Thomas Gascoigne (1404–1458) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

medieval

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

. He was twice

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

and twice

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 ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Thomas was born in

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

, near Leeds, only son to the lord of the manor at Leeds, Richard Gasgoigne and his wife Beatrix. Thomas's inheritance on Richard's death in 1422 gave him a reasonable degree of financial security throughout his life. He studied at Oxford from 1416 to 1420; was ordained a priest in 1427; and was appointed to the rectory of

Kirk Deighton Kirk Deighton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north-west of Wetherby, to which it is contiguous, and near the A1(M). The village was in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and Wethe ...

(about 15 miles north-west of Hunslet) in July 1433 (from which he resigned in 1443, apparently because his duties at Oxford prevented him from fulfilling pastoral duties in the rectory). He maintained his Oxford connections, however, and on 14 June 1434 he became a Doctor of Theology, serving as vice-chancellor and chancellor of the university at various points between 1439–45 and again, during a break between Chancellors, in 1453. Thus his career was focused on Oxford, although he was also chaplain to Henry VI sometime in the period 1434–45; had a brief spell at the rectory of St Peter's Cornhill, in London, from November 1445; and became a canon of Wells on 7 February 1449. February 8, 1449 saw Oriel College granting him rent-free accommodation for the rest of his life. Thomas died on 13 March 1458 and was buried in New College, Oxford. Gascoigne compiled his magnum opus, ''Dictionarium Theologicum'' (or ''Liber de Veritatibus''), between about 1434 and his death in 1458. In this, he reported the story of

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

's deathbed repentance for his literary sins.

References

1404 births 1458 deaths English Roman Catholic theologians Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Chancellors of the University of Oxford 15th-century English people People from Hunslet {{UOxford-stub