nobilitie of England was bent to haue him to be their King came from thence to Paris and sought vnto Charles then king of France for aid and helpe in which the Earle his sutes this Fox was a speciall traueller and counseller and in the end God giuing the successe the Earle obteined the crowne and hauing had the triall of the fidelitie wisedome and trust of this Bishop he made him Lord priuie seale and kept and vsed him and his aduise in all his weightie matters as well at home as abroad He being Embassador sundrie times to the K. of France and Scotland and of a verie hartie good will and loue the King made him godfather to his second sonne K. Henrie the eight There was a kind of emulation betwéene this Bishop and the Earle of Surreie both of them being verie wise and of great seruice to the King and common-wealth Howbeit in some diuersitie of respects the one hauing no issue to care for did deale without anie priuate affection or singular gaine and the other hauing issue was desirous to aduance his house and honor These affections did bréed some dislike betwéene them two yet the king finding a faith vnto himselfe and a commoditie to the common-wealth misliked it not if the same excéeded his measure and they more warme than commendable for their calling estates The king then or the councell would deale betwéene them for the appeasing and pacifieng of them and to them he was both fréendlie louing and liberall The one he deliuered out of the tower pardoned him of his offenses restored him to his lands receiued him into speciall fauour made him of his priuie councell as also Lord Treasurer of England and his generall into Scotland and augmented his liuelihoods The other he first made Bishop to this church then remooued him vnto Bathe and from thence vnto Durham and lastlie vnto Winchester Erasmus in his booke intituled the Preacher or Ecclesiastes declareth how that the king vpon a time wanting some péece of monie was to borowe the same of the commons and of the clergie And for the dealings with the clergie the matter was by commission committed to this Bishop Who when they came before him vsed all the excuses that they could to shift themselues from lending of anie money some came verie séemelie and well apparrelled and awaited vpon by their men according to their liuelihoods and these alledged that they were greatlie charged in hospitalitie and house kéeping with other charges incident to the same so that they had no money and therfore could paie none Some came poorelie and barelie apparrelled and they alledged that their liueliehoods were but small and yet their charges great and by that means the world was so hard with them that they had it not to spare This bishop hauing heard all these excuses vsed this dilemme to the ritcher sort he said For as much as you are so well and séemlie apparrelled and doo kéepe so great houses and haue all things necessarie about you it is a manifest argument that you haue some store about you or els you would not doo as ye doo and therefore ye must néeds lend To the others who pretend excuse of their pouertie he thus replied vnto them that For as much as they were so bare in their apparrell and so sparing of their expenses It must néeds be that they saued their pursses and had money and therefore they must néeds paie and so adiudgeth them to lend vnto the prince As he rose by learning so he was a great fauorer and furtherer of learning and for the good increase of the same he builded and founded Corporis christi colledge in Oxenford In his latter daies he waxed and was blind and dieng in Winchester he was there buried in his owne church after that he had béene Bishop of Excester sixe yeares he was remooued to Bathe anno 1492. OLiuer King immediatlie vpon the transferring of Bishop Fox was consecrated Bishop of this church in Februarie 1492. Iohn Morton then Archbishop of Canturburie This Oliuer was chaplaine to king Henrie the seauenth and Deane of Windesor and register of the order of the Garter In his time were the rebellions of Ioseph the Blacke-smith in Cornewall and of Perken Warebeke This Bishop after that he had occupied this sea about fiue yeares he died anno 1497. and as some suppose he was buried at Windsor RIchard Redman immediatlie vpon the death of Bishop Oliuer King was translated from his Bishoprike in Wales vnto this citie but after fiue yeares he was remooued vnto the Bishoprike of Elie and installed there in September anno 1501. He was a Gentleman borne and descended of a verie worshipfull house which ioined with his wisedome and learning did much increase his credit and good report IOhn Arundell next after the translation of Bishop Redman was remooued from Couentrie and Lichféeld vnto this citie and was installed the xv of March 1501. Wherein he sought not the preferment for anie liuelihoods but rather desirous to be a dweller and resiant in his countrie where he was borne for he was descended of the Arundels of Lanherne in Cornewall a house of great antiquitie and worship He long enioied not his new Bishoprike for after two yeares after his installing he had occasion to ride vnto London and there died and was buried in Saint Clements church without Templebarre anno 1503. HEw Oldham vpon the death of Arundell by the preferment of the Countisse of Richmond and Darbie vnto whom he was Chaplaine was preferred vnto this Bishoprike and installed in the same He was