Life

Born probably about 1490, he is said to have been a native of Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

 or Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

. He was educated first at Oxford and then at Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1511, and M.A. in 1514. In 1525 he was made canon of Cardinal College, Oxford, and on 9 March 1526 he supplicated for incorporation in Oxford University, and for the degrees B.D. and D.D. About the same time he was appointed chaplain to Henry VIII. On 7 March 1528 he was presented to the prebend of Wigginton in the collegiate church of Tamworth

Tamworth

Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...

, but resigned it in the following July, and was appointed master of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He resigned the latter post in July 1532 on being instituted to the vicarage of Thaxted

Thaxted

Thaxted is a town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, with about 2,500 inhabitants.-History:Thaxted appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Tachesteda, Old English for "place where thatch was got." Once a centre of cutlery manufacture, Thaxted went into decline with the rise of Sheffield...

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

.

Meanwhile, in 1530, at Henry's request, Pope Clement VII

Pope Clement VII

Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...

 provided Staples to the bishopric of Meath. In that capacity he took a prominent part in the government of Ireland, and in the strife between the various factions of the official class. In 1534 he was compelled to flee to England before the rebellion of Thomas Fitzgerald, 10th Earl of Kildare

Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare

Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare , also known as Silken Thomas , was a figure in Irish history.He spent a considerable part of his early life in England: his mother Elizabeth Zouche, was a cousin of Henry VII...

. He returned in the following year, when he and Archbishop George Browne

George Browne (archbishop of Dublin)

George Browne D.D. was an English Augustinian who was appointed by Henry VIII of England to the vacant Episcopal see of Dublin. He became the king's main instrument in his desire to establish the state church in the Kingdom of Ireland.-Life:...

 became Henry VIII's principal instruments in introducing the Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 into Ireland. His relations with Browne, however, were always hostile. Staples clung to the mass, though he was strongly for the royal supremacy, and it was partly owing to his advice that Henry assumed the title of king of Ireland. His quarrel with Browne became such a scandal that on 31 July 1537 Henry wrote to Browne threatening to remove him for his lightness of behaviour and pride, and to Staples censuring his neglect of his ecclesiastical duties. Little effect seems to have been produced, and on one occasion in 1538, while preaching before Browne in Kilmainham

Kilmainham

Kilmainham is a suburb of Dublin south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre, in the Dublin 8 postal district.-History:In the Viking era, the monastery was home to the first Norse base in Ireland....

 church, Staples denounced him as a heretic. This sermon was examined by the Irish council, and both Staples and Browne complained to Thomas Cromwell, but the quarrel was patched up. In 1544, as a reward for his zeal, Staples was allowed to annex the archdeaconry of Kells

Kells

Kells may refer to the following people:* Machine Gun Kelly , Cleveland Rapper/poet #LTFU #EST the movement.* R. Kelly, an American R&B musician...

.

After Edward VI's accession, Staples's Protestant opinions became more pronounced, On 7 April 1547 he was granted the parsonage of Ardbraccan

Ardbraccan

Ardbraccan is an ancient place of Christian worship in County Meath, Ireland. It is the location of the former residence of the Roman Catholic, then, after the Reformation, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath. It is located approximately 30 miles from Dublin.-Origins:Ardbraccan originated as a...

, and soon after was made judge of faculties. About this time he married, and preached a strong sermon against the mass, which rendered him intensely unpopular in his diocese. In June 1552, in a discussion at St. Mary's Abbey

St. Mary's Abbey

-Ireland:* St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin* St. Mary's Abbey, Glencairn* St. Mary's Abbey, Trim-United Kingdom:* St Mary's Abbey, Kenilworth* St Mary's Abbey, Leiston* St Mary's Abbey, Thetford* St Mary's Abbey, West Malling* St Mary's Abbey, Winchester...

, Dublin, he maintained the Protestant cause against George Dowdall

George Dowdall

George Dowdall was twice Archbishop of Armagh.He was appointed Primate of All Ireland by Henry VIII in 1543 to succeed George Cromer. However, this was not recognised by the Pope, who had earlier replaced Cromer with Robert Wauchope...

, archbishop of Armagh

Archbishop of Armagh

The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...

.

In August 1553 he took part in the proclamation of Queen Mary

Mary I of England

Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

, but on 29 June 1554 he was deprived on account of his marriage. He remained in his diocese, destitute and disliked, and on 16 December 1558, after Elizabeth's

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 accession, he wrote to William Cecil

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...

relating his woes and seeking preferment. He was not, however, restored to his see, and, as no subsequent mention of him occurs, he is believed to have died soon after.