Patrick Hamilton (c.1504-1528) was the first Scottish martyr for the Reformation. He studied at Louvain and St Andrews and became a priest. He became a supporter of Lutheran ideas which were banned. He visited Germany for six months in 1527 where he wrote a brief statement translated as "Patrick's Places." On his return he married. Cardinal Beaton had been investigating Hamilton's activity and he was burnt at the stake on 29 February 1528. News of the extreme cruelty of his martyrdom increased interest in Reformation teachings.