William de la Zouche (1299–1352) was

Lord Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State i ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and served as

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

from 1342 until his death.

Origins

He was the youngest son of Sir Roger de la Zouche (d.1302) of

Lubbesthorpe Lubbesthorpe is a hamlet and parish in the district of Blaby within Enderby on the outskirts of Leicester, on the west side of the M1 motorway and the River Soar.

in Leicestershire (younger brother of

William la Zouche, 1st Baron Zouche William la Zouche, 1st Baron Zouche (1276/86–1352), lord of the manor of Harringworth in Northamptonshire, was an English baron and soldier who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is referred to in history as "of Harringworth" to ...

(1276–1351) of

Harringworth Harringworth is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located close to the border with Rutland, on the southern bank of the River Welland, and around north of Corby. At the 2001 Census, the population of the pa ...

, Northamptonshire) by his wife Juliana de Brascy.

Career

He was educated at

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 th ...

where he graduated as a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

and a Bachelor of Canon Law, before taking holy orders. He served as a

royal chaplain A royal chapel is a chapel associated with a monarch, a royal court, or in a royal palace. A royal chapel may also be a body of clergy or musicians serving at a royal court or employed by a monarch. Commonwealth countries Both the United Kin ...

before entering the

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

and was appointed

Keeper of the Wardrobe The King's Wardrobe, together with the Chamber, made up the personal part of medieval English government known as the King's household. Originally the room where the king's clothes, armour, and treasure were stored, the term was expanded to descr ...

from 1329 to 1334,

Controller of the Wardrobe The King's Wardrobe, together with the Chamber, made up the personal part of medieval English government known as the King's household. Originally the room where the king's clothes, armour, and treasure were stored, the term was expanded to descr ...

from 1334 to 1335 and Lord Privy Seal from 1335 to 1337. In 1337 he was promoted to

, a post which he held until March 1338, and again from December 1338 to May 1340. In this role, he was responsible for receiving monies from tax collectors and holding it for the King. After preferment to various benefices, in 1329 he was appointed

Archdeacon of Barnstaple The Archdeaconry of Barnstaple or Barum is one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. History The Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries in No ...

in Devon, was collated

Archdeacon of Exeter The Archdeacon of Exeter is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. The modern diocese is divided into four archdeaconries: the archdeacon of Exeter supervises clergy and buildings within the area of the ...

on 12 July 1330 and was made

Dean of York Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

in 1336. Following the death of William Melton,

, King Edward III wanted his

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

, William de Kildesby (of

Kilsby Kilsby is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is situated a short distance south of the border with Warwickshire approximately five miles southeast of Rugby. The parish of Kilsby, which includes Barby Nortoft, was es ...

) elected to the post. However, the Canons of

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

elected Zouche, then

, on 2 May 1340. The king endeavoured to set aside the election, but without effect, and after a delay of two years, Zouche was consecrated at Avignon on 7 July 1342 by Pope Clement VI. Zouche had been in the employ of Edward III before his elevation to the see, but had fallen out of favour. He was not forgiven until 1346, when he was appointed a

Warden of the Marches The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, alo ...

. In this capacity he led one of the bodies of English troops which defeated the Scots at the

Battle of Neville's Cross The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy los ...

, near

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, on 18 October 1346. The king was extremely thankful and Archbishop Zouche was asked to continue his careful watch over the

Scottish Marches Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras, characterised by violence and cross-border raids. The Scottish Marches era came to an end during the first decade of the 17th century ...

. Whilst Zouche was serving as archbishop, the Black Death spread throughout England and his

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

, thus in 1349 he sought papal approval to consecrate extra burial grounds and to ordain replacement

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

Death and burial

Zouche died on 19 July 1352 at Cawood Palace and was buried before the altar of St Edward in the nave of

. He founded and began the building of a

chantry chapel A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area i ...

adjoining the south wall of the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

. This appears to have been demolished when Thoresby's wider choir was built and no trace of it remains.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zouche, William 1299 births 1352 deaths 14th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Alumni of the University of Oxford Archbishops of York Archdeacons of Barnstaple Archdeacons of Exeter Deans of York English people of Breton descent English people of French descent English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence Lord High Treasurers of England Lords Privy Seal 14th-century English nobility People from Leicestershire Burials at York Minster La Zouche family

Origins

Career

Death and burial

See also

References