WILLIAM Tyndale, the first person to translate most of the Bible into English from Hebrew and Greek, may have hailed from Lydney according to a new book exploring religion in the Forest.

Local author Joyce Moss has made the claim in Tradition, Reformation and Reaction in the Forest of Dean,1450-1603, which explores the Forest Deanery and its people in the late medieval and Tudor periods.

“I live in the Forest and this is why I chose the Deanery of the Forest as the subject of my book,” Joyce said.

“The first section, exploring the pre-Reformation church, includes an exploration of new research suggesting that William Tyndale, an outstanding figure of the early Reformation, was born here in Lydney.”

It has previously been claimed that Tyndale was from Dursley, across the River Severn.

“The second part is about Reformation and reaction, and covers the period from 1540 to 1558 including the events surrounding Henry VIII’s last years, the reign of Mary Tudor and the restoration of Catholicism,” adds Joyce.

“The last chapters look at the courts and wills of this period, as they relate to the Forest, giving an insight into the lives of ordinary people.

“Part three covers the reign of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603.

“There was, in Gloucester diocese, a great deal of corruption in the courts, more so than in any other diocese and I explore this in detail as well as the reign of two disastrous Elizabethan bishops,” said Joyce.

“The 16th century is always something I have wanted to work on, but never had the chance before now.

“I have tried to combine scholarship with popularity and have written chapters of explanation about events in each section for the interested reader, who may not know about the history in detail.”