Thomas Rotherham

The Right Reverend Thomas Rotherham
Archbishop of York
Portrait of Thomas Rotherham from "Historic Notices of Rotherham", by John Guest,1879
Appointed	7 July 1480
Installed	unknown
Term ended	29 May 1500
Predecessor	Lawrence Booth
Successor	Thomas Savage
Other posts	Bishop of Rochester Bishop of Lincoln
Personal details
Born	24 August 1423 Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Died	29 May 1500 Cawood Castle
Buried	York Minster
Nationality	English
Denomination	Roman Catholic

Thomas Rotherham (24 August 1423 – 29 May 1500), also known as Thomas (Scot) de Rotherham, was an English cleric and statesman. He served as bishop of several dioceses, most notably as Archbishop of York and, on two occasions as Lord Chancellor. He is considered a venerable figure in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, his town of birth.

Life

Background

Thomas Rotherham was born 24 August 1423 in Rotherham, Yorkshire.^[1] He is said to have been the eldest son of Sir Thomas Rotherham of Rotherham by his wife, Dame Alice. From the sixteenth century onwards he was also known by the alternate surname 'Scot', although that surname was not used by Rotherham himself or by his contemporaries. In his will, however, Rotherham does refer to his kinsman John Scott of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, and it has been speculated that he was the son of Sir John Scott of Scot's Hall in Smeeth, Kent and Agnes Beaufitz.^[2] However this claim is said to have been disproved.^[3]

Education

He was first educated as a young boy by a teacher of grammar, who came, according to Thomas, "I know not by what fate save it was the Grace of God". Afterwards he was sent to the newly founded Eton College to prepare for university entrance.

Appointments to office

Rotherham attended King's College, Cambridge, becoming a Bachelor of Divinity and a Fellow of King's,^[4] and lectured on Grammar, Theology and Philosophy. After his ordination as a priest he served in many powerful positions in the Church, becoming prebendary of Lincoln in 1462 and of Salisbury in 1465. He was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1468,^[5] Bishop of Lincoln in 1472,^[6] and then Archbishop of York from 1480 to 1500.^[7]

King Edward IV appointed Rotherham Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1467.^[8] He became ambassador to France in 1468, joint ambassador to Burgundy in 1471 and in 1475 was entrusted with the office of Lord Chancellor.^[9] Between 1477 and his death, Rotherham was the owner of Barnes Hall in South Yorkshire.^[10]

Involvement in intrigue

When Edward IV died in April 1483, Rotherham was one of the celebrants of the funeral mass on 20 April 1483.^[11] Immediately after Edward's death, Rotherham sided with dowager queen Elizabeth Woodville in her attempt to deprive Richard, Duke of Gloucester of his role as Lord Protector of the new King, her son Edward V. When Elizabeth sought sanctuary after Richard had taken charge of the king, Rotherham released the Great Seal to her. Though he later recovered it and handed it over to Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury,^[12] his mishandling of the seal – indicative of questionable loyalty, led to his dismissal as Lord Chancellor. On 13 May he was replaced by John Russell, who earlier had also been his successor as Bishop of Lincoln.

On 13 June 1483, Rotherham was charged with being involved in a conspiracy between Lord Hastings and the Woodvilles against Richard and imprisoned in the Tower of London.^[13] He was released in the middle of July.^[14]

Retirement

Once again appointed Lord Chancellor in 1485,^[9] he was shortly afterwards dismissed by Henry VII. After this he retired from most public work.

Death and memorial

Rotherham died of the plague in Cawood near York on 29 May 1500.^[7] His remains were transferred to a magnificent marble tomb in York Minster in 1506.

Endowments

Rotherham built part of Lincoln College, Oxford University and increased its endowment;^[15] at Cambridge, where he was four times Chancellor and Master of Pembroke Hall, he helped to build the University Library.

In 1480 Rotherham endowed a Chapel of Jesus within Rotherham parish church, with a priest to sing masses for the souls of his ancestors. He founded The College of Jesus in Rotherham as a memorial to his first teacher.^[15] The foundations of the red brick College were laid at his birthplace in Brookgate in March 1482 and a licence was granted on 22 January 1483 "for the honour and glory of the name of Jesus Christ to found a perpetual College".

