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The fifteenth-century episcopate: careers and bequests
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2016
Extract
In this paper I wish to show a possible line of relationship between the careers of some fifteenth-century English bishops and their deathbed bequests. This attempt to correlate episcopal secularity, as revealed by the ‘careerism’ of the bishops, and episcopal sanctity, as revealed by their philanthropy, touches three major themes of historical inquiry. One of these is gift-giving. Anthropologists have taught us to see how the giving of gifts in pre-industrial societies can illuminate the role of symbolic relationships, of ties between lineages, of the bonds of social solidarity, status and hierarchy. Medieval historians know from their own work the importance of gift-giving in the economic sphere. I am also attempting to carry out a ‘group study’, one particular form of sociological history. The purpose of such endeavours is not, as Elton asserts, to reopen the quarrel as to whether history is or is not scientific. It is rather to ask questions about the past which the people of that day did not think to ask about themselves. As such I believe it to be a legitimate and proper form of historical inquiry. Lastly, I seek to shed some light on a particular aspect of medieval espiscopal activity. Anything we can learn about the ecclesiastical élite is that much more known about medieval people and medieval society.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Studies in Church History , Volume 10: Sanctity and Secularity: The Church and the World , 1973 , pp. 117 - 127
- Copyright
- Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1973
References
1 Mauss, M., The Gift, trans 1. Cunnison (New York 1967) written 1925Google Scholar.
2 Grierson, P., ‘Commerce in the Dark Ages: A Critique of the Evidence’, TRHS, 5 series, 9 (1959) pp 123-40Google Scholar.
3 Elton, G., The Practice of History (London 1967) pp 27-8Google Scholar.
4 I include those men who reached the episcopacy, in English sees, between the accession of Henry IV and the death of Richard III. Excluded are Welsh bishops, men who held English sees after 1485 though they held Welsh ones before, and men who became bishops for a second time after 1399, for example, Thomas Arundel and Roger Walden.
5 The wills are to be found in: [ Jacob, E. F., The Register of Henry] Chichele (Oxford 1938) II—William Barrowe pp 433-4Google Scholar; John Catterick pp 178-82; John Chaundler pp 346-53; Richard Clifford pp 224-6; Robert FitzHugh pp 540-1; William Grey pp 544-6; Robert Hallum pp 126-30, 162-3; John Langdon pp 556-8; Philip Morgan PP 530-2; Stephen Patryngton pp 133-5, 137; Thomas Polton pp 485-95; Philip Repyngdon pp 285-7; John Rikynghale pp 415, 419; Simon Sydenham, pp 550-60; Henry Ware pp 195-7; Roger Whelpdale pp 237-40.
T[estamenta] E[boracensia], edd Raine, J. and Raine, J., SS 4 (1836) pp 398–403 Google Scholar Henry Bowet; 45 (1865) pp 60-1 William Strickland; pp 65-8 Roger Whelpdale (the will in Chichele is better); pp 248-50 Lawrence Booth; 53 (1869) pp 138-48 Thomas Rotherham.
Sede Vacante Wills: ed Woodruff, C. E., Kent Archaeological Society, Records Branch, 3 (1914) pp 112-15Google Scholar E. Story; pp 105-12 Thomas Langton; pp 85-93 John Morton. Somerset Medieval Wills, ed Weaver, F. W., Somerset Record Society, 16 (1901) pp 326-9Google Scholar Nicholas Bubwith; pp 202-7 Bekynton, Thomas. Archaeologia Cantiana, 24, pp 244-62Google Scholar Thomas Bourchier. Registrum fohannis Stanbury, ed Bannister, A. T., CY 25 (1919) pp vii–ix Google Scholar Stanbury, John. Chandler, R., Life of William Waynflete (London 1811)pp 379-88Google Scholar. Blomefield, F., An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk (London 1805-1811) 111, pp 537-8Google Scholar for Walter Lyhart, and for James Goldwell, ibid pp 539-43.
Stafford’s Register, at Lambeth Palace: fols 131-4 Thomas Brouns; fol 165 R. Gilbert; fols 128-9 Richard Praty; fols 122-3 William Wells; fols 178-9 William Alnwich. PRO, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills: 16 Stokton Reginal Boulers; 4 Logge Richard Beauchamp; 32 Godyn John Lowe; 7 Wattys Walter Lyhart; 28 Milles Thomas Kemp; 21 Vox John Russell.
Three wills are extant but so jejune as to be of no value: Richard Scrope, TE, III, p 169; Philip Repyngdon, John Catterick, in Chichele. All the others are rather extensive. I wish to acknowledge the help of the Henry E. Huntingdon Library and to Miss J. A. Rosenthal for their aid in obtaining and transcribing the wills.
