John Dakyn ^DCL (1497 – November 9, 1558) was an English cleric and historian. He was

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

and a noted chronicler of the

Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536, before spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland, Northumberland, and north Lancashire, under the leadership of Robert Aske. The "most ...

.Past Lives: A stake and fire on the cobbles (From The Northern Echo)
/ref> In his early life Dakyn was

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

to the

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of Do ...

, William Knight, and in his will Knight appointed Dakyn his

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

. Much of the money that established the Dakyn Trust in the parish of Kirkby Ravensworth was left by Knight. Dakyn was also

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

to Knight whilst Knight was the absentee holder of the archdeaconry of Richmond. Dakyn played a leading part in the Pilgrimage of Grace. He rose to

of the

diocese of York The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The diocese is headed by the A ...

and archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1551. In 1554 he was appointed rector of Kirkby Ravensworth. In 1556 he established a school and an almshouse for the people of the parish of Kirkby Ravensworth where he had been

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. Initially the endowment of the school and almshouse was in lands, situated principally in the parish of East Coulton. The school and the almshouse have since been closed down, but the John Dakyn Trust continues to benefit local young people and the elderly. Dakyn was responsible for the

North of England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

's first, and possibly only, burning for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

in the last three years of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

's reign. According to

John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587), an English historian and martyrologist, was the author of '' Actes and Monuments'' (otherwise ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''), telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the su ...

: "Immediately after D. Dakins geuing sentence that þe other should be burnt, came home to hys house and neuer ioyed after, but dyed."The Acts and Monuments Online
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dakyn, John English Roman Catholics 1558 deaths Archdeacons of Taunton 1497 births