The statutes of the College were dated 1 February 1483. The College of Jesus was to consist of a Provost and three Fellows, all to be in Holy Orders, who must attend church on Sundays and Holy Days. The Fellows were to teach grammar and train the six choristers of Jesus in song and music. They were also to teach promising boys who did not aspire to the priesthood, reading, writing and reckoning, free of charge. If the boys continued to show merit they could learn the rudiments of grammar and music. The college was later dissolved around 1550 by Edward VI and all its possessions seized by the crown. Very little now remains of the original building, although the street is still known as College Street.

The teaching of grammar to boys continued at Rotherham after the 1550s. The Rotherham Grammar School looked upon Thomas Rotherham as its founder, took 1483 to be its year of origin, and adopted as its badge the armorial bearings of Thomas Rotherham. The school took its last intake of boys in September 1966 and was progressively phased-out over the following several years.

Rotherham is still remembered in the name of Thomas Rotherham College, which is the post-1967 descendant of Rotherham Grammar School for Boys.

Citations

↑ Horrox 2004.
↑ Berry, William, County Genealogies; Pedigrees of the Families of the County of Sussex, (London: Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper), 1830 p. 310 Retrieved 18 September 2013.
↑ Bennett, Henry Leigh, Archbishop Rotherham, (Lincoln: J.W. Ruddock, 1901), pp. 6-7 Retrieved 18 September 2013.
↑ "Rotheram, Thomas (RTRN443T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
↑ Fryde et al. 1996, p. 268.
↑ Fryde et al. 1996, p. 256.
1 2 Fryde et al. 1996, p. 282.
↑ Fryde et al. 1996, pp. 95–96.
1 2 Fryde et al. 1996, p. 88.
↑ "Historic Hallamshire", David Hey, Landmark Collectors Library, ISBN 1 84306 049 3, pages 51 & 52, Details Rotherham owning Barnes Hall.
↑ Ross Edward IV, p. 417
↑ Ross Richard III, p. 76
↑ Ross Richard III, p. 42
↑ Davies 1995, p. 142.
1 2 Ross Edward IV, p. 268

References

Davies, Richard G. (1995). "The Church and the Wars of the Roses". In Pollard, A. J. The Wars of the Roses. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-12697-2.
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
Horrox, Rosemary (2004). "Rotherham , Thomas (1423–1500)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24155. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Ross, Charles (1974). Edward IV. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02781-7.
Ross, Charles (1981). Richard III. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-04589-0.

Political offices
Preceded by Robert Stillington	Lord Privy Seal 1467–1470	Succeeded by John Hales
Preceded by John Hales	Lord Privy Seal 1471–1474	Succeeded by John Russell
Preceded by John Alcock	Lord Chancellor 1475–1483	Succeeded by John Russell
Preceded by John Russell	Lord Chancellor 1485	Succeeded by John Alcock
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Low	Bishop of Rochester 1468–1472	Succeeded by John Alcock
Preceded by John Chadworth	Bishop of Lincoln 1472–1480	Succeeded by John Russell
Preceded by Lawrence Booth	Archbishop of York 1480–1500	Succeeded by Thomas Savage
Academic offices
Preceded by Laurence Booth	Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge 1480–1488	Succeeded by George Fitzhugh

Bishops of Lincoln

High Medieval	Remigius de Fécamp Robert Bloet Alexander Robert de Chesney Geoffrey Plantagenet Walter de Coutances Hugh of Avalon William de Blois Hugh of Wells Robert Grosseteste Henry of Lexington Richard of Gravesend Oliver Sutton

Late Medieval	John Dalderby Anthony Bek Henry Burghersh Thomas Bek John Gynwell John Bokyngham Henry Beaufort Philip Repyngdon Richard Fleming William Grey William Alnwick Marmaduke Lumley John Chadworth Thomas Rotherham John Russell

Early modern	William Smyth Thomas Wolsey William Atwater John Longland Henry Holbeach John Taylor John White Thomas Watson Nicholas Bullingham Thomas Cooper William Wickham William Chaderton William Barlow Richard Neile George Montaigne John Williams Thomas Winniffe Robert Sanderson Benjamin Lany William Fuller Thomas Barlow Thomas Tenison James Gardiner William Wake Edmund Gibson Richard Reynolds John Thomas John Green Thomas Thurlow

