William Cliffe, Clyffe or Clyff (died 1558) was an English churchman and lawyer,

dean of Chester The Dean of Chester is based at Chester Cathedral in the Diocese of Chester and is the head of the Chapter at the cathedral. List of deans Early modern *1541 Thomas Clerk (first Dean of Chester) *1541–1547 Henry Man (afterwards Bishop of S ...

from 1547.

Life

Cliffe was educated at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he graduated LL.B. in 1514. He was admitted advocate at

Doctors' Commons Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil (as opposed to common) law in London, namely ecclesiastical and admiralty law. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildi ...

on 16 December 1522, and graduated LL.D. in 1523.

Clerical career

Cliffe was commissary of the

diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

between 1522 and 1529, instituted to the prebend of Twyford in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in 1526. He was appointed

archdeacon of London The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of London) of the Two Cities (London and Westminster) in the Diocese of London, an area with ...

three years later, prebendary of Fenton in

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 Archbis ...

in 1532. He resigned the archdeaconry of London to become

archdeacon of Cleveland The Archdeacon of Cleveland is a senior ecclesiastical officer of an archdeaconry, or subdivision, of the Church of England Diocese of York, diocese and Province of York, province of York Minster, York. The Archdeaconry of Cleveland stretches west ...

in 1533, becoming precentor of York in 1534, and treasurer of York in 1538. On the suppression of the treasurer post in 1547, Cliffe was made dean of Chester. He kept this position for the rest of his life. Two living he held were

Waverton, Cheshire Waverton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the outskirts of Chester in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about south-east of Chester High Cross, ...

, from 1533, and Standish, Lancashire, from 1552.

Other

Convocation sought Cliffe's advice, as a

civil lawyer Civil law is a legal system originating in mainland Europe and adopted in much of the world. The civil law system is intellectualized within the framework of Roman law, and with core principles codified into a referable system, which serves as th ...

, on the royal divorce, in 1533. On his preferment to the deanery of Chester he was immediately thrown into the Fleet prison at the instance of

Sir Richard Cotton Sir Richard Cotton (in or before 1497 – 1556), was a courtier in the court of Henry VIII of England. He came from Shropshire and began his career as a lawyer before entering the king's service. His elder brother George Cotton was in charge of th ...

, comptroller of the king's household. He obtained his liberty by leasing the chapter lands to Cotton at an undervalue.

Works

Cliffe was one of the authors of the treatise ''The Godly and Pious Institution of a Christian Man'', commonly known as the ''

Bishops' Book The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (commonly abbreviated as the Thirty-nine Articles or the XXXIX Articles) are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England with respect to the controversies of the ...

'', published in 1537.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Cliffe, William Year of birth missing 1558 deaths 16th-century English clergy Deans of Chester Archdeacons of London Archdeacons of Cleveland Canon law jurists