Henry Holbeach ( – 2 August 1551) was an English clergyman who served as the last

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

and first Dean of Worcester, a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

, and diocesan bishop of two Church of England dioceses.

Life

Born as Henry Rands (or Randes) in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, he assumed the name of his birthplace on becoming a monk at Crowland Abbey. He proceeded to Cambridge ( Bachelor of Theology 1527,

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

1534), and became prior of Buckingham College, Cambridge. In 1536, he was elected the

of Worcester, and two years later he also became the Bishop of Bristol, a

in the Diocese of Worcester. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, the priory was re-established as a cathedral with Holbeach becoming the first Dean of Worcester in 1542. In 1544, he became

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...

, and finally in 1547 Bishop of Lincoln.Bishops of Lincoln: 1521-1868
''British History Online''. Retrieved on 18 December 2008.

Marriage

He is believed to have been the first of the English (post reformation) bishops to have been married, his wife Joan proving his will on 5 October 1551 and he left a son Thomas Randes. According to his descendant,

Cater Rand Cater may refer to: * Catering, the business of providing food service at a remote site Buildings * Cater Hall, a historic building at Auburn University in Alabama, United States * Cater Museum, a museum in Billericay, Essex, England Companies ...

, he was "one of the compilers of the liturgy". Holbeach developed the sweating sickness and died on 2 August 1551 at Nettleham (some accounts give 6 August as date of death) and was buried there on 7 August 1551.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holbeach, Henry 1551 deaths People from Holbeach Bishops of Lincoln Bishops suffragan of Bristol Bishops of Rochester 16th-century English bishops English Christian monks Anglican monks Deans of Worcester People associated with the Dissolution of the Monasteries Year of birth uncertain Deaths from sweating sickness Alumni of the University of Cambridge Priors of Worcester 1477 births 1470s births