1539. 56. John Bradley1, Abbot of the Monastery of Milton, of the order of St Benedict, was recommended to the King, together with William Pelles, both Bachelors of Divinity, by Robert Warton, alias Parfew, Bishop of St. Asaph, who desired his Majesty to nominate one of them to some Suffragan See within the province of Canterbury. The King nominated Bradley, and appointed him to be Bishop of Shaftesbury; whereupon he was consecrated March 23, 1538-9, in the chancel of the Parish Church of St John Baptist in Southampton. The Bishops that consecrated him were John Cape, Bishop of Bangor (to whom the Archbishop had given a commission for that purpose), John Ipolitanensis, a titular Bishop, and Thomas Morley, Suffragan-Bishop of Marlborough.

1541. 57. Robert Silvester was Suffragan to the Archbishop of York, by the title of Bishop of Hull, and was made Prebendary of Langtoff and Wistow, in the Church of York, in the year 1541; and Jan. 31, 1549, was installed Archdeacon of Nottingham. Mr Wood supposes that either he died or was deprived in the beginning of Queen Mary's reign, because about that time he finds that there was one Robert Pursglove, who had the title of Hull. But Mr Wood might have considered that if there was another Bishop of Hull in Queen Mary's reign, it is certain Robert Silvester died, or some how or other quitted that title before her reign, because in the very first year of Queen Mary the Act of Parliament which appointed Hull, &c. to be titles for Suffragan Bishops was repealed, and revived again in the first of Queen Elizabeth, though they, who had been before consecrated by any of these titles, 1 Memor. of Abp. Cran. p. 71.

2 Athen. Ox. Vol. I. col. 579.

were permitted, upon their compliance, to use them in that reign.

1541. 58. Richard Thornden1, alias Le Stede (he is also frequently, but by mistake, called Thornton), was a Benedictine Monk of Christ Church in Canterbury, and educated there, and in Canterbury College in Oxford, of which he became Warden about the year 1528. He proceeded Doctor of Divinity, Oct. 10, 1531. When the Monastery of Christ Church in Canterbury was turned into a Dean and Chapter, he was made the first Prebendary there; and in a little time after, An. 1541, was elected by the Dean and Chapter to be their Proctor in Convocation; and sometime in the same year was consecrated SuffraganBishop of Dover in the room of Richard Yngworth, who probably died not long before. He appeared very zealous for the Reformation, and thereby insinuated himself into the affections of Archbishop Cranmer, who shewed him extraordinary favour and respect. For, whereas there were three tables in the Archbishop's hall spread and served at the same time: 1. The Archbishop's table, at which ordinarily sat none but Peers of the Realm, Privy Councillors, and Gentlemen of the greatest quality. 2. The Almoner's table, at which sat the Chaplains and all guests of the Clergy beneath Diocesan Bishops and Abbots. 3. The Steward's table, at which sat all other Gentlemen. The Suffragan-Bishops at that time were wont to sit at the Almoner's table; but the Archbishop treated Thornden with more respect than Suffragans had been wont to be treated, and placed him at his own table. Yet this ungrateful man, though he had been preferred by the

1 Athen. Ox. Vol. I. col. 586. Cantuar. Sac. p. 123; Append. Numb. 33. Mem. of Abp. Cran. pp. 111, 120, 121, 304; Append. pp. 68, 258.

