Lancelot Blackburne (sometimes Blackburn, Blackborne or Blackbourn 10 December 165823 March 1743) was an English clergyman, who became Archbishop of York, and – in popular belief – a pirate. He was described by

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

, in his ''Memories'', as "the jolly old Archbishop of York, who had all the manners of a man of quality, though he had been a buccaneer, and was a clergyman; but he retained nothing of his first profession, except his seraglio".

Early life and career as a pirate

He was born in London, a younger brother of Richard Blackburne. He attended Westminster School, and in 1676 entered

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. He graduated in 1680, was ordained a deacon on 25 September 1681 at Christ Church by John Fell, Bishop of Oxford, and travelled to the West Indies. In January 1684 he was granted an MA by the university; at this time, he is known to have been in Nevis. A popular story recounts that he spent these years sailing with buccaneers, either as their chaplain or as a pirate himself; there is little evidence either way, although a record of 1681 notes that he was paid £20 () by Charles II for "secret services".

Archbishop of York

He returned to England in 1684, marrying Catherine Talbot (the elder sister of William Talbot) on 2 September at the Savoy Chapel, and shortly thereafter took up the first of a set of church posts. In 1691 he became a Canon of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, and in 1705 Dean of Exeter, succeeding William Wake whose patronage would later stand him in good stead, and in 1715

Archdeacon of Cornwall The Archdeacon of Cornwall is a senior cleric in the Church of England Diocese of Truro. History and composition The archdeaconry of Cornwall was created in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 11th century. The area and the archdeacon remained p ...

. In 1716 he travelled to Hanover as the personal chaplain to George I and the next year became

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

. As Bishop, he was active in the House of Lords where he supported the repeal of the

Occasional Conformity Act The Occasional Conformity Act (10 Anne c. 6), also known as the Occasional Conformity Act 1711 or the Toleration Act 1711, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which passed on 20 December 1711. Previous Occasional Conformity bills ha ...

. In 1724 he became Archbishop of York (and therefore a Privy Counsellor), a position he held until his death. While he continued to be politically active, he often neglected his spiritual duties; he appears to have carried out few

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

s, and stopped ordaining priests after 10 years. Instead, he kept apartments in Downing Street, Westminster and spent much time at the royal court. Downing Street is listed as his abode on the 1739 royal charter of the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital in London, England, was founded in 1739 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" w ...

, a charity for which he was a founding governor. Blackburne was Lord High Almoner from 1723 to 1743. His career was controversial, with rumours that he had secretly married George I to his mistress. The ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' mentions "his reputation for carnality" and "the laxity of his moral precepts", while ''

Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics ''Brewer's Rogues, Villains, & Eccentrics: An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages'' is a reference book first published by Brewer's in 2002, edited and compiled by William Donaldson. The book is an esoteric look at some of the wild character ...

'' comments that " isbehaviour was seldom of a standard to be expected of an archbishop. In many respects, his behaviour was seldom of a standard to be expected of a pirate." He was famously ejected by

John Disney John Disney may refer to: * John Disney (antiquarian) (1779–1857), English barrister * John Disney (ornithologist) (1919–2014), Australian ornithologist * John Disney (priest) (1677–1730), English clergyman * John Disney (Unitarian) John ...

, the vicar of

St Mary's Church, Nottingham The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest parish churchDomesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics) of Nottingham, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest church after the Cathedral in the city of Nottingham. The church ...

, after a confirmation service during which he asked for his pipe, tobacco and ale. One local legend in York even claimed that

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

was his butler. Blackburne died at his home in Downing Street on 23 March 1743 after a "lingering illness". His wife Catherine had died on 9June 1726 at the age of 80 and they left no children. It has often been claimed that he fathered Thomas Hayter; there is no conclusive evidence either way: he did not himself identify Hayter as his son, but he did leave a sizeable portion of his estate to Hayter.

Legacy

In a 1780 letter to David Dalrymple,

gave a lengthy description of Blackburne:

Styles and titles

*1658–1681: Lancelot Blackburne Esq. *1681–1691: '' The Reverend'' Lancelot Blackburne *1691–1705: ''The Reverend'' Canon Lancelot Blackburne *1705–1717: '' The Very Reverend'' Lancelot Blackburne *1717–1724: '' The Right Reverend'' Lancelot Blackburne *1724–1743: '' The Most Reverend and Right Honourable'' Lancelot Blackburne

References

*''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' *

,
Letters, Volume 4
' (at Project Gutenberg)

External links

*
Contemporary image of Lancelot Blackburne
at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackburne, Lancelot 1658 births 1743 deaths Archbishops of York Bishops of Exeter Deans of Exeter Archdeacons of Cornwall Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 18th-century Church of England bishops 18th-century Anglican archbishops People educated at Westminster School, London English pirates Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain