Thomas Spofford (d. 1456) was a medieval
Bishop of Hereford and Abbot of
St Mary's Abbey, York
The Abbey of St Mary is a ruined Benedictine abbey in York, England and a scheduled monument.
History
Once one of the most prosperous abbeys in Northern England,Dean, G. 2008. ''Medieval York''. Stroud: History Press. p. 86 its remains li ...
.
Early life
Spofford was probably born in
Spofforth,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
, in the 1370s. He entered the Benedictine order at the abbey of St Mary's in York in 1392 and was elected as its abbot on 8 June 1405. He became visitor of the Benedictines in York province, and proctor of the province and the archbishop at the
Council of Pisa
The Council of Pisa was a controversial ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409. It attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII (Avignon) and Gregory XII (Rome) for schism and manifest heresy. The College o ...
in 1409. He was one of
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...
's ambassadors to the
Council of Constance in 1414. In November 1417 he was one of the six English members of the conclave that elected
Pope Martin V.
He was nominated by the Pope to the position of Bishop of Hereford on 18 November 1421 and consecrated on 24 May 1422.
He went on pilgrimage to Rome in 1429 but mainly remained in Hereford. He twice petitioned King
Henry VI and two popes to be allowed to resign his position.
He resigned his see about 4 December 1448.
References
Bishops of Hereford
15th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
Abbots of St Mary's, York
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