a man hauing more zeale than knowledge and more deuotion than learning somewhat roughe in spéeches but fréendlie in dooings He was carefull in the sauing and defending of his liberties for which continuall sutes was betwéene him and the Abbat of Tauestoke he was liberall to the vicars chorall of his church and reduced them to the kéeping of commons and towards the maintenance thereof he gaue them certeine reuenewes and impropriated vnto them the rectorie of Cornwood he albeit of himselfe he were not learned yet a great fauourer and a furtherer of learning and of learned men Notwithstanding he was somtime crossed in his honest attempt therein He first was minded to haue inlarged Excester colledge in Oxford as well in buildings as in fellowships But after being a requester to the fellowes for one Atkins to be a fellowe in whose fauour he had written his letters and was denied he changed his mind and his good will was alienated About the same time Doctor Smith Bishop of Lincolne was building of the colledge named Brasen nose and was verie willing and desirous to ioine with him but being denied to haue the nomination of a founder his mind was changed Not long after being aduertised that Bishop Fox of Winchester was minded to erect and found a new colledge ioined with him and contributed vnto him a great masse of monie and so a colledge was builded for
king Edger builded the Abbie of Tauestoke and king Edgar calleth home all the Monkes of S. Peters which were dispersed and without anie Abbat and made Sydemanuus Abbot who was afterwards Bishop This Alfwoldus after sixtéene yeares that he was consecrated died and was buried in his owne church ALwolfus as Dicetus affirmeth was consecrated Bishop anno 969. and after nine yeares died and was buried in his owne church SYdemannus of an Abbat was made a Bishop anno 978. in this mans time the Danes ouerranne and spoiled the whole contries of Deuon and Cornewall burned the towne of Bodmen and the cathedrall church of S. Petrokes with the Bishops house Wherevpon the Bishops sea was remooued from thence to S. Germans where the same continued vntill the remoouing and vniting thereof vnto Crediton Sydemannus in the twelfe yeare after his consecration died and was buried at Crediton in his owne church 990. ALphredus whom Dicetus calleth Alfricus Abbat of Malmesburie was consecrated Bishop and installed at Crediton he was taken for a learned man bicause he wrote two bookes the one intituled De rebus coenobij sui and the other De rerum naturis In this Bishops time king Etheldred endowed the Bishoprike of S. Germanes with lands liberties and priuiledges The Danes made a fresh inuasion in and vpon all Deuon and Cornewall burned and spoiled the Abbie of Ordolphus at Tauestoke they beséeged Excester and being remooued from thence were fought withall at Pinneho about thrée miles from the citie and ouerthrowne Alphredus after he had béene Bishop about nine yeares died anno 999. and was buried in his owne church ALwolfus as Dicetus writeth was the next Bishop In his time Sweno king of Denmarke by intisement of one Hew then Earle of Deuon came with a great hoste and besieged the citie of Excester tooke it and burned it and with great crueltie vsed the people vntill in the end Almarus then Earle of Deuon and the gentlemen did yéeld and submit themselues and so obteined peace This Alwolfus about the fiftéenth yeare of his Bishoprike anno 1014. died and was buried in his owne church ALnoldus by the report of the Archdeacon of London succéeded Alwolfus and was installed at Crediton In this mans time king Canutus gaue to Athelwode Abbat of S. Peters of this citie great gifts and sundrie priuiledges in recompense of his fathers great iniuries Arnoldus in the fiftéene yeare of his Bishoprike 1030. died and was buried in his owne church LEuigus or Leuingus Abbat of Tauistoke and nephew to Brythewaldus Bishop of Cornewall was chosen the next Bishop and according to the orders then vsed consecrated and installed He was in great fauour and credit with king Canutus vpon whome he attended in pilgrimage vnto Rome And after his vncle the Bishop of S. Germans being dead obteined of the king that the Bishops sea was remooued from S. Germanes vnto Crediton and both were thereby reduced and vnited into one Bishoprike and so hath euer sithence continued he was after the death of Brythegus Bishop of Worcester remooued to that church and there died and was buried as some suppose but some affirme that in the time of Hardicamitus the king at the accusation of Alfredus then Archbishop of Yorke for that he should be consenting to the death of Alfredus the sonne of Etheldred that he should be deposed of his Bishoprike there and so did returne vnto Tauestoke where be died but Dicetus affirmeth that he purged himselfe of this crime and by that meanes was restored both to the fauour of the king and to his Bishoprike againe and died Bishop of Worcester It is recorded that he was Bishop of Crediton fiftéene yeares LEofricus a man descended of the blood and line of Brutus but brought vp in the land of Lothoringia or Loreine was so well commended for his nobilitie wisedome and learning that king Edward the confessor had him in great fauour and made him first one of his priuie Councell and then Lord Chamberlaine of all England and lastlie the Bishoprike of this prouince being void he was made consecrated and installed