Thomas L'Archer (died 1329) was an English
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
who held the office of English Prior of the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
. His financial incompetence left the Order in severe difficulty.
He was born at
Tanworth in Arden in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, a younger son of John L'Archer and Margery Barniville. The Archer family owned
Umberslade Hall
Umberslade Hall is a 17th-century mansion converted into residential apartments situated in Nuthurst near Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Archer family were granted the manor of Umberslade by Henry II in ...
from the time of
Henry II until the nineteenth century. Two of his brothers also entered the Church.
John L'Archers, prior of the Order's Irish house in the 1340s, was his great-nephew.
In 1321, Thomas became Prior of the Order's English House. He proved to be a most unfortunate choice. Although he worked diligently in his early years as Prior to extend the Order's property holdings, in his last years, through a combination of old age and financial misjudgment, he appears to have bankrupted the English House. The Grand Master of the Order of St. John set up an inquiry into the financial state of the English House, which recommended Thomas's removal on grounds of old age. He died soon afterwards, on 28 August 1329.
Under his term as Prior, the Hospitallers acquired 33 ex-
Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
possessions, more than under any of his predecessors or successors. He secured passage of an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
in 1324 for this purpose. Passage of the statute required the paying of numerous
bribes
Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
, which may partly explain the Order's later financial crisis. The Order's possession of the most valuable of the properties, the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
, was short-lived, as L'Archer almost immediately surrendered it to
Hugh le Despenser, the prime
royal favourite
Royal may refer to:
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* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
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of King
Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
, no doubt at the King's request.
[Griffith-Jones and Park ed. ''The Temple Church in London- History, Architecture, Art'' Boydell Press 2010 p.15]
References
People from Warwickshire
Priors of Saint John of Jerusalem in England
1329 deaths
Year of birth unknown
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