At this time Beckington was acting as secretary to Henry VI, and soon after his return in 1443 he was appointed Lord Privy Seal, an office he held until 1444.[3] He was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells on 13 October 1443.[4] The bishop erected many buildings in Wells and elsewhere, probably altering the rectory at Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), an early preferment. The most important results of Beckington's missions to France were one Latin journal, written by himself, referring to the embassy to Calais; and another, written by one of his attendants, relating to the journey to Armagnac.[2] He died at Wells on 14 January 1465.[4]
Beckington is buried at Wells Cathedral and has an unusual monument there: his effigy is depicted twice; one above the other in a two tier arrangement, the bottom effigy depicting his decaying corpse whilst unwrapped from its shroud, and the effigy above depicting him in what is assumed to be his bishop's attire. When his tomb was opened during Victorian times he was found to be buried very simply (as depicted on his tomb) with just one ornament: his bishop's ring. This was removed and is now in a museum.
Beckington played a leading role as architect of the legal aspects of Henry VI's foundation of Eton College in 1440; he is commemorated in the name of the school's central dining hall, 'Bekynton'.
In a letter from 1449, Beckington remarked of Bath mentioning that the healing waters of Bath has been turned into abuse by the shamelessness of the inhabitants of the city. Further mentioning:[5]
"by ... custom of the city, [the people] shamelessly strip them of their said garments and reveal to them to the gaze of bystanders."
Bekynton's architecture is marked with a symbol depicting a barrel and a flame. This is a pun on his name, being "beacon tun". One of the easiest to be viewed is in Penniless Porch Wells.
Worksedit
Beckington's own journal was published in the Proceedings of the Privy Council, vol. v., edited by Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1835); and the other journal in the Official Correspondence of Thomas Bekynton, edited by George Williams for the Rolls Series (1872), which contains many interesting letters. This second journal was translated into English by Nicolas (1828).[6][2]
Burton, Edwin Hubert (1912). "Thomas of Beckington" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Dunning, Robert W. "Beckington , Thomas (1390?–1465)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/1908. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-56350-5.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Beckington, Thomas". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 610.
Perry, George Gresley (April 1894). "Bishop Beckington and Henry VI". The English Historical Review. 9 (34): 261–274. JSTOR 548366.
External linksedit
Royal Berkshire History: Thomas Beckington (1390–1465)
thomas, beckington, also, spelt, beckynton, 1390, january, 1465, bishop, bath, wells, king, secretary, medieval, england, under, henry, bishop, bath, wellsappointedbefore, october, 1443term, ended14, january, 1465predecessorjohn, staffordsuccessorrobert, still. Thomas Beckington also spelt Beckynton c 1390 14 January 1465 was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and King s Secretary in medieval England under Henry VI Thomas BeckingtonBishop of Bath and WellsAppointedbefore 13 October 1443Term ended14 January 1465PredecessorJohn StaffordSuccessorRobert StillingtonOrdersConsecration13 October 1443Personal detailsBornc 1390Beckington SomersetDied14 January 1465WellsDenominationRoman CatholicPrevious post s Dean of Arches Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 See also 4 Citations 5 References 6 External linksLife editBeckington was born at Beckington in Somerset and was educated at Winchester and New College Oxford Having entered the Church he held many ecclesiastical appointments and became dean of the Arches in 1423 1 and Archdeacon of Buckingham in 1424 After that he devoted his time to secular affairs and was sent on an embassy to Calais in 1439 and to John IV Count of Armagnac in 1442 2 At this time Beckington was acting as secretary to Henry VI and soon after his return in 1443 he was appointed Lord Privy Seal an office he held until 1444 3 He was consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells on 13 October 1443 4 The bishop erected many buildings in Wells and elsewhere probably altering the rectory at Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire now Oxfordshire an early preferment The most important results of Beckington s missions to France were one Latin journal written by himself referring to the embassy to Calais and another written by one of his attendants relating to the journey to Armagnac 2 He died at Wells on 14 January 1465 4 Beckington is buried at Wells Cathedral and has an unusual monument there his effigy is depicted twice one above the other in a two tier arrangement the bottom effigy depicting his decaying corpse whilst unwrapped from its shroud and the effigy above depicting him in what is assumed to be his bishop s attire When his tomb was opened during Victorian times he was found to be buried very simply as depicted on his tomb with just one ornament his bishop s ring This was removed and is now in a museum Beckington played a leading role as architect of the legal aspects of Henry VI s foundation of Eton College in 1440 he is commemorated in the name of the school s central dining hall Bekynton In a letter from 1449 Beckington remarked of Bath mentioning that the healing waters of Bath has been turned into abuse by the shamelessness of the inhabitants of the city Further mentioning 5 by custom of the city the people shamelessly strip them of their said garments and reveal to them to the gaze of bystanders Bekynton s architecture is marked with a symbol depicting a barrel and a flame This is a pun on his name being beacon tun One of the easiest to be viewed is in Penniless Porch Wells Works editBeckington s own journal was published in the Proceedings of the Privy Council vol v edited by Nicholas Harris Nicolas 1835 and the other journal in the Official Correspondence of Thomas Bekynton edited by George Williams for the Rolls Series 1872 which contains many interesting letters This second journal was translated into English by Nicolas 1828 6 2 See also editSecretary of State England Citations edit Burton 1912 a b c Chisholm 1911 Fryde et al 1996 p 95 a b Fryde et al 1996 p 228 Kibblewhite Gideon McDonnell Kate Harris Perry 2015 Beastly Bath History Press Limited ISBN 9780750959681 Perry 1894 References editBurton Edwin Hubert 1912 Thomas of Beckington In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 14 New York Robert Appleton Company Dunning Robert W Beckington Thomas 1390 1465 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 1908 Subscription or UK public library membership required Fryde E B Greenway D E Porter S Roy I 1996 Handbook of British Chronology 3rd ed Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 56350 5 Gairdner James 1885 Beckington Thomas In Stephen Leslie ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 4 London Smith Elder amp Co nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Beckington Thomas Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 3 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 610 Perry George Gresley April 1894 Bishop Beckington and Henry VI The English Historical Review 9 34 261 274 JSTOR 548366 External links editRoyal Berkshire History Thomas Beckington 1390 1465 Political officesPreceded byWilliam Lyndwood Lord Privy Seal1443 1444 Succeeded byAdam MoleynsCatholic Church titlesPreceded byJohn Stafford Bishop of Bath and Wells1434 1465 Succeeded byRobert Stillington Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thomas Beckington amp oldid 1180024731, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