6 The regulars were Boulers, Langdon, Lowe, Patryngton, Stanbury and Wells.
7 As well as the basic biographical information there is a guide to the bishops’ main lines of benefaction in Emden, A. B., A Biographical Register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500 (Oxford 1957) 3 volsGoogle Scholar and A Biographical Register of the University of Cambridge to A.D. 1500 (Cambridge 1963). Many major building projects are ignored here, for example, Scrope’s bequests to York cathedral, Strickland’s aid to his native area, Rotherham’s school at Hull, Waynflete’s creation of Magdalen college, and many others.
8 The early careers of the fifteenth-century bishops are dealt with in Rosenthal, J. T., The Training of an Elite Group: English Bishops in the 15th Century (Philadelphia 1970) American Philosophical Society, new series, 60, part 5Google Scholar.
9 The pre-episcopal career was longer in seventeen instances, and in eight of the seventeen it was longer by ten years or more. The episcopal career was longer in thirteen cases, and in six cases of the thirteen it was longer by ten years or more.
10 Bubwith’s bequest ran: ‘250 marks for the celebration of masses in the University of Oxford by priests unbeneficed or poorly beneficed who are studying there.’
11 Bekynton’s money was ‘to ten honest priests of good conversation, apt and disposed to study, and either staying or about to stay in the University of Oxford, not having a sufficient exhibition, and especially those who belong to my diocese ... To the exhibition of ten poor scholars not having a sufficient exhibition ... to be selected from my diocese.’
12 Of the residue, ‘all his clothes were to be divided between Oriel and Exeter Colleges, and the overplus of his personals he ordered his executors to expend in maintaining poor scholars at Cambridge and Oxford’.
13 Waynflete left 6s. 8d. to the president of the college, 2s. to each scholar and chaplain, 1s. 4d. to each clerk, and 15. to each chorister, plus the manor of Sparshold and the residue of his goods.
14 Balliol was to receive a Speculum Historiale of Vincent of Beauvais, Gregory’s Moralia and a work on Ezekiel, some works of Egidius Romanus, a set of the decretals and a fancy goblet and some lesser trinkets.
15 ‘Item volo quod liber decretalium necnon liber decretorum et Gorham super epístolas Pauli et super psalterio qui sunt libri ecclesie Landavensis restituantur eidem ecclesie.’
16 He had once been rector of Great Chart, Kent, and during his lifetime he helped rebuild the church, found a chapel and endow a chantry for his parents’ souls: Weever, J., Funeral Monuments (London 1767) pp 91-2.Google Scholar The only testamentary bequest towards Great Chart was a gift of 6s. 8d. to James Le Vyndales, Goldwell’s godson, who lived there.
17 For the continuing ties and obligations, see Jacob, E. F., ‘English University Clerks in the Later Middle Ages’, Essays in the Conciliar Epoch (Manchester 1963) pp 207-39Google Scholar, and J. T. Rosenthal, ‘The Universities and the Medieval English Nobility’, History of Education Quarterly (1969) pp 415-37.
124 18 Beauchamp, Bourchier, Clifford, FitzHugh and Grey seem to have been related to aristocratic families, while Strickland, Alnwick, Lawrence Booth, Bowet, Goldwell, Thomas Kemp, Morton, Sydenham and Waynflete were probably from well established land-owning families.
19 After mentioning that Morgan kept his attachment for Wales, it should be d that he requested burial within the London charterhouse. This is of because he was bishop of Worcester and then of Ely, never of London.
20 Many other channels of benefaction could be explored. Though none of the six regulars gave to any of the three categories we are concerned with, three (Boulers, Langdon and Wells) gave bequests to their former monasteries. Eight bishops had been wardens or masters of hospitals, and three (Bekynton, Praty and Bouchier) left bequests to them.
21 In the fourteenth century many bishops were local men: Edwards, Kathleen, ‘The Social Origins and Provenance of the English Bishops During the Reign of Edward II, TRHS, 5 series, 9 (1959)Google Scholar. This was not the case for the fifteenth century men. Furthermore, with the exception of a few northerners, few bishops had many of their pre-episcopal beneficies concentrated in either their native region or within the diocese which they eventually held. It was very much a church of ‘foreigners’.
22 Gifts in kind to a parish church were a boon to the parishioners because it relieved them of the obligation to provide the vestments, service books, and plate. I wish to thank Miss K. Wood-Legh for drawing this point to my attention.