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John Stafford (died 25 May 1452) was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as
(Detailed discussion of the Bishop's origins).
John Stafford (died 25 May 1452) was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
(1432–1450) and as Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
(1443–1452).
Early life and education
Stafford was the illegitimate son of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Southwick, aWiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
squire, and required papal permission before he became the rector of Farmborough
Farmborough is a small village and civil parish, south west of Bath in Somerset, England. It straddles both the A39 and A368 roads. The parish has a population of 1,035.
History
The Farmborough Hoard of Iron Age coins was found in the ...
, vicar of Bathampton and prebendary of Wells
Wells most commonly refers to:
* Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England
* Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground
* Wells (name)
Wells may also refer to:
Places Canada
*Wells, British Columbia
England
* Wells ...
.
He was educated at the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
Career
Stafford was appointedDean of Arches
The Dean of the Arches is the judge who presides in the provincial ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This court is called the Arches Court of Canterbury. It hears appeals from consistory courts and bishop's disciplinary trib ...
in 1419 and served as Archdeacon of Salisbury
The Archdeacon of Sarum is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Salisbury, England. He or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the five Rural Dean, area deaneries of the Sarum archdeaconry, which ...
from 1419 to 1421. From 1423 to 1424 he was Dean of Wells.
He came to note under Henry VI, becoming Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...
in 1421Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 95 and Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
the following year.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 106 He was Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
from 1432 to 1450.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 87
On 18 December 1424 Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...
made him Bishop of Bath and Wells, and he was consecrated on 27 May 1425.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 228 Pope Eugene IV made him Archbishop of Canterbury in May 1443, a position he held until his death on 25 May 1452.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 He steered an even course between parties as a moderate man and useful official.
His grand nephew Humphrey Stafford of Hooke rose in prominence in the King's party thereafter.
Further reading
* Rogers, William Henry Hamilton, ''Strife of the Roses and Days of the Tudors in the West'', Exeter, 1890, Chapter 5, ''"With the Silver Hand", Stafford of Suthwyke, Archbishop and Earl(Detailed discussion of the Bishop's origins).
Citations
References
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, John Year of birth unknown Archdeacons of Salisbury Lords Privy Seal Lord chancellors of England Lord High Treasurers of England Deans of Wells Bishops of Bath and Wells Archbishops of Canterbury 15th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops 1452 deaths Burials at Canterbury Cathedral Alumni of the University of Oxford