox vacancy from 1581 |
Bishop of Ely 1599–1609 |
Succeeded by Lancelot Andrewes |