Bishop of the same By him and by his meanes the Bishops sea was remooued from Crediton to this citie of Excester for at his request king Edward togither with Quéene Edith his wife came to Excester and remoouing the moonks from hence to Westminster did also remooue the Bishops sea from Crediton to his citie and did put the Bishop in the possession for he conducting the Bishop on the right hand and the Quéene on the left hand brought him to the high altar of his new church and there placed him in a seat appointed for him He suppressed sundrie houses or cels of religion within his sanctuarie and appropriated and vnited them to his owne church as also by the good liberalitie of the king obteined great reuenues possessions priuiledges and liberties to be giuen vnto the church In this mans time William Duke of Normandie made a conquest of this whole realme as also in the yeare 1068. besieged this citie of Excester which after by composition he restored to his former estate againe Also in his time Richard de Brion a noble man of Normandie the sonne of Baldwin of Brion and of Albred the néece to the conqueror was made Baron of Okehampton warden of the castell of Excester and Vicount of Deuon This Leofricus after that he had well and worthilie ruled his church and Diocesse by the space of xxiij yeares he ended his daies in peace and died anno 1073. and was buried in the cemitorie or churchyard of his owne church vnder a simple and a broken Marble stone which place by the sithens enlarging of his church is now within the south tower of the same where of late anno 1568. a new monument was erected in the memorie of so good worthie and noble a personage by the industrie of the writer hereof but at the charges of the Deane and chapter OSbertus or Osbernus a Normaine borne and brother to an Earle named William was preferred to this Bishoprike and in the yeare 1074. was consecrated and installed to the same Polydorus writeth that one Galfrid who ioined with Odo Earle of Kent and Bishop of Boion against William Rufus should be Bishop of Exon but it was not nor could not so be In this mans time William the conqueror and William Rufus his sonne died This Osbertus or Osbernus after he had béene Bishop thirtie yeares was blind and died and lieth buried in his owne church WIlliam VVarewest a Normaine borne and chaplaine both to the conqueror and his two sonnes William and Henrie was a verie graue and a wiseman and for the same was preferred by Henrie the king to this Bishoprike anno 1107. and was consecrated by Anselmus Archbishop of Canturburie in the moneth of August the same yeare He first began to enlarge his church which at that time was no bigger than that which is now called the Ladie chappell He founded and builded
the same Which was doone at S. Peters Church openlie vpon Palme sundaie being the xix of March 1267. This Bishop Richard in the twelfe yeare of his Bishoprike died and was buried in his owne Church WAlter Bronescome Archdeacon of Surreie was consecrated Bishop of Canturburie vpon passion sundaie anno 1286 vnder Bonifacius then Archbishop he was borne in this citie of Exon and was the sonne of poore parents but he being of a verie towardnesse and good disposition and verie apt to learning they partlie of themselues and partlie by helpe of their friends did put him to schoole and kept him to his booke wherein he prooued and prospered so well that he was verie well learned At the time of his election he was no préest and therefore not capeable of anie such dignitie but immediatlie he tooke that order vpon him and foorthwith was consecrated Bishop all which being doone within fiftéene daies it was counted as for a miracle namelie that he should be elected Bishop then made préest and at last to be consecrated within that space For so manie dignities as they termed it to be cast vpon one man in so short a time had not béene lightlie séene He founded the colledge of Glascin in Perin in Cornewall and endowed the same with faire possessions and reuenewes He purchased the the Barton of Rokesdone and Clist and gaue it to the hospitall of S. Iohns within the Eastgate of the citie of Excester He instituted in his owne Church the feast called Gabrils feast and gaue a péece of land for the maintenance thereof he also did by a policie purchase the Lordship and house of Clist Sachisfield and by a deuise did inlarge the Barton thereof by gaining of Cornish wood from his Deane and chapter and builded then a verie faire and a sumptuous house and called it Bishops Clist which he left to his successors Likewise he got the patronage of Clist Fomeson now called Sowton and annexed the same to his new Lordship which as it was said was in this order He had a frier to be his chapline and confessour which died in his said house of Clist and should haue béene buried at the parish church of Faringdon bicause the said house was and is in that parish but bicause the parish church was somewhat farre of the waies foule and the weather rainie or for some other causes the Bishop willed and commanded the corps to be carried to the parish church of Sowton then called Clist Fomeson which is verie néere and bordereth vpon the Bishops Lordship the two parishes there being diuided by a little lake called Clist At this time one Fomeson a Gentleman was Lord and patron of Clist Fomeson and he being aduertised of such a buriall towards in his parish and a léech