Simon Islip (died 1366) was an English

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury between 1349 and 1366.

Early life

Islip was the uncle of William Whittlesey. He was a cousin of

Walter de Islip Walter de Islip, or de Istlep (died after 1342) was an English-born cleric, statesman, and judge in fourteenth-century Ireland. He was the first Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer; he also held the offices of Treasurer of Ireland, Chief Escheator ...

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron ( judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the build ...

:Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 both took their surname from their native village of

Islip, Oxfordshire Islip is a village and civil parish on the River Ray, just above its confluence with the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. It is about east of Kidlington and about north of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 6 ...

. Simon was educated at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

where he took his doctorate in canon and civil law and became a fellow of Merton College in 1307. He was regarded as one off the outstanding ecclesiastical lawyers of his time.

Career

Islip was rector of Easton, near Stamford, and of St. Mary's Church, Horncastle; he became Archdeacon of

Stow Stow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stow, Lincolnshire or Stow-in-Lindsey, a village * Stow of Wedale or Stow, Scottish Borders, a village * Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a small town * Stow, Shropshire or Stowe, a village * Stow ...

in 1332. He held several

prebendaries A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of which the most important was Prebendal of Aylesbury at Lincoln Cathedral and was Vicar-General of the Diocese of Lincoln. He became

Archdeacon of Canterbury The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (a division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury). Like other archdeacons, he or she is an administrator in the diocese at large (having oversight of ...

in 1343 and subsequently Dean of Arches.

Lord Privy Seal

In 1347, possibly in September, Islip was appointed keeper of the Privy Seal. Previously he had held the seal of

Lionel of Antwerp Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, (; 29 November 133817 October 1368) was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was named after his birthplace, at Antwerp in the Duc ...

, the King's second son, who was the regent in England. He enjoyed the trust and confidence of Edward III, who relied on him in political and diplomatic as well as Church affairs, and gave him extensive powers during his absence in France. Though loyal to the King he did not hesitate to oppose him where the affairs of the Church were concerned, and later addressed a famous remonstrance, the ''Speculum Regis Edwardi'', refusing the King's demand for a tenth of ecclesiastical income for six years. He vacated the office between 21 February and 1 May 1350.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 94

Archbishop of Canterbury

Islip was elected to the

see of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

on 20 September 1349, following the death in quick succession of his three predecessors from the Black Death; provided to the see on 7 October 1349, and entrusted with the temporalities of the diocese on 15 November 1349. His consecration took place on 20 December 1349.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 As archbishop during the first two outbreaks of the Death, Islip took great pains to regulate clerical stipends, as the greatly reduced number of clerics had led them to charge increased fees for their services. He believed that the times required strict economy, and this combined with a naturally frugal character, gained him a reputation for meanness. He succeeded in settling a long dispute with the Archbishop of York as to the latter's right to carry his episcopal cross in the province of Canterbury.

Death and afterward

Islip died on 26 April 1366 at Mayfield, Sussex, having for three years been unable to exercise his office due to a stroke which deprived him of the power of speech. He left generous endowments to the monks of Canterbury. He also left money for the establishment of a new college at Oxford, but it did not flourish and was finally absorbed by Cardinal Wolsey into Christ Church, Oxford.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Islip, Simon Lords Privy Seal Archbishops of Canterbury 14th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops 1366 deaths Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Year of birth unknown Burials at Canterbury Cathedral People from Mayfield, East Sussex