JOHN OF THORESBY

Archbishop of York, chancellor of England; b. probably North Thoresby, Lindsey, England; d. Bishopthorpe, Yorkshire, Nov. 6, 1373. He studied at Oxford, where he was a bachelor of civil law by 1341. He was made bishop of saint davids in Wales by papal provision in 1347, was translated to worcester in 1351, and finally, was translated to York in 1352, though he was enthroned there only in 1354. In the royal service from 1330, he was a notary in the chancery (1336), master of the rolls (1341), keeper of the privy seal (1345–47), and chancellor of England (1349–56). He was one of the guardians of the kingdom during King edward iii's absence in France (1355). As archbishop he first settled the dispute between canterbury and york as to the right to bear the cross: it was decided that each primate was to be allowed to bear his cross erect in the other's province (April 20, 1353). This was confirmed by the pope on Feb. 22, 1354, who directed at the same time that the archbishop of York should be styled "Primate of England" while the archbishop of Canterbury should be called "Primate of All England." Thoresby laid the foundation of the new choir in York Minster in 1360 and built the lady-chapel at the east end. By his direction a "catechism" or commentary in English on the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments was drawn up (1357) for his parish priests by John de Traystek (or Garrick), a monk of St. Mary's, York.

Bibliography: john of thoresby, Lay Folks' Catechism, ed. t. f. simmons and h. e. nolloth, Early English Text Society (London 1901) 118. w. a. pantin, The English Church in the 14th Century (Cambridge, Eng. 1955). a. b. emden, A Biographical Register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500, 3 v. (Oxford 1957–59) 3:1863–64. m. mckisack, The Fourteenth Century, 1307–1399 (Oxford 1959). c. l. kingsford, The Dictionary of National Biography From the Earliest Times to 1900, 63 v. (London 1885–1900) 19:760–762.

[v. mudroch]