William Boleyn (archdeacon)

Last updated
William Boleyn
Bornc. 1482
DiedFebruary 1552
Occupationarchdeacon of Winchester
Spousenone
Childrennone
Parent(s)Sir William Boleyn and Margaret Butler
RelativesNiece: Anne Boleyn, Queen of England
Academic background
Alma mater Cambridge University

William Boleyn (d.1552) was a younger brother of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, Viscount Rochford, father of Anne Boleyn. He was born c. 1482. He was appointed archdeacon of Winchester in 1530 and continued in that post until his death in Stiffkey in Norfolk in February 1552. [1]

Contents

Education and early appointments

He was awarded his B.A. at Cambridge University in 1503-4 and his M.A. in 1507. He was a University preacher from 1512 until 1515. He was appointed a prebend of St. Paul's cathedral in 1516. At this time he was also appointed rector of St. Peter's, Cheap, London. [1] In 1519, in addition, he accepted the appointment of rector of Eaglescliffe in County Durham.

Advancements

In November 1529, one month after the fall of Cardinal Wolsey, William Boleyn was appointed prebend for Strensall in the arch-diocese of York, replacing Thomas Wynter, Wolsey's son. [2]

That same month a Convocation was called and three men were summoned to represent Winchester; Henry Broke the Prior, William Basyng (later prior and eventually, as William Kingsmill, first Dean), and William Boleyn, despite having no office at Winchester. Richard Pates, the archdeacon since 1527, was not summoned.

In December 1529 he was appointed rector of Winwick in Lancashire following the resignation of the same Thomas Wynter. Both appointments, at Strensall and Winwick, were subject to Henry VIII's approval. [3] Also, in December, George Boleyn, Anne Boleyn's brother and William Boleyn's nephew, was awarded an annuity of £200 a year "out of the lands of the bishopric of Winchester" by Henry VIII. [4] Thomas Wolsey, though in disgrace was, at this time both Archbishop of York and bishop of Winchester.

Following his resignation from the appointments at Strensall and Winwick, Boleyn was installed as archdeacon of Winchester on 20th January 1530. He did not attend his installation. [5]

Archdeacon 1530 to 1552 and other benefices

From the time of his installation the cathedral registers are silent on the activities of William Boleyn. Even his death is unrecorded. Neither does his name appear in the few surviving Visitation Books [6] for the period although a primary task of archdeacons was to visit, annually, every parish in the diocese, nor did he attend any of the Consistory Courts whose records are still in existence. The latter appear to have been presided over without fail by Edmunde Steward/Stuarde, bishop Stephen Gardiner's chancellor. [7]

William Boleyn's annual income, as archdeacon, is recorded in the 1535 Valor Ecclesiasticus and in the amended version for 1536. In 1535 [8] his Winchester income is shown as £97 15s 2d 'ob' ('ob' means a halfpenny). In 1536, after the execution of Anne Boleyn, his income has been reduced to £67 15s 2d 'ob'. [7]

In May 1533, shortly before Anne Boleyn's coronation, Boleyn was awarded the valuable benefice of Moulton in Suffolk. [3]

In 1534 Boleyn was appointed [1] rector of Holt in Norfolk in exchange for Moulton [3] and resigned from his rectorship in Eaglescliffe. Holt is fairly close to the seat of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, uncle of Anne Boleyn.

In August 1535 William Boleyn "released Mr Wynter from ... all actions for the parsonage at Wyntwick" and Thomas Wynter was paid £1000 by one Thomas Barton and one other. Barton was an important landowner in the Duchy of Lancaster at that time. [9] This dispute appears, however, to have continued because in November 1537 Edward Keble, chaplain to Edward Seymour (brother of Queen Jane Seymour) made a claim against the parsonage and in February 1538 Boleyn was persuaded to leave. [3]

Other benefices in Norfolk also came Boleyn's way. The county records show that he was rector of Aylsham from some unknown date until 1542 [10] and in 1543 he was appointed rector of Postwick, [1] close to Norwich. Prevously, in 1540, he had been granted, by his brother James, an area of parkland near Hevingham just two miles from Aylsham. [11] He also owned some land at Hever castle in Kent, the home of his brother Thomas. [3]

Death

He was buried at Stiffkey, Norfolk on 6th February 1552.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Cromwell</span> English statesman and politician (died 1540)

Thomas Cromwell, briefly Earl of Essex, was an English statesman and lawyer who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charges for the execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk</span> English nobleman and statesman

Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs. He was the eldest son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, by his first wife, Catharina de Moleyns. The Duke was the grandfather of both Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard and the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1513, he led the English to victory over the Scots at the decisive Battle of Flodden, for which he was richly rewarded by King Henry VIII, then away in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk</span> English nobleman, politician and military commander

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, was a prominent English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheaded, and played a major role in the machinations affecting these royal marriages. After falling from favour in 1546, he was stripped of his dukedom and imprisoned in the Tower of London, avoiding execution when Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford</span> English nobleman, courtier and politician

George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford was an English courtier and nobleman who played a prominent role in the politics of the early 1530s as the brother of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. George was the maternal uncle of Queen Elizabeth I, although he died long before his niece ascended the throne. Following his father's promotion in the peerage in 1529 to Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond, he adopted his father's junior title Viscount Rochford as a courtesy title. He was accused of incest with his sister Anne during the period of her trial for high treason, as a result of which both were executed.

