Biography of Bishop Henry Despencer 1341-1406

Archaeologia Volume 22 Section XVI. The Bishopp of Norwiche ys shamefully used at his owne towne of Lynne.^m

A lytle [small tyme] after Æster the Bishopp of Norwiche comynge to Lynne, hys owne towne, not content with the accustomed honour that the bishopps, his predecessors had, sought to have a new honour; therefor, seyng the mayor of the towne, when he publikely walked through the streetes to have the sergeant go before hym, carryinge the mace in hys handes where soever he went, & supposynge hymselffe, for that he was lord of the towne, to be above the mayor, he requested of the cheif men of the towne, that that honoure myght be done unto hym whiche was doone unto a mayor. In very deede before the bishop the verger ys accustomed only to cary a rodd, typped with blacke horne at bothe endes. The maisters [aldermen] of the towne answear very courtly, that they were well pleased he shold have that honour, yf he colde by a good meanes, & without the offence of the commons of the towne, obteyne such a custome of the kynge or the kynge's councell, and brynge in the saime, otherwyse they sayed, that they feared the common people, that was unconstant and prompt to sedition, for the vulgar sort of that towne wolde stone them yf they sholde suffer suche a custome to be broughte in; therfore they desyre hym, upon there knees, that he wolde desyst from such a petition, that he wolde save hys owne honoure & the aldermen, whoe, without doubt, were in thys case in great daunger yf he persysted in hys purpose. The bishopp, but a young man & unbrydled,ⁿ supposinge thys humilytye of the towne's men to come only for feare of hym, usynge the councell of Roboum, answeared that he wolde in no wyse doo that whiche they requested, yea he wolde doo that whiche he had purposed, in the spyte of them all, whom he called ribauldes. He also dyd chyde the aldermen of the towne for there faynte hartes, for that they sayed they feared the common people of the towne, whome he esteemed as nothynge. All hearynge the bishopp's obstinacye, very humbly they say unto hym: for that, reverend father, (say they) you affyrme that you will altogeather doo that thynge even as you have sayed, we beseache you to have us excused, that we honourably conduct you without the towne & doo oure due reverence unto you; for truly we feare not only oure skyns, but also our lyves, for yf the comonaltye perceave us to cleave unto you att this present in this act, all the deeds sholde be imputed unto us, & so perchaunce we sholde, without cause, suffer punyshment. But the bishoppe, nothynge estemynge them or there reasons, commanded one of his servaunts to taike the mace & to cary yt before hym, whiche was doone, and when he had gone a lytle forwardes, the commons of the towne perceavynge (as they affyrmed) that agaynst the libertyes of the towne he had erected the mace, & caryed the sayme before hym in the sayme towne, psently they began to shutt the gates, to bende there bowes, & shoote att hym with arrowes, divers with other instruments persecuted hym; wherefore yt came to passe that he was stricken from hys horse, & hys horse hurte, & dyvers of hys men (for that yt was nere nyghte) were grevously wounded of the arrowe fliynge in darkenes, they certein of his men leavynge hym there fledd away.

Note m. This story is quoted in Blomefield's Norfolk (vol. ii. p. 368, fol.) from Fox, who has apparently (as in the instance referred to in a former note) translated it in his own words from the St. Alban's History. He has by mistake (as Blomefield has observed) substituted Lennam for Lynn. The town of Lanham, or Lavenham, in Suffolk, never belonged to the bishop, and has no corporation. Lenna, as Blomefield remarks, is the old Latin word for Lynn. It is rightly translated in the MS. copied in the text, and it is correctly given in Archbishop Sudbury's interdict issued on the occasion, and printed in Wilkins's Concilia, vol. iii. p. 118.

Note n. This "young and unbridled" bishop was Henry Spencer, called the warlike Bishop of Norwich, whom Archbishop Parker describes to have been militiae quam theologiae peritior i.e. "skill in warfare rather than in theology.". He had been a soldier in his youth, and a commander in the army of the Pope, who preferred him to the see of Norwich. In 1383, when youth could no longer be his apology (for he had then been thirteen years a bishop), he raised a large army in defence of the Papal authority, and led it into Flanders. On his return he was fined and disgraced, but was subsequently pardoned. In his Life by Capgrave, printed in Wharton's Anglia Sacra, vol. ii. p. 359, his conduct is defended, and his character extolled for a strict regard to justice, and for liberality towards the poor.