Robert Wydow ( – 1505) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

poet, church musician, and religious figure. Born in

Thaxted Thaxted is a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England. The town is in the valley of the River Chelmer, not far from its source in the nearby village of Debden, and is 97 metres (318 feet) above sea level (w ...

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, he was initially educated by his stepfather, who was the local schoolmaster. By 1455 or 1456, he was studying music and

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in the

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King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, where he was a chorister.Bowers, Roger (2004).
Wydow, Robert (c.1446–1505)
. ''

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'' (subscription required).

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. Retrieved on May 20, 2008. He was admitted to

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as a scholar, where he studied from about 1460 to 1464, when he returned to King's College, graduating in either 1467 or 1468. He followed in his stepfather's footsteps post-graduation, becoming schoolmaster for Thaxted. He also tutored the sons of nobility.Bowers, Roger. "Wydow idowe, Viduus Robert".
Grove Music Online
'' (subscription required). ed. L. Macy. Retrieved on May 21, 2008. He came to the notice of

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

, who named him

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of the Black Prince's Chantry at

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in 1474, a position he held for four years. In either 1478 or 1479, he was awarded a

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degree from

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; he is the earliest known recipient of this degree. During this period, degrees were conferred on recipients who had already distinguished themselves professionally; there was no residential study. Upon conclusion of Wydow's service at the Black Prince's Chantry, he was awarded

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s at

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(1479–81),

(1481–9),

St Benet Paul's Wharf The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is a Welsh Anglican church in the City of London, England. Since 1556, it has also been the official church of the College of Arms in which many officers of arms have been buried. In 1666 it was destroyed in t ...

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(1489–93), and

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(1493–8). In 1497, he was appointed a

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, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He was promoted to the office of subdean on 25 May 1500. He was buried at the south aisle of the cathedral on 4 October 1505. Wydow's contemporaries held him in high esteem as a poet and musician.

Raphael Holinshed Raphael Holinshed (; before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on ''The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande'', commonly known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles''. It was the "first complete printed h ...

called him "an excellent poet", and John Leland described him as "easily the finest" of

authors of the time. However, only a few lines of his poetry survive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wydow, Robert 1446 births 1505 deaths English classical musicians People educated at Eton College Alumni of the University of Oxford 15th-century English musicians 16th-century English musicians 15th-century English poets 16th-century English poets 16th-century English male writers People from Thaxted 15th-century English educators English chaplains 15th-century writers in Latin 16th-century writers in Latin English male poets