John Barlow was a member of Henry VIII's Protestant Church as Dean of Worcester Cathedral. During the king's search for an annulment to his first marriage, Barlow acted as a courier between England and Italy, while Rector of Hever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland</span> English nobleman and military officer

Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman, active as a military officer in the north. He is now primarily remembered as the betrothed of Anne Boleyn, whom he was forced to give up before she became involved with and later married King Henry VIII.

John Palsgrave was a priest of Henry VIII of England's court. He is known as a tutor in the royal household, and as a textbook author.

Henry Norris was an English courtier who was Groom of the Stool in the privy chamber of King Henry VIII. While a close servant of the King, he also supported the faction in court led by Queen Anne Boleyn, and when Anne fell out of favour, he was among those accused of treason and adultery with her. He was found guilty and executed, together with the Queen's brother, George Boleyn, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. Most historical authorities argue that the accusations were untrue and part of a plot to get rid of Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Arundell of Wardour Castle</span> English landowner

Sir Thomas Arundell of Wardour Castle in Wiltshire was a Cornish administrator and alleged conspirator.

Events from the 1530s in England.

Sir William Boleyn, KB of Blickling Hall in Norfolk and Hever Castle in Kent, was a wealthy and powerful landowner who served as Sheriff of Kent in 1489 and as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1500. He was the father of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, whose daughter was Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Boleyn</span> Member of the Parliament of England

Sir Geoffrey Boleyn was an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1457 to 1458. He purchased the manor of Blickling, near Aylsham, in Norfolk from Sir John Fastolf in 1452, and Hever Castle in Kent in 1462. He was the great-grandfather of Queen Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Geoffrey built the domestic, mercantile and civic fortunes of the Boleyn family, and raised its status from the provincial gentry, as his brother Thomas Boleyn made a career of distinction in church and university, together building the family's wealth, influence and reputation.

Anne, Lady Shelton née Boleyn was a sister of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and one of the aunts of his daughter, Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Thomas Wynter or Winter was the Archdeacon of York, Richmond, Cornwall, Provost of Beverley, Dean of Wells Cathedral and the illegitimate son of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

Elizabeth, Lady Boleyn was a lady-in-waiting at the court of Henry VIII of England. Through her marriage to Sir James Boleyn, she was the aunt of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. The two were not close, and Elizabeth Boleyn acted as her niece's gaoler when Queen Anne was arrested on charges of adultery, incest and conspiracy to kill the King.

Joan Larke was the mistress of the powerful English statesman and churchman in the Tudor period, Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, and mother of his two illegitimate children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Gainsford</span>

Anne Gainsford, Lady Zouche was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Anne Boleyn.

Lieutenant Admiral Sir William Woodhouse was an English naval commander and administrator who rose to the rank of Lieutenant of the Admiralty and was head of the Council of the Marine later called the Navy Board. He also served as a Member of Parliament of the Parliament of England from 1545 to 1564. He was prominent during an important time of the Navy Royal's development in the later half of the Tudor period.

Edmund Steward otherwise Stewart or Stewarde was an English lawyer and clergyman who served as Chancellor and later Dean of Winchester Cathedral until his removal in 1559.

Sir John Spelman was an English judge from Norfolk, noted for his composition of law reports.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Boleyn, William". ACAD Venn Cambridge Alumni Database. 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ↑ Jones, B (1963). Fasti Anglicanae 1300 - 1541 Vol. 6 Northern Province.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Payne, Andrew (2022). "William Boleyn Winchester's Absentee Archdeacon". Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club & Archeological Society. 77: 104–110.
  4. ↑ Brewer, J.S., ed. (1875). Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Vol. 4 1524-1530. HMSO. p. 2730.
  5. ↑ Madge F.T. & Chitty H (1926). Registrum Thome Wolsey Cardinalis Ecclesiae Wintoniensis Administratoris. Oxford University Press.
  6. ↑ Hampshire Record Office 21M65/B1/4-7
  7. 1 2 Chitty, Herbert (1930). Registra Stephani Gardiner et Johannis Poynet Episcoporum Wintoniensium. Oxford University Press.
  8. ↑ Valor ecclesiasticus temp. Henr.VIII: Auctoritate regia institutus Vol. II. London. 1814.
  9. ↑ Gairdner, J., ed. (1886). Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Vol.9 August - December 1535. HMSO. p. 78.
  10. ↑ Blomefield, F (1805). An Essay Towards a History and Topograhical Survey of Norfolk Vol. 6. pp. 268–285.
  11. ↑ Blomefield, F (1805). An Essay Towards a History and Topographical Survey of Norfolk Vol. 6. pp. 374–381.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.