Late modern	George Pretyman (later Pretyman Tomline) Hon George Pelham John Kaye John Jackson Christopher Wordsworth Edward King Edward Hicks William Swayne Nugent Hicks Aylmer Skelton Leslie Owen Maurice Harland Kenneth Riches Simon Phipps Bob Hardy John Saxbee Christopher Lowson

Bishops of Rochester

Pre-Conquest	Justus Romanus Paulinus of York Ithamar Damianus Putta Cwichelm Gebmund Tobias Aldwulf Dunn Eardwulf Diora Waermund (I) Beornmod Tatnoth Badenoth Waermund (II) Cuthwulf Swithwulf Ceolmund Cyneferth Burgric Beorhtsige Ælfstan Godwine (I) Godwine (II) Siward

Conquest–Reformation	Arnost Gundulf Ralph d'Escures Ernulf John (I) John (II) Ascelin Walter Waleran Gilbert Glanvill Benedict of Sausetun Henry Sandford Richard Wendene Lawrence of St Martin Walter de Merton John Bradfield John Kirkby Thomas Ingoldsthorpe Thomas Wouldham Hamo Hethe John Sheppey William Whittlesey Thomas Trilleck Thomas Brinton William Bottlesham John Bottlesham Richard Young John Kemp John Langdon Thomas Brunce William Wells John Low Thomas Rotherham John Alcock John Russell Edmund Audley Thomas Savage Richard FitzJames John Fisher

Post-Reformation	John Hilsey Nicholas Heath Henry Holbeach Nicholas Ridley John Ponet John Scory Maurice Griffith Edmund Allen Edmund Gheast Edmund Freke John Piers John Young William Barlow Richard Neile John Buckeridge Walter Curle John Bowle John Warner John Dolben Francis Turner Thomas Sprat Francis Atterbury Samuel Bradford Joseph Wilcocks Zachary Pearce John Thomas Samuel Horsley Thomas Dampier Walker King Hon Hugh Percy George Murray Joseph Wigram Thomas Claughton Anthony Thorold Randall Davidson Edward Talbot John Harmer Linton Smith Christopher Chavasse David Say Michael Turnbull Michael Nazir-Ali James Langstaff

Bishops and Archbishops of York

Pre-Reformation Bishops	Paulinus Chad Wilfrid Bosa John of Beverley Wilfrid II

Pre-Reformation Archbishops	Egbert Æthelbert Eanbald I Eanbald II Wulfsige Wigmund Wulfhere Æthelbald Hrotheweard Wulfstan I Oscytel Edwald Oswald Ealdwulf Wulfstan II Ælfric Puttoc Cynesige Ealdred Thomas of Bayeux Gerard Thomas II Thurstan William FitzHerbert Henry Murdac William FitzHerbert Roger de Pont L'Évêque Geoffrey Plantagenet Simon Langton Walter de Gray Sewal de Bovil Godfrey Ludham William Langton Bonaventure Walter Giffard William de Wickwane John le Romeyn Henry of Newark Thomas of Corbridge William Greenfield William Melton William Zouche John of Thoresby Alexander Neville Thomas Arundel Robert Waldby Richard le Scrope Thomas Langley Robert Hallam Henry Bowet Philip Morgan Richard Fleming John Kemp William Booth George Neville Lawrence Booth Thomas Rotherham Thomas Savage Christopher Bainbridge Thomas Wolsey

Post-Reformation Archbishops	Edward Lee Robert Holgate Nicholas Heath Thomas Young Edmund Grindal Edwin Sandys John Piers Matthew Hutton Tobias Matthew George Montaigne Samuel Harsnett Richard Neile John Williams Accepted Frewen Richard Sterne John Dolben Thomas Lamplugh John Sharp Sir William Dawes Bt Lancelot Blackburne Thomas Herring Matthew Hutton John Gilbert Robert Hay Drummond William Markham Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt Thomas Musgrave Charles Longley William Thomson William Magee William Maclagan Cosmo Lang William Temple Cyril Garbett Michael Ramsey Donald Coggan Stuart Blanch John Habgood David Hope John Sentamu

Authority control	VIAF: 44250857

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