Thomas L'Archer (died 1329) was an English
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
who held the office of English Prior of the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem. His financial incompetence left the Order in severe difficulty.
He was born at
Tanworth in Arden in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, a younger son of John L'Archer and Margery Barniville. The Archer family owned
Umberslade Hall from the time of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
until the nineteenth century. Two of his brothers also entered the Church.
John L'Archers, prior of the Order's Irish house in the 1340s, was his great-nephew.
In 1321, Thomas became Prior of the Order's English House. He proved to be a most unfortunate choice. Although he worked diligently in his early years as Prior to extend the Order's property holdings, in his last years, through a combination of old age and financial misjudgment, he appears to have bankrupted the English House. The Grand Master of the Order of St. John set up an inquiry into the financial state of the English House, which recommended Thomas's removal on grounds of old age. He died soon afterwards, on 28 August 1329.
Under his term as Prior, the Hospitallers acquired 33 ex-
Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...
possessions, more than under any of his predecessors or successors. He secured passage of an
Act of Parliament in 1324 for this purpose. Passage of the statute required the paying of numerous
bribes, which may partly explain the Order's later financial crisis. The Order's possession of the most valuable of the properties, the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
, was short-lived, as L'Archer almost immediately surrendered it to
Hugh le Despenser, the prime
royal favourite
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* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or royalty
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* Roy ...
of King
Edward II, no doubt at the King's request.
[Griffith-Jones and Park ed. ''The Temple Church in London- History, Architecture, Art'' Boydell Press 2010 p.15]
References
Clergy from Warwickshire
Priors of Saint John of Jerusalem in England
1329 deaths
Year of birth unknown
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