Thomas Langley
Encyclopedia
Thomas Langley was an English
prelate
who held high ecclesiastical and political offices in the early to mid 1400s. He was Dean of York
, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor
of England to three kings, and a Pseudocardinal
. In turn Keeper of the King's signet and Keeper of the Privy Seal
before becoming de facto England's first Foreign Secretary. He was the second longest serving Chancellor of the Middle Ages.
, the third son of Alice and William Langley. In 1375 he was sent to St Mary's Abbey, Thetford, a feeder for Corpus Christi
in Cambridge. Langley attended this college until it was ransacked and destroyed by the Poll Tax rioters on 15 June 1381.
Langley returned to Middleton and in 1385 he was appointed rector of Radcliffe
. The following year saw him appointed Dean
of York. This was blocked by Pope Boniface IX
, because of Langley's part in the deposition and murder of Richard II
. In 1401 he was given custody of the privy seal, which office he held until 1405.
In October 1404, Langley was elected Bishop of London
. The new Pope, Innocent VII
, refused to allow his installation and on 2 March 1405 he was appointed Chancellor for the first time. From then on until his semi-retirement in 1430, Langley spent 5,670 days in the service of the crown. He now lived in an inn in Holborn
in the City of London
. Within 20 days Archbishop Scrope of York
rebelled, was captured and executed after a show trial. Langley was elected in August 1405 as Archbishop, which the Pope again disapproved of and excommunicated Langley and King Henry IV
. The election was quashed in May of 1406.
The excommunication was lifted the following year and Langley was installed as Bishop of Durham in St Paul's Cathedral
in 1406. In 1407 he resigned his Chancellorship and on the same day he was appointed what was in effect the first Foreign Minister of England.
Langley was created a pseudocardinal
in the consistory
of 6 June 1411 by Antipope John XXIII
, an honour Langley refused. In 1412, in his first visit to his birthplace since 1385, he completed an early rebuilding of Middleton Parish Church
, adding a new wooden tower and a chantry
for use as a school for local children, and reconsecrating and rededicated it to St Leonard, in 1412. The same year he also founded a school related to the church (which survives as Middleton Grammar School, now known as Queen Elizabeth's Senior High School, it being the oldest founded school in Greater Manchester). He also founded Durham School
.
In 1413, Henry IV died in Westminster Abbey
, Langley his executor at his side. During the reign of his successor Henry V
, he spent three-quarters of his time in the service of the crown – a politician first and churchman second – and at Windsor
on 28 September 1422, as Chancellor, he delivered up the gold seal of England in a purse of white leather to his infant sovereign Henry VI
. (Rymer's 'Foedera,' vol. x. fol. 253). He returned to Middleton for the last time in 1424.
From 1430 until his death Langley attended to his diocese, something he had, by his own admission, neglected, continuing with various diplomatic work when called upon by the government. He made major alterations to the west end of Durham Cathedral
, blocking the Great West Door with an altar and his own tomb, thus necessitating the construction of the two later doors to north and south, and the great buttresses on the outside of the west walls, which prevent the building from slipping into the river (for Hugh de Puiset
's architect could not be bothered with foundations and sank the base of his pillars hardly more than a foot or two below the ground).
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
who held high ecclesiastical and political offices in the early to mid 1400s. He was Dean of York
Dean of York
The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral.-11th–12th centuries:* 1093–c.1135: Hugh* c.1138–1143: William of Sainte-Barbe...
, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
of England to three kings, and a Pseudocardinal
Pseudocardinal (Catholicism)
Pseudocardinals are called these cardinals, created by the antipopes. Their state, like the state of the antipopes is disputed. There are many pseudocardinals created during the controversy between the Holy See and the Holy Roman Empire and during the Western Schism. Some of them had switched...
. In turn Keeper of the King's signet and Keeper of the Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
before becoming de facto England's first Foreign Secretary. He was the second longest serving Chancellor of the Middle Ages.
Life
Langley was born in Middleton, LancashireMiddleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
, the third son of Alice and William Langley. In 1375 he was sent to St Mary's Abbey, Thetford, a feeder for Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
in Cambridge. Langley attended this college until it was ransacked and destroyed by the Poll Tax rioters on 15 June 1381.
Langley returned to Middleton and in 1385 he was appointed rector of Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
. The following year saw him appointed Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of York. This was blocked by Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
, because of Langley's part in the deposition and murder of Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
. In 1401 he was given custody of the privy seal, which office he held until 1405.
In October 1404, Langley was elected Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
. The new Pope, Innocent VII
Pope Innocent VII
Pope Innocent VII , born Cosimo de' Migliorati, was briefly Pope at Rome, from 1404 to his death, during the Western Schism while there was a rival Pope, antipope Benedict XIII , at Avignon.Migliorati was born to a simple family of Sulmona in the Abruzzi...
, refused to allow his installation and on 2 March 1405 he was appointed Chancellor for the first time. From then on until his semi-retirement in 1430, Langley spent 5,670 days in the service of the crown. He now lived in an inn in Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Within 20 days Archbishop Scrope of York
Richard le Scrope
Richard le Scrope was Bishop of Lichfield then Archbishop of York.Scrope earned a Doctorate in canon law. He was provided to the see of Coventry and Lichfield on 18 August 1386, and consecrated on 19 August 1386. He was given the temporalities of the see on 15 November 1386. He was consecrated at...
rebelled, was captured and executed after a show trial. Langley was elected in August 1405 as Archbishop, which the Pope again disapproved of and excommunicated Langley and King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. The election was quashed in May of 1406.
The excommunication was lifted the following year and Langley was installed as Bishop of Durham in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
in 1406. In 1407 he resigned his Chancellorship and on the same day he was appointed what was in effect the first Foreign Minister of England.
Langley was created a pseudocardinal
Pseudocardinal (Catholicism)
Pseudocardinals are called these cardinals, created by the antipopes. Their state, like the state of the antipopes is disputed. There are many pseudocardinals created during the controversy between the Holy See and the Holy Roman Empire and during the Western Schism. Some of them had switched...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 6 June 1411 by Antipope John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
, an honour Langley refused. In 1412, in his first visit to his birthplace since 1385, he completed an early rebuilding of Middleton Parish Church
Church of St Leonard, Middleton
St Leonard's is an Anglican parish church in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England. It was designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage in 1957....
, adding a new wooden tower and a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
for use as a school for local children, and reconsecrating and rededicated it to St Leonard, in 1412. The same year he also founded a school related to the church (which survives as Middleton Grammar School, now known as Queen Elizabeth's Senior High School, it being the oldest founded school in Greater Manchester). He also founded Durham School
Durham School
Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham....
.
In 1413, Henry IV died in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, Langley his executor at his side. During the reign of his successor Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
, he spent three-quarters of his time in the service of the crown – a politician first and churchman second – and at Windsor
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
on 28 September 1422, as Chancellor, he delivered up the gold seal of England in a purse of white leather to his infant sovereign Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
. (Rymer's 'Foedera,' vol. x. fol. 253). He returned to Middleton for the last time in 1424.
From 1430 until his death Langley attended to his diocese, something he had, by his own admission, neglected, continuing with various diplomatic work when called upon by the government. He made major alterations to the west end of Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
, blocking the Great West Door with an altar and his own tomb, thus necessitating the construction of the two later doors to north and south, and the great buttresses on the outside of the west walls, which prevent the building from slipping into the river (for Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career...
's architect could not be bothered with foundations and sank the base of his pillars hardly more than a foot or two below the ground).