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Thomas Rotherham
Prelate & Politician
b. 24 August 1423, Rotherham
d. 29 May 1500, Cawood nr. York
Thomas Rotherham or Scot
was born in the town on St Bartholomew's Day, 1423. He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Rotherham, a local landowner and his wife, Alice Scot (also from another land-owning
family). The use of two surnames was not uncommon in earlier times. It may have meant that his mother was of higher social status than his father and so continued to use her own name
after marriage. Or then again it might have meant that the family had received an inheritance, or hoped to receive one, from Scot relations and used their surname as a courtesy. From
this we can safely assume that his family had a bob or two.
Thomas was educated in the town by a teacher of grammar who came to Rotherham according to Thomas "I know not by what fate save it was the Grace of God"
. Afterwards he was
elected to the newly founded Eton College so that he could qualify for university entrance.
At about the age of nineteen Thomas went up King's College, Cambridge. He had a distinguished academic career becoming a Bachelor of Divinity and a Fellow of Kings, and lectured on Grammar, Theology and Philosophy. After taking Holy Orders he served in many powerful positions in the Church, becoming Prebendary of Lincoln in 1462 and of Salisbury in 1465. He was successively Bishop of Rochester, Bishop of Lincoln and finally, Archbishop of York from 1480 to 1500. He was a trusted minister of state who became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1467 and Lord Chancellor of England in 1474. He was Ambassador to France in 1468, and joint ambassador to Burgundy in 1471.
When Edward IV died, Rotherham was imprisoned in the Tower for his loyalty to Elizabeth Woodville, Queen and widow of Edward IV, during the struggle for the throne which ended up in the deposition of Edward V and the succession of Richard, Duke of Gloucester as Richard III. Under Henry VII he was deprived of the Chancellorship. After this he retired from most public work. He died on the 29 May 1500 at Cawood, near York. His remains were transferred to a magnificent marble tomb in York Minster in 1506.
He never forgot his home town and in 1480 endowed a Chapel of Jesus within the parish church, with a priest to sing masses for the souls of his ancestors. The College of Jesus was
founded in Rotherham as a memorial to his teacher. The foundations of the College were laid in March 1482 (March 1481 in the Old Style) and a licence was granted by Edward IV on 22
January 1483 (1482 Old Style) "for the honour and glory of the name of Jesus Christ to found a perpetual College"
. The statutes of the College were drawn up and dated 1 February 1483
(1482 Old Style).
The College consisted of a Provost and three Fellows, all to be in Holy Orders, who must attend church on Sundays and Holy Days. The Fellows were to teach Grammar and train the six choristers of Jesus in song and music. They were also to teach promising boys who did not aspire to the priesthood reading, writing and reckoning free of charge. If the boys continued to show merit they could learn the rudiments of grammar and music.
Visit onsite at Tourism in Rotherham >> Out & About in the Borough >> Thomas Rotherham College for further History of the College.