John De la Bere (or Delabere) was a 15th-century Bishop of St David's in Wales.[1] He was also the King's Almoner under Henry VI.[2]
De la Bere's parentage is not known for sure, but it is most likely that he was of the family of De la Bere from Stretford Manor in Herefordshire and Weobley Castle in Glamorgan. He may have been a younger son of John De la Bere of Weobley who died in 1433.[citation needed]
He entered the Church and became Dean of Wells before being appointed Bishop of St David's in September 1447. He was consecrated on 12 or 19 November that year.[1][3][4] De la Bere may have been an Oxford scholar, and may have never set foot in St David's, leaving the running of the diocese to Gruffydd, the father of Sir Rhys ap Thomas.[5] He is known for refusing to allow his clergy to leave their wives or concubines.[2]
He lived instead in Oxfordshire where he owned the manor of Clifton Hampden. He paid for the restoration of a bridge in Dorchester, which was later removed in around 1780.[5][6] In 1455, he loaned his palace at Lamphey to the Earl of Richmond for a trip with his newlywed, thirteen-year-old Margaret Beaufort. It was there that, their son, King Henry VII of England, was conceived.[7][8]
Possibly due to his political affiliations during the Wars of the Roses, De la Bere resigned or was deposed in 1460,[5] and was succeeded by Robert Tully.[4] He is believed to have died in 1462.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Neve, John Le (1854). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae: or a calendar of the principal ecclesiast. dignitaries in England and Wales, and of the chief officers in the univ. of Oxford and Cambridge, from the earliest time to the year 1760 : in 3 vol. Oxford University Press. p. 298.
- ^ a b Bevan, William Latham (1888). St. David's. Society for promoting Christian knowledge. pp. 142–143.
- ^ Eubel, Conrad (1913). Hierarchia catholica medii aevi, sive Summorum pontificum, S.R.E. cardinalium, ecclesiarum antistitum series ... e documentis tabularii praesertim vaticani collecta, digesta, edita (in Latin). Monasterii Sumptibus et typis librariae Regensbergianae. p. 190.
- ^ a b Stubbs, William (1858). Registrum sacrum Anglicanum : an attempt to exhibit the course of episcopal succession in England, from the records and chronicles of the Church. Oxford University Press. p. 68.
- ^ a b c Jones, William Basil; Freeman, Edward Augustus (1856). The History and Antiquities of Saint David's. pp. 307–308.
- ^ Weare, Thomas William (1848). Memoirs of Gothic Churches (2nd ed.). Society for promoting the study of Gothic architecture. p. 102.
- ^ Jones, Michael K.; Underwood, Malcolm G. (1992). The King's Mother: Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby. Cambridge University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-521-44794-2.
- ^ Thomas, Roger S. (1971). The Political Career, Estates and "connection" of Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke and Duke of Bedford (d. 1495). University of Wales, Swansea. p. 166.
- ^ The Monthly Magazine. R. Phillips. 1 July 1804. p. 551.
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