William Smyth (or Smith) ( – 2 January 1514) was

Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...

from 1493 to 1496 and then Bishop of Lincoln until his death. He held political offices, the most important being Lord President of the Council of Wales and the Marches. He became very wealthy and was a benefactor of a number of institutions. He was a co-founder of

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

and endowed a grammar school in the village of his birth in Lancashire.

Early life and education

Smyth was born in the south Lancashire village of Farnworth in the parish of Prescot, which now falls within the town of Widnes in the Borough of Halton. Smyth was the fourth son of Robert Smyth of Peel Hall. He was allegedly brought up during his youth at nearby Knowsley Hall, the home of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. At this time Stanley was married to his second wife Lady Margaret, Countess of Richmond. Lady Margaret was the mother of the future Henry VII by her previous marriage to Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, and she was to have an important influence in Smyth's life. Smyth went to the University of Oxford. His college is uncertain, being either Oriel or Lincoln, or both in succession. In 1476 he gained the degree of bachelor of canon law and by 1492 he had received the degree of bachelor of civil law.

Ecclesiastical life

On 24 September 1485, one month after the battle of Bosworth and the consequent accession to the throne of Henry VII, Smyth was given the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

of Wimborne, Dorset, where Lady Margaret's parents were buried. On 20 October 1485 he was made a canon and prebendary of

St Stephen's Chapel St Stephen's Chapel, sometimes called the Royal Chapel of St Stephen, was a chapel completed around 1297 in the old Palace of Westminster which served as the chamber of the House of Commons of England and that of Great Britain from 1547 to 1834. ...

in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

, where he became dean in 1490. He later obtained the livings of Combe Martin, Devon, of Great Grimsby and on 14 June 1492 he was instituted as rector of Cheshunt,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. It is not possible to be sure about all his preferments because of his common name. On 1 October 1492 he became bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and was consecrated on 3 February 1493 by Archbishop Morton. On 6 November 1496 he was translated to the

diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leices ...

.Fryde, et al., p. 256

Political life

On 20 September 1485 Smyth gained a place in the Court of Chancery as keeper of the

hanaper Hanaper, properly a case or basket to contain a " hanap" ( O. Eng. ''kneels'': cf. Dutch ''nap''), a drinking vessel, a goblet with a foot or stem; the term which is still used by antiquaries for medieval stemmed cups. The famous Royal Gold Cup ...

which gave him a salary for life. In 1486 he obtained a grant for the custody of the daughters of

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

. In 1493 Smyth was appointed a member of

Prince Arthur Prince Arthur may refer to: * Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203), nephew and possible heir of Richard I of England * Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486–1502), eldest son Henry VII of England * Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850� ...

's Council of Wales and the Marches. In 1500 he was made

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 ...

of the University of Oxford. Prince Arthur died in April 1502 and in August of that year Smyth became Lord President of the council, giving him full responsibility for the exercise of royal power in Wales. He continued to hold this post until at least 1512 or, possibly, until his death. By August 1502 he was no longer Chancellor of Oxford University.

Philanthropy

In November 1495 Smyth refounded the hospital of St John the Baptist in Lichfield and added to it a school for poor children. In 1500 he founded the Cuerdley Chapel which was added to the south aisle of

St Luke's Church, Farnworth St Luke's Church, Farnworth, Widnes, is a church in Farnworth, which was once a separate village but which is now part of the town of Widnes, Cheshire, England. The church dates back to the 12th century and it contains a number of items of ...

for the use of his tenants from Cuerdley. The nearby village of Cuerdley was the seat of the very ancient Smith family of Cuerdley his armorial progenitors from which the renowned Captain John Smith also claimed his lineage. He purchased land including a footpath from the village to the church to allow entry for his tenants by a separate door to avoid contact with the residents of Farnworth at the time of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

. In 1507 he made an endowment of £350 to found a grammar school in Farnworth, the village of his birth.Poole, p. 27 Also in 1507 Smyth founded a fellowship in Oriel College, Oxford, and gave manors to Lincoln College. Around the same time he and Sir Richard Sutton set out to found a new college in Oxford. They rebuilt Brasenose Hall, added other existing halls to it, and having obtained a charter in 1512, called it "The King's haule and college of Brasennose". This is now Brasenose College. Smyth's intention at the college was to benefit clergy from the north of England. The twelve fellows of the college were to have been born in the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, or to have come from Lancashire, and particularly from the area of his birthplace. He gave to the college his lands of

Cold Norton Cold Norton is a village on the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, England. It is located in rural countryside 10 miles to the east of Chelmsford, and lies just over a mile to the north of the River Crouch, which can be seen from the village's main hill ...

and, by his will, a considerable legacy of lands, plate, vestments, manuscripts and books.

Reputation and legacy

Smyth's ecclesiastical, legal and political duties resulted in his having a very busy life, only at times being resident in his diocese. He was very wealthy and was described by Hugh Latimer as being one of the "unpreaching prelates"; no sermons by him survive. He indulged in

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

. Matthew Smyth was the first principal of Brasenose College, a William Smyth was

archdeacon of Northampton The Archdeacon of Northampton is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Peterborough. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within its six rural deaneries: Brackley, Brixworth, Daventry, ...

and then of Lincoln and another William Smyth was appointed to St John's Hospital at Lichfield. William Smyth died on 2 January 1514 at

Buckden Palace Buckden Towers, formerly known as Buckden Palace, is a medieval fortified house and bishop's palace in Buckden, Cambridgeshire, England. History The 15th-century buildings are the remains of the palace of the bishop of Lincoln. Although it is ...

, now in Cambridgeshire, one of the residences of the bishops of Lincoln. In addition to bequests to Brasenose College and

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

, he made provision for a hospital at Banbury. He is buried in Lincoln Cathedral.

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, William 1460s births 1514 deaths People from Widnes Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Chancellors of the University of Oxford Bishops of Lichfield Bishops of Lincoln Archdeacons of Winchester (ancient) 15th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 16th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Brasenose College, Oxford 1460 births People associated with Brasenose College, Oxford Founders of colleges of the University of Oxford