Thomas Beckington | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Bath and Wells | |
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| Appointed | before 13 October 1443 |
| Term ended | 14 January 1465 |
| Predecessor | John Stafford |
| Successor | Robert Stillington |
| Previous post(s) | Dean of Arches |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 13 October 1443 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1390 Beckington, Somerset |
| Died | 14 January 1465 Wells |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Thomas Beckington (also speltBeckynton;c. 1390 – 14 January 1465) was theBishop of Bath and Wells andKing's Secretary in medieval England underHenry VI.
Beckington was born atBeckington inSomerset, and was educated atWinchester andNew College, Oxford. Having entered the Church he held many ecclesiastical appointments, and becamedean of the Arches in 1423;[1] andArchdeacon of Buckingham in 1424. After that he devoted his time to secular affairs and was sent on an embassy toCalais in 1439 and toJohn 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 appointedLord 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 inWells and elsewhere, probably alteringthe rectory at Sutton Courtenay inBerkshire (nowOxfordshire), an early preferment. The most important results of Beckington's missions to France were oneLatin journal, written by himself, referring to the embassy to Calais; and another, written by one of his attendants, relating to the journey toArmagnac.[2] He died at Wells on 14 January 1465.[4]
Beckington is buried atWells 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: hisbishop'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 ofEton College in 1440; he is commemorated in the name of the school's central dining hall, 'Bekynton'.
In a letter from 1449, Beckington remarked ofBath 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.
Beckington's own journal was published in theProceedings of the Privy Council, vol. v., edited byNicholas Harris Nicolas (1835); and the other journal in theOfficial Correspondence of Thomas Bekynton, edited byGeorge Williams for theRolls Series (1872), which contains many interesting letters. This second journal was translated into English by Nicolas (1828).[6][2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Beckington, Thomas".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 610.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1443–1444 | Succeeded by |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | Bishop of Bath and Wells 1434–1465 | Succeeded by |
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