John Whethamstede
John Whethamstede (died 20 January 1465) was an English abbot and one of the leading literary figures in fifteenth-century England.[1]
Life
He was a son of Hugh and Margaret Bostock, and was born at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, owing his name, the Latin form of which is Frumentarius, to this circumstance.
After early schooling at the Abbey School (now
In 1440, he resigned his post but, in 1451, on the death of his successor John Stoke, he became abbot for the second time. He died on 20 January 1465, and his tomb was recently discovered during archaeological excavations prior to the construction of the new Welcome Centre at
Whethamstede was an energetic and successful abbot. He greatly improved the buildings at St Albans. He was an eyewitness of the
He was also closely, if clumsily, associated with the humanistic activities of Henry V's youngest brother, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who died in 1447 and was buried in St Albans Abbey, where he was honoured as a benefactor.
Writings
Whethamstede was 'shy and bashful in public, yet egotistical and boastful in his writings'.[2] He read widely - as well as commonplace medieval texts, works in Latin, Greek and Italian were in his library.
References
- ISBN 0-85683-125-5.
- ^ Hicks, p. 264.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Whethamstede, John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Hunt, William (1899). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- Clark, James G. "Whethamstede , John (c.1392–1465)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29197. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)