David Whitehead

David Whitehead (also Whitehet and Whithead) (1492?–1571) was an English evangelical priest, a Marian exile and author.

Early life Born about 1492, he was a native of Hampshire; his contemporary Hugh Whitehead (died 1551), with whom David Whitehead has sometimes been confused, was from the County Durham area.

David Whitehead is said to have been educated at Brasenose College, Oxford or All Souls College, Oxford, but his name does not appear in the registers. He was tutor to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who died in 1551. During the winter of 1549–50 Whitehead, Thomas Lever and Roger Hutchinson endeavoured to convert Joan Bocher from her heresies.

In 1552 Thomas Cranmer described him as "Mr. Whitehead of Hadley"; and on 25 August suggested him to Cecil as a candidate for the vacant Archbishop of Armagh. Whitehead, however, refused the appointment, and Hugh Goodacre became archbishop. and signing a letter to Heinrich Bullinger on 27 September 1557. Richard Hilles, however, in announcing Whitehead's death in June 1571, said that Whitehead had lived about seven years a widower, but married a young widow when about eighty. This story passed from Robert Barnes in Oxford to Thomas Allen; and from Allen to Brian Twyne. In Anthony Wood a version of this story has "Friar Whitehead" the source for Billingsley's work. There is also a tradition that Whitehead was earlier in life an Augustinian friar.