Archbishop's interest and received this particular favour and respect from him, combined with his enemies against him to take away his life. For in the year 1543, Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, being then a great favourite at court, had formed a plot to destroy the Archbishop; and, by his instigation, several of the Prebendaries of Canterbury, and some of the six Preachers there, entered into a conspiracy to draw up accusations against the Archbishop and his friends. And one of the chief actors in this plot was Thornden, his Suffragan, who had so often sat at his table, and with whom he used to converse most familiarly. And when Dr Willoughby, Vicar of Chilham, and one of the King's Chaplains, whom they had endeavoured to make a tool in this conspiracy, desired Thornden, who was very great with the Archbishop, to let his Grace know that he never put up articles against any man in his life, because he was charged to have put up, or to have been ready to put up, articles that were framed against the Archbishop, Thornden bade him stick to it and not be afraid; for (saith he) I have spoken my mind to the Council therein, as I am bound, and so be you, being the King's Chaplain. This appears, from Willoughby's confession, under his own hand. A letter also of Thornden's fell into the Archbishop's hands discovering him to be of the plot, together with another letter of Dr Barber, who also had been promoted by his Grace. Whereupon the Archbishop, taking them apart, shewed them their letters, and upbraided them with their falseness and ingratitude; at which, they fell on their knees, and, with many tears, begged his pardon. He forgave them, praying God to make them better men; and bade them ask God forgiveness, seeing he had never deserved such usage at their hands.

And it was observed that there never after appeared, either in his words or countenance, any remembrance of this matter. After this I find no more mention of this Thornden either in King Henry's or King Edward's reign. But since Mr Strype says that the Archbishop, neither in word nor countenance, shewed him any displeasure, it must needs be that he continued, not only to enjoy his title of Dover, which could not be taken from him but by a legal prosecution, but that he also continued to act as the Archbishop's Suffragan, to the end of King Edward's reign. For if the Archbishop withdrew his Commission (which he might do when he pleased without giving a reason for it), it could not be said that "He never after appeared, either in word or countenance, to have any remembrance of the injury which Thornden and the rest had done him." And it is probable that after this, so long as the Archbishop continued in power, Thornden seemed to be very dutiful to him, and a most hearty Protestant. But as soon as Queen Mary came to the Crown, this hypocrite discovered himself and set up the Mass at Canterbury. Whereupon a slanderous report was raised of the Archbishop, as that he had already set up the Mass at Canterbury, and also had offered to sing the Mass and Requiem at King Edward's funeral, either before the Queen, or in St Paul's Church, or any where else. From which slander the Archbishop thought convenient to clear himself by a Public Declaration, where, amongst other matters, he declares, saying, “It was not I that did set up the Mass at Canterbury, but it was a false, flattering, lying, and dissembling Monk, which caused the Mass to be set up there without my advice or counsel." This did Thornden, Suffragan of Dover, and Vice-Dean of the Church; Dr Wotton, the Dean, being

then absent on an Embassy. The character which Scory or Becon (as Mr Strype conjectures) gave of this man is, that he was "A man having neither wit, learning, nor honesty: yet his wit is very ready, for he preacheth as well extempore as at a year's warning; so learnedly, that no man can tell what he chiefly intendeth or goeth about to prove; so aptly that a gross of points is not sufficient to tie his sermon together: not unlike to Iodocus, a Monk, of whom Erasmus maketh mention in his Colloquies; who, if he were not garnished with those glorious titles, Monk, Doctor, Vice-Dean and Suffragan, were worthy to walk openly in the streets with a bell and cock's-comb." In the first year of Queen Mary also (March 16, 1553), he being then (as appears from the Record) Suffragan of Dover, and ViceDean of the Church, together with Henry Harvey, LL.D., deprived Edmund Cranmer, the Archbishop's brother and Archdeacon of Canterbury, together with several other Prebendaries of that Church, for being married. Fox relates many other acts of his zeal against the Protestants in that Reign, and says that, for his persecuting God's Saints, he was suddenly taken with a palsy on a Sunday, at Bishopsbourn in Kent (which I suppose might be his own Living), having, the day before, returned thither from the Chapter-house at Canterbury, whereupon, being conducted to his bed, he died soon after An. 1557.

1552. 59. Robert Pursglove1 was born at Tideswale in Derbyshire, and educated in St Paul's School in London and St Mary Overhees in Southwark, from whence he went to Corpus Christi College in Oxford, where he continued fourteen years; being all that time, both at School and University, maintained by his Uncle, William Brad

1 Athen. Oxon. Vol. I. col. 604.