Richard Beere
Encyclopedia
Richard Beere (died 1524) was an English Benedictine
abbot of Glastonbury, known as a builder for his abbey, as a diplomat and scholar, and a friend of Erasmus.
.
In 1503 the king sent Bere, with two other ambassadors, to Rome
to congratulate Pope Pius III
on his elevation; but the pope died a few weeks after his election. In this year also he supplicated the congregation of the university of Oxford for a degree in divinity.
In 1508 he was engaged in a controversy with William Warham
, archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the genuineness of the relics of St Dunstan at Glastonbury. Finding that the worshippers at the shrine of the saint picked off its ornaments, the abbot had caused it to be raised out of reach. The monks of Canterbury saw in this change in the position of the shrine an attempt to increase popular veneration. By order of the archbishop a search for the relics was made at Canterbury on 20 April, and Warham wrote to Abbot Beere telling him of the coffin and the bones which had been found, and bidding him attend on the feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and show cause why the Glastonbury monks should claim to have the genuine relics. Beere replied, upholding the claim of his convent, and asserting that if the Canterbury monks had such relics they belonged of right to Glastonbury. In this letter he describes the veneration displayed towards St. Dunstan by the Somerset folk. The archbishop replied in peremptory terms.
Abbot Beere died, on 20 January 1524, and was buried under a plain slab of marble in the south aisle of the body of his church, near the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre which he built. A letter addressed to him ('R. Bero Glasconiensi Abbati') by Erasmus, 4 September 1524, shows that he was a scholar of eminence. Writing to him about his edition of St Jerome, Erasmus expresses his agreement in the abbot's opinion of his work. He speaks of his love of learning, and of the liberality he has shown to scholars, naming his own friend, Zacharias Frisius.
in the autumn of 1497; these rooms were called the king's lodgings. He also added new lodgings for secular priests to the various buildings of the abbey. Almshouses for ten old women were built at the north end of the abbey. A stone in the chapel exhibits his initials, surmounted by his cognisance, a cross between two beer-jugs. His initials and cognisance were also on St. Benedict's church in Glastonbury, and his initials, surmounted by a mitre, on the Lepers' Hospital at Monkton
, near Taunton
; both these buildings were repaired by him. Among his various works Beere built the manor-house at Sharpham
, where Fielding was born.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbot of Glastonbury, known as a builder for his abbey, as a diplomat and scholar, and a friend of Erasmus.
Life
He was installed as abbot in 1493, the election of Thomas Wasyn having been quashed by the Bishop of Bath and WellsBishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
.
In 1503 the king sent Bere, with two other ambassadors, to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to congratulate Pope Pius III
Pope Pius III
Pope Pius III , born Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, was Pope from September 22 to October 18, 1503.-Career:...
on his elevation; but the pope died a few weeks after his election. In this year also he supplicated the congregation of the university of Oxford for a degree in divinity.
In 1508 he was engaged in a controversy with William Warham
William Warham
William Warham , Archbishop of Canterbury, belonged to a Hampshire family, and was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford, afterwards practising and teaching law both in London and Oxford....
, archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the genuineness of the relics of St Dunstan at Glastonbury. Finding that the worshippers at the shrine of the saint picked off its ornaments, the abbot had caused it to be raised out of reach. The monks of Canterbury saw in this change in the position of the shrine an attempt to increase popular veneration. By order of the archbishop a search for the relics was made at Canterbury on 20 April, and Warham wrote to Abbot Beere telling him of the coffin and the bones which had been found, and bidding him attend on the feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and show cause why the Glastonbury monks should claim to have the genuine relics. Beere replied, upholding the claim of his convent, and asserting that if the Canterbury monks had such relics they belonged of right to Glastonbury. In this letter he describes the veneration displayed towards St. Dunstan by the Somerset folk. The archbishop replied in peremptory terms.
Abbot Beere died, on 20 January 1524, and was buried under a plain slab of marble in the south aisle of the body of his church, near the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre which he built. A letter addressed to him ('R. Bero Glasconiensi Abbati') by Erasmus, 4 September 1524, shows that he was a scholar of eminence. Writing to him about his edition of St Jerome, Erasmus expresses his agreement in the abbot's opinion of his work. He speaks of his love of learning, and of the liberality he has shown to scholars, naming his own friend, Zacharias Frisius.
Construction work
He was a great builder. On his return from Italy the abbot built chapels of Our Lady of Loretto and of the Holy Sepulchre in his church. John Leland tells us that he built the greater part of King Edgar's chapel at the east end of his abbey church, that he arched on both sides the east end of the nave, and made the vault of the steeple in the transept and under it two arches. Beere also built a new set of chambers, in which he entertained Henry VII on his march into the west during the rebellion of Perkin WarbeckPerkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
in the autumn of 1497; these rooms were called the king's lodgings. He also added new lodgings for secular priests to the various buildings of the abbey. Almshouses for ten old women were built at the north end of the abbey. A stone in the chapel exhibits his initials, surmounted by his cognisance, a cross between two beer-jugs. His initials and cognisance were also on St. Benedict's church in Glastonbury, and his initials, surmounted by a mitre, on the Lepers' Hospital at Monkton
Monkton
-Places:United Kingdom*Monkton, Ayrshire*Monkton, Devon*Monkton, Kent*Monkton, Pembroke*Monkton, Tyne and WearCanada*Monkton, OntarioUnited States*Monkton, Maryland*Monkton, Vermont-See also:*Moncton *Monckton*Monkton House...
, near Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
; both these buildings were repaired by him. Among his various works Beere built the manor-house at Sharpham
Sharpham
Sharpham is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels near Street and Glastonbury in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.It is located near the River Brue.-Governance:...
, where Fielding was born.