William Smyth

, Son of Rob. Smyth, was born at Farnworth in the Parish of Prescote in Lancashire, educated partly in Grammar learning in his own Country, partly in Academical in this University, either in Oriel, or Lincoln, college, or successively in both. In the former I have reason to suppose so, because several of his name and kindred were members thereof soon after, if not in his own time; and in the other, because in the Bursars accompts (a)(a) In thesaur. vel turri coll. Linc. thereof, I find one Mr. Will. Smyth to have been a Commoner of that house, before, and in the year 1478. being the same without all doubt with this person of whom we now speak. Howsoever it is, (tho I am not ignorant that he was a benefactor to both the said colleges, especially the last, and that in an (b)(b) In lib. vel reg. epistol. Univ. Oxon. F. fol. 182. epist. 495. vide etiam epist. 484. Epistle to him concerning his election to the Chancellourship of the Univ. of Oxon, the Members thereof do say that he was sometimes Alumnus Academiae Oxon,) sure I am that he, as others, being fearful of divers pests hapning in Oxon in their time, did receed to Cambridge, where this Will. Smyth became Fellow, and afterwards Master, of Pembroke hall. About that time he was made Archdeacon of Surrey, D. D. of Cambridge, (in which degree he was incorporated at Oxon,) and afterward Clerk of the Hamper, if I mistake not, (for we have an (c)(c) Ib. in F. [•] p. 36 [•] . Epistle written to one Mr. Will. Smyth Cler. Hamperii for the expedition of the consummation of the privileges of the University) and at length being elected Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, had restitution (d)(d) Pat. 8. Hen. 7. p. 1. m. 6. made of the temporalities of that See 29. Jan. 8. H. 7. dom. 1492. After he had sate there about three years, he was elected Bishop of Lincoln; so that having restitution (e)(e) Pat. 11: Hen. 7. p. 2. m. 16. made of the temporalities thereof on the 6. Feb. 1495. sate there till the time of his death, became a great man in the Kings favour, Councellour to Prince Arthur, President of Wales, (being the first of all that bore that office,) Chancellour of the University of Oxford, and the prime founder of Brasnose coll. there. He gave way to fate on the second day of January in fifteen hundred and thirteen, 1513 and was buried in the great middle Isle near to the Sepulchre of Will. Alnwyke sometimes B. of Linc. towards the west end of the Cath. Church at Lincoln. Over his grave was a very large marble Tomb-stone soon after laid even with the pavement, having thereon engraven, on a large brass plate, the portraicture of a Bishop mitred and vested for the Altar, with a Crosier in his left hand; and on the verge of the said stone was this inscription engraven on several narrow plates of brass. Sub marmore isto tenet hic tumulus ossa venerabilis in Christo Patris ac Domini, Domini Willielmi Smyth, quondam Conventriensis & Lychfeldensis, ac deinde Lincolniensis Presulis; qui obiit secundo die mensis Januarii, anno Domini Millesimo quingentesimo tertio decimo: cujus anime propitietur deus, qui pius & misericors & in die tribulationis misericors peccata remittit. Ecclesiastiio.

At the foot of the portraicture are these verses following, engraven on a brass plate, fastned to the said stone.

Cestrensis Presul, post Lyncolniensis, Amator

Cleri nam multos cis mare transque aluit.

Quique utriusque fuit Prefectus Principis aule,

Fundavitque duas perpetuando Scholas.

Aulaque sumptu hujus renovatus est Enea Criste

Hic situs est, anime parte benigne sue.

You may see more of this worthy Bishop in Hist. & Antiq. Vniv. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 104. b. 161. b. 212. 415. b. He the said Dr. Smyth gave three hundred pounds to John the Prior, and Convent of Laund in Leycestershire to have the Parsonage and Parish Church of Roysthorne in Cheshire bought and appropriated to their house: Which accordingly being done, the said Prior and Convent, did, in consideration thereof, give and confirm under their Common Seal to the Mayor and Citizens of Chester an annuity of ten pounds to be paid from the Monastery of S. Werburgh within the said City, to the end that they pay that annuity to a Master or Bachelaur of Arts, or at least to a Master of Grammar, that should teach Grammar freely at Farnworth in Lancashire. This was done 22. Hen. 7. and soon after was a School settled there. He also gave many ornaments, and other stuff to Brasnose coll. to be used in their Chappel and elsewhere.