John Islip

John Islip
John Islip
Personal
Born	1464
Died	1532 (aged 67–68)
Religion	William Boston
Previous post	Prior of Westminster Abbey

John Islip (1464

Tudor

times.

Biography

Islip was doubtless a member of the family which rose to ecclesiastical importance in the person of Archbishop

privy council, which decided in favour of Westminster. Henry VI's remains were removed from Windsor at a cost of £500. Islip had next to advise Henry VII in his plan for removing the old lady chapel of the abbey church and the erection instead of the chapel which still bears Henry VII's name. The old building was pulled down, and on 24 January 1503 Islip laid the foundation-stone of the new structure. The indentures between the king and Abbot Islip relating to the foundation of Henry VII's chantry and the regulation of its services are in the Harleian MS. 1498. They are splendidly engrossed, and have two initial letters which represent the king giving the document to Islip and the monks who kneel before him. The face of Islip is so strongly marked that it seems to be a real portrait.^[2]

Islip seems to have discharged carefully the duties of his office. In 1511 he held a visitation of the dependent

Benedictines, issued a commission to the Abbot of Gloucester for the visitation of the abbey of Malmesbury, where there had been a rebellion of the monks against their abbot.^[2]

This peaceful discharge of ordinary duties was disturbed for Islip, as for most other Englishmen of high position, by the proceedings for the king's divorce. In July 1529 Islip was joined with Burbank and others for the purpose of searching among the royal papers for documents to present to the legatine court of Wolsey and Campeggio. In 1530 Islip was one of those who signed a letter to the pope in favour of the king's divorce, and in July 1531 Henry VIII suggested to the pope that Islip, whom he calls 'a good old father', should be joined as an assessor to Archbishop Warham for the purpose of trying the cause in England. But though Henry was bent upon his divorce, he could attend to minor matters; for in September 1531 he negotiated an exchange with the abbey of Westminster of sundry tenements reaching as far as Charing Cross, for which he gave them the site of the convent of Poghley, Berkshire, one of the lesser monasteries, dissolved by Wolsey, which had become forfeited to the crown. Islip died peaceably on 12 May 1532, and was buried in the abbey with extraordinary splendour.^[2]

Islip's career was entirely representative of the life of a great churchman of the time in other points than those already mentioned. In 1526 he was one of those commissioned by Wolsey to search for

Williams when he was dean of Westminster.^[2]

He is commemorated in John Islip Street, Westminster.[3]

Notes

^ Barbara F. Harvey and Henry Summerson, ‘Islip, John (1464–1532)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Creighton, Mandell (1892). "Islip, John (d 1532), abbot of Westminster". Dictionary of National Biography Vol. IXXX. Smith, Elder & Co. Retrieved 27 February 2008. The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Islip, John" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
^ John Wittich, Discovering London Street Names, Osprey Publishing, 1996, page 67

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Islip, John". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links

"John Islip (ISLP498J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

[odnb-1] Barbara F. Harvey and Henry Summerson, ‘Islip, John (1464–1532)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008

[dnb-2] Creighton, Mandell (1892). "Islip, John (d 1532), abbot of Westminster". Dictionary of National Biography Vol. IXXX. Smith, Elder & Co. Retrieved 27 February 2008. The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Islip, John" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

[3] John Wittich, Discovering London Street Names, Osprey Publishing, 1996, page 67

[2]

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