The Johnson family and the Reformation, 1542–52

The Johnsons were a family of merchants who left behind an extensive body of correspondence, covering the period 1542–52, preserved in The National Archives. By 1542 the Johnsons and many of their social network were already ‘Protestant’, although when they converted and why is unknown. Through their letters we get a first‐hand account of many of the events of the Reformation, both in England and Europe, and their authors’ opinions on them. Using the correspondence, which remains almost completely unknown, this article analyses the nature of their Protestantism within the context of the early Reformation.