Thomas Beckington (also spelt Beckynton; c. 139014 January 1465) was 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 D ...

and King's Secretary in medieval England under Henry VI.

Life

Beckington was born at Beckington in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford. Having entered the Church he held many ecclesiastical appointments, and became

dean of the 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 tribun ...

in 1423; and

Archdeacon of Buckingham The Archdeacon of Buckingham is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the Church of England in Buckinghamshire. The archdeacon has statutory oversight over the ancient Archdeaconry of Buckingham, which has existed since (at latest) the 11 ...

in 1424. After that he devoted his time to secular affairs and was sent on an embassy to Calais in 1439 and to John IV, Count of Armagnac in 1442. At this time Beckington was acting as secretary to Henry VI, and soon after his return in 1443 he was appointed Lord Privy Seal, an office he held until 1444. He was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells on 13 October 1443. The bishop erected many buildings in Wells and elsewhere, probably altering the rectory at Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), an early preferment. The most important results of Beckington's missions to France were one

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

journal, written by himself, referring to the embassy to Calais; and another, written by one of his attendants, relating to the journey to

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

. He died at Wells on 14 January 1465. Beckington is buried at

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

and has an unusual monument there: his effigy is depicted twice; one above the other in a two tier arrangement, the bottom effigy depicting his decaying corpse whilst unwrapped from its shroud, and the effigy above depicting him in what is assumed to be his bishop's attire. When his tomb was opened during Victorian times he was found to be buried very simply (as depicted on his tomb) with just one ornament: his bishop's ring. This was removed and is now in a museum. Beckington played a leading role as architect of the legal aspects of Henry VI's foundation of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

in 1440; he is commemorated in the name of the school's central dining hall, 'Bekynton'. In a letter from 1449, Beckington remarked of Bath mentioning that the healing waters of Bath has been turned into abuse by the shamelessness of the inhabitants of the city. Further mentioning: Bekynton's architecture is marked with a symbol depicting a barrel and a flame. This is a pun on his name, being "beacon tun". One of the easiest to be viewed is in Penniless Porch Wells.

Works

Beckington's own journal was published in the ''Proceedings of the Privy Council'', vol. v., edited by

Nicholas Harris Nicolas Sir (Nicholas) Harris Nicolas (10 March 1799 – 3 August 1848) was an English antiquary. Life The fourth son of Commander John Harris Nicolas R.N. (1758–1844) and Margaret née Blake, he was born at Dartmouth. He was the brother of Rear Ad ...

(1835); and the other journal in the ''Official Correspondence of Thomas Bekynton'', edited by George Williams for the

Rolls Series ''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...

(1872), which contains many interesting letters. This second journal was translated into English by Nicolas (1828).

Citations

References

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External links

Royal Berkshire History: Thomas Beckington (1390–1465)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckington, Thomas 1390 births 1465 deaths 15th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Alumni of New College, Oxford Archdeacons of Buckingham Bishops of Bath and Wells Medieval English diplomats Lords Privy Seal People educated at Winchester College People from Mendip District People from Sutton Courtenay Burials at Wells Cathedral 15th-century diplomats

Life

Works

See also

Citations

References

External links