William Rokeby
Encyclopedia
William Rokeby was a leading statesman and cleric in early sixteenth-century Ireland, who held the offices of Bishop of Meath
Bishop of Meath
The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...

, Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....

 and Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...

. He is commemorated in the Rokeby Chapels in Kirk Sandall and Halifax Minster.

Early life

He was born at Kirk Sandall, near Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...

 in South Yorkshire, eldest of the five sons of John Rokeby ( died 1506 ). His younger brother Richard was comptroller of the household to Cardinal Wolsey and later Treasurer of Ireland.William retained a deep affection for Kirk Sandall and returned there to die.He went to school at Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...

; studied at Oxford and beacme a fellow of King's Hall, later Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

.He became vicar of his home parish, and was then transferred to Halifax, another town for which he had a deep affection. In 1507 he was made Bishop of Meath.

Later career

On the death of Walter Fitzsimon
Walter Fitzsimon
Walter Fitzsimon was a statesman and cleric in Ireland in the reign of Henry VII, who held the offices of Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.- Biography :...

 in 1511, Rokeby became Archbishop of Dublin. He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland for much of the same period; though there is some dispute the generally accepted dates of his term are 1498-1509 and 1515-1521.

O'Flanagan believes he was a good and diligent Lord Chancellor although there are not many records of his judicial career. He was clearly a trusted servant of the Crown: in particular the Lord Deputy, the Earl of Surrey
Earl of Surrey
The Earl of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of England, and has been created five times. It was first created for William de Warenne, a close companion of William the Conqueror...

, with the approval of the King, chose Rokeby in 1520 as mediator in the feud, which had become almost uncontrollable, between the Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....

 and the Earl of Ormond.

As Archbishop he also made a name as a peacemaker, settling a long and bitter dispute between the Dean and Chapter of St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral may refer to:Northern Ireland*St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh *St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh Republic of Ireland*St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Church of IrelandAustralia...

. He gave permission to the Earl of Kildare for the original foundation of Maynooth College ( which was suppressed in 1535 ).He participated in the christening of the future Queen Mary I and the ceremony by which Wolsey received his cardinal's hat.

As Archbishop of Dublin he is best remembered for the Synod of 1518. The synod prohibited the use of tin chalices at mass,and the disposal of Church property by laymen; and attempted to regulate the procedure for dealing with intestate estates, the payment of tithes and burial fees and the rules for admission to the clergy. Rather comically, Rokeby strictly forbade clergymen to play football.

By 1521 his health was failing: he retired to Kirk Sandall and died there on 29 November.

The Rokeby Chapels

Rokeby made elaborate provision in his will for disposal of his remains: he desired that his body be buried in Halifax, but that his heart be buried in St Oswald's Church
St Oswald's church
St Oswald's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Ashbourne, in the county of Derbyshire, England.-Background:The church is named after Oswald of Northumbria....

, Kirk Sandall, and that mortuary chapels be erected at both spots. The Rokeby chapels in St Oswald's and Halifax Minster still exist.

Character

O'Flanagan praises Rokeby as a good man, a good bishop and so far as records go a good judge; Elrington Ball, while acknowledging his good qualities, suggests he was an unsuitable appointment as Chancellor, due to his frequent absence in England.
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