waie to be made ouer his land without his leaue or consent required therein calleth his tenants togither and goeth to the bridge ouer the lake betwéene the Bishops land and his and there méeteth the Bishops men bringing the said corps and forbiddeth them to come ouer the water But the Bishops men nothing regarding the same doo presse forthwards to come ouer the water and the others doo withstand and fall at strife about the matter so long that in the end my Lords Frier is fallen into the water The Bishop taketh this matter in such gréefe that a holie Frier a religious man and his owne chaplaine and confessor should so vnreuerentlie be cast into the water that he falleth out with the Gentleman and vpon what occasion I know not he sueth him in the lawe and so vexeth and tormenteth him that in the end he was faine to yéeld himselfe to the Bishops deuotion and séeketh all waies he could to currie the Bishops good will which he could not obteine vntill for his redemption he had giuen and surrendred vp his patronage of Sowton with a péece of land all which the said Bishop annexeth to his new Lordship Thus by policie he purchased the manor of Bishops Clist by a deuise gaineth Cornish wood and by power wresteth the patronage of Sowton This Bishop after he had occupied this sea about xxiij yeares died and was buried in his owne church in a sumptuous toombe of Alablaster PEter Quiuill anno 1281. was consecrated Bishop of this church vnder Iohn Archbishop of Canturburie He first instituted a Chaunter and a Subdeane in his church To the one he impropriated Painton and Chidleigh to the other the rectorie of Egloschaile in Cornewall he was a liberall and a speciall benefactor to the hospitall of S. Iohns in Excester as well in goods as in liuelihoods he first began to enlarge and increase his church from the chauncell downewards and laid the foundation thereof In his time anno 1285. Walter Lichelade the first Chaunter was slaine in a morning as he came from the morning seruice then called the Mattines which was then woont to be said shortlie after midnight Vpon which occasion the king came vnto this citie and kept his christmas in the same and therevpon a composition was made betwéene the Bishop and the citie for inclosing of the churchyard and building of certeine gates there as appéereth by the said composition bearing date in Festo annunciationis beatae Mariae 1286. The king at the sute of the Earle of Hereford who at his being here was lodged in the house of the Graie Friers which then was néere the house of S. Nicholas obteined of the Bishop that they should be remooued from thence to a more wholesome place which was to the place without Southgate whereof after the kings departure grew some controuersie bicause the Bishop refused to performe his promise made to the king This man also impropriated the parish of S. Newleine and the parish of Stoke Gabrell and vnited the same to the office of the Chauncellor of the Cathedrall church and vnder condition that the said chauncellor should continuallie read a lecture within the said citie of diuinitie or of the decretalls and if he should faile to doo this that then it might and should be lawfull to the Bishop to resigne the said parsonages impropriated and to bestowe it at his pleasure as appéereth by the said grant vnder the seales of the said Bishop Deane and Chapter dated the twelfe of the Calends of Maie 1283. This Bishop not long after and in the eleuenth yeare of his Bishoprike died being choaked in drinking of a sirrop anno 1292. and was buried in his owne church The Franciscans or Graie Friers of this citie imputed his death to his hard dealing with them for whereas he had promised the king to prouide a conuenient place for them to build their house in and had willed their warden named Deoditus to séeke out and make inquirie for the same yet notwithstanding when he had so doone bicause the same was in his fée he did swarue from his said promise and did vtterlie denie to performe the same by the persuasion of one Peter Kenefeld a Dominican
or a blacke Frier and confessor vnto the said Bishop for he enuieng the good successe of the Franciscanes persuadeth with the Bishop that in no wise he should permit them to enioie the place which they had gotten nor to build therein bicause it was within his fée for saith he as vnder colour of simplicitie they créepe in to the hearts of the people and hinder vs poore preachers from our gaines and liuings so be ye sure that if the canons put foote within your liberties they will in time so incroch vpon the same as that they will be cleane exempted from out of your libertie and iurisdiction The Bishop being soone persuaded and contented contrarie to his promise to yéeld therevnto denieth the Franciscans and vtterlie forbiddeth them to build or to do anie thing within his fée or libertie About two yeares after the Bishop kept a great feast vpon the sundaie next before Saint Francis daie and among others was present with him one Walter Winborne one of the kings chéefe iustices of the bench and who was present when the Bishop at the request of the king made promise to further and to helpe the Franciscans and who in their behalfe did now put the Bishop in mind thereof and requested him to haue consideration both of his owne promise and of their distresse The Bishop misliking these spéeches waxed somewhat warme and offended and in open