Effigy of Emma - North Bradley Church - Wiltshire

John Stafford (died 25 May 1452) was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

(1432–1450) and as

Archbishop 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 ...

(1443–1452).

Early life and education

Stafford was the illegitimate son of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Southwick, a

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

squire, and required papal permission before he became the rector of Farmborough, vicar of

Bathampton Bathampton () is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 1,603. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the village and a toll bridge links Bathampton to Bathea ...

and

prebendary 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 th ...

of Wells. He 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 ...

Career

Stafford was appointed

Dean of Arches The Dean of the Arches is the judge who presides in the provincial ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This court is called the Arches Court of Canterbury. It hears appeals from consistory courts and bishop's disciplinary tribuna ...

in 1419 and served as

Archdeacon of Salisbury The Archdeacon of Sarum is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Salisbury, England. He or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the five area deaneries of the Sarum archdeaconry, which cover the ...

from 1419 to 1421. From 1423 to 1424 he was

Dean of Wells The Dean of Wells is the head of the Chapter of Wells Cathedral in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The dean's residence is The Dean's Lodging, 25 The Liberty, Wells. List of deans High Medieval *1140–1164: Ivo *1164–1189: Ric ...

. He came to note under Henry VI, becoming

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, ...

in 1421Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 95 and

Lord High 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 ...

the following year.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 106 He was

from 1432 to 1450.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 87 On 18 December 1424

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

made him

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...

, and he was consecrated on 27 May 1425.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 228

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

made him Archbishop of Canterbury in May 1443, a position he held until his death on 25 May 1452.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 He steered an even course between parties as a moderate man and useful official. His grand nephew Humphrey Stafford of Hooke rose in prominence in the King's party thereafter.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, John Year of birth unknown Archdeacons of Salisbury Lords Privy Seal Lord chancellors of England Lord High Treasurers of England Deans of Wells Bishops of Bath and Wells Archbishops of Canterbury 15th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops 1452 deaths Burials at Canterbury Cathedral Alumni of the University of Oxford

Early life and education

Career

Further reading

Citations

References