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John Stafford (died 25 May 1452) was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as
(Detailed discussion of the Bishop's origins).
John Stafford (died 25 May 1452) was a medieval English prelate and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
(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 Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
(1443–1452).
Early life and education
Stafford was the illegitimate son of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Southwick, aWiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
squire, and required papal permission before he became the rector of Farmborough, vicar of Bathampton and prebendary
A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...
of Wells.
He was educated at the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
Career
Stafford was appointed Dean of Arches in 1419 and served as Archdeacon of Salisbury from 1419 to 1421. From 1423 to 1424 he was Dean of Wells. He came to note under Henry VI, becomingLord 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 (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...
in 1421Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 95 and Lord High Treasurer
The Lord High 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 in England, below the Lord H ...
the following year.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 106 He was Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
from 1432 to 1450.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 87
On 18 December 1424 Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born 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. His election effectively ended the We ...
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 (; ; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death, in February 1447. Condulmer was a Republic of Venice, Venetian, and a nephew ...
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.
Further reading
* Rogers, William Henry Hamilton, ''Strife of the Roses and Days of the Tudors in the West'', Exeter, 1890, Chapter 5, ''"With the Silver Hand", Stafford of Suthwyke, Archbishop and Earl(Detailed discussion of the Bishop's origins).
Citations
References
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, John Year of birth unknown Stafford family 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