termes did not onelie denie to yéeld héerevnto but wished himselfe to be choaked what daie so euer he did consent or yéeld vnto it It fortuned that the same wéeke and vpon the daie of S. Francis Eue the Bishop tooke a certeine sirop to drinke and in too hastie swallowing thereof his breath was stopped and he foorthwith died The Franciscans héering thereof made no little a doo about this matter but blased it abroad that S. Francis wrought this miracle vpon the Bishop bicause he was so hard against them THomas Bitton the yeare following was elected Bishop and the sea of Canturburie was void he was consecrated by Iohn Roman Archbishop of Yorke he left no memoriall of anie great things doone by him sauing that he continued in the building of his church as also was a fauourer of such learned men as were in his Dioces in his time namelie Robert Plimton a regular Canon of Plimpton and a professour of diuinitie and who wrote two books Walter of Exon a Franciscane Frier of Carocus in Cornewall who at the request of one Baldwin of Excester wrote the historie of Guie of Warwike William of Excester Doctor of diuinitie and warden of the Franciscan Friers in this citie Godfrey surnamed Cornewall a subtill schooleman and a reader of diuinitie sometimes in Paris This Bishop after xiiij yeares that he had occupied this sea died anno 1306. and was buried in his owne church WAlter Stapledon anno 1507. being elected Bishop of this citie was consecrated by Robert Wincelsey Archbishop of Canturburie he descended of a most noble parentage which ioined with his learning wisdome politike hed did get him great credit fauour with the King who had him not only one of his priuie counsell but also made him Lord Treasurer of England At his inthronization or installing he kept a solemne obseruation For being come first to the citie immediatlie after his consecration as soone as he came to the Eastgate he alighted from his horse and went in on foote all the streate being couered and laied with blacke cloth he was led on both sides with two men of worship and Sir Hew Courtneie Knight who claimed to be steward of his feast went next before him The feast it selfe was verie sumptuous and liberall a controuersie was betwéene him and the said Sir Hew Courtneie concerning his challenge to be his steward but it was compounded and ended This Bishop as he grew and increased in wealth so he was carefull in the well disposing of part thereof for the increase of learning he builded erected two houses in Oxford the one named Stabledons inne but sithens Excester colledge the other Harthall he was also a speciall benefactor vnto the hospitall of S. Iohns in Excester vnto the which for the reléeuing of certeine poore children therein he impropriated the rectorie or personage of Ernescome In the controuersie betwéene his maister King Edward the second and Charles the French king he was sent Embassadour to the French king and ioined in commission with the Quéene for the treatie of a peace and reconciliation which though it were obteined yet he ioining with the Spensers who fauoured not the Quéene he returned into England leauing the Quéene behind him And whereas they practised what they could to put enmitie betwéene the King and hir and to set hir besides the cushion they themselues fell into the same snares which they had laied for others For not long after the Quéene by the helpe of the Earle of Henaulde and of S. Iohn his brother came into England with a great armie whereof the King and the Spensers being afraid departed from London to Bristowe leauing this Bishop at London and made him custos of the same who requiring the keies of the gates of the citie of the Maior the commoners tooke him and beheaded him as also his brother Sir Richard Stapledon in cheapeside and carried his bodie to his house without templebarre and there buried it in a sand-hill namelie the xv of October anno 1329. But the Quéene forgetting all discourtesies and reuerencing his calling commanded his corps to some more honourable buriall wherevpon the same was taken vp and brought to this citie and with great solemnitie was buried in his owne church vpon the 28. of March where his epitaph by the writer thereof is set Thus after that he had béene Bishop about xx yeares he ended his daies IAmes Barkeleie vpon the xxvj of March anno 1327. before the buriall of his predecessor in his owne Church was consecrated Bishop of this citie he descended of the noble house of the Lorde Barkeleie and albeit he were reputed to be a verie godlie and a wise man yet he had no time to yéeld the triall thereof For he died in the fourth moneth after his consecration vpon the xxiiij of Iulie anno 1327. and was buried in his owne church as some saie but some thinke he neuer came hither at all IOhn Grandesson being in Italie with Pope Iohn the xxij after the death of Iames Barkeleie the King presented him vnto the Pope who accepted the presentation and consecrated him Bishop of this diocesse the eight of October anno 1327. he was borne and descended of the ancient house of the Grandessons Dukes of Burgundie his father was named Gilbert the brother of Otho the great Lord Grandesson which Gilbert comming into this land was well interteined by the king and nobilitie and had a good liking of the countrie that by meanes of Henrie Earle of Lancaster with whom he came into England he married ladie Sibill daughier and