Christopher Urswick

Christopher Urswick (1448–1522) was a priest and confessor of Margaret Beaufort. He was Rector of Puttenham, Hertfordshire, and later Dean of Windsor. Urswick is thought to have acted as a go-between in the plotting to place her son Henry VII of England on the throne.

Early life and education

Urswick was born at Furness in 1448. His father, John Urswick, and his mother were lay brother and sister of Furness Abbey.^[1]

He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School (which was then called 'The Free School at Lancaster')

Career

He was Archdeacon of Wilts (1488–1522), Archdeacon of Richmond (1494–1500) and Archdeacon of Norfolk (1500–1522). Circa 1486 he was given the prebend of Chiswick in St Paul's Cathedral. He was also Dean of York from 1488 to 1494, a Canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor from 1492 to 1496 and then Dean of Windsor from 1495 to 1505. He was the Lord Almoner from 1485 to 1495.^[2]

He declined the position of Bishop of Norwich in 1498 and was collated Archdeacon of Oxford in 1504.

Amongst his more important positions, Urswick became Rector of the Parish of Hackney in 1502, where he ordered the medieval parish church to be rebuilt. St Augustine's Tower is the only remnant.

Death

Urswick died on 24 March 1522 in Hackney (parish) and was buried in St Augustine's Church, Hackney.^[3]

Commemoration

He appears as a minor character in Shakespeare's Richard III.

He built a parish house in Hackney (Urswick House, now demolished), where he lived for a time. He is commemorated in Urswick Road in nearby Homerton.

He founded The Urswick School for 12 poor boys, which was until recently called Hackney Free and Parochial School in Hackney Central.^[4] The Urswick Chantry in St. George's Chapel commemorates him.^[5]

References

^ Urswick, Christopher. "Urswick, Christopher". Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ Thompson, Benjamin. Political Society in Later Medieval England. p. 226.
^ "No offence!". College of St George Windsor. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "The History of the School". theurswickschool.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
^ "Unknown Person - The Urswick Chantry, St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2015.

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Urswick, Christopher" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Pollard, Albert Frederick (1899). "Urswick, Christopher". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Trapp, J. B. "Urswick, Christopher (1448?–1522)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Deans of York

High Medieval

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Robert of Ghent
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Sewal de Bovil
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Roger de Holderness/Skeffling
William Langton
Robert de Scarborough
Henry of Newark

Late Medieval

William Hambleton
Raymond de Goth
William Pickering
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William de Colby
William Zouche
Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord
Cardinal Angelicus Grimaud
Edmund Stafford
Roger Walden
Richard Clifford
Thomas Langley
John Prophet
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Richard Andrew
Robert Booth
Christopher Urswick
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Geoffrey Blythe

Early modern

Late modern

v t e Deans of Windsor
Late Medieval	William Mugge Walter Almaly Thomas Butler Richard Kingston John Arundel Thomas Manning John Faux William Morland William Dudley Peter Courtenay Richard Beauchamp Thomas Danett William Bealey John Morgan Christopher Urswick
Early modern	Christopher Bainbridge Thomas Hobbs Nicholas West John Vesey John Clerk Richard Sampson William Franklyn Owen Oglethorpe Hugh Weston John Boxall George Carew William Day Robert Bennet Giles Thomson Anthony Maxey Marco Antonio de Dominis Henry Beaumont Matthew Wren Christopher Wren Edward Hyde Bruno Ryves John Durell Francis Turner Gregory Hascard Thomas Manningham John Robinson The Lord Willoughby de Broke Peniston Booth Frederick Keppel John Harley John Douglas James Cornwallis Charles Manners-Sutton
Late modern	Edward Legge Henry Hobart George Neville-Grenville Gerald Wellesley George Connor Randall Davidson Philip Eliot Albert Baillie Eric Hamilton Robin Woods Launcelot Fleming Michael Mann Patrick Mitchell David Conner Christopher Cocksworth

v t e Archdeacons of Oxford and of Dorchester
High Medieval	Alfred Walter of Oxford Robert Foliot Walter de Coutances John of Coutances Walter Map John of Tynemouth Matthew Stratton Adam de Sancto Edmundo Roger Weseham John de Sancto Egidio Richard of Gravesend Robert de Mariscis Henry of Sandwich Richard de Mepham John de Maidenstan W. Nicholas de Hegham Simon of Ghent Pontius de Salino Amadeus of Savoy William de Sardene
Late Medieval	Gilbert Segrave Gaillard Cardinal de la Motte Thomas Southam John Southam Fulk Birmingham John Boteler Lionel Woodville Oliver King Richard Mayew Christopher Urswick George Heneage Nicholas Wilson Richard Curwen
Early modern	Walter Wright John Kennall John Drewry William Bridges Barten Holyday Thomas Lamplugh Thomas Barlow Timothy Halton Humphrey Hody Timothy Goodwin William Baker Robert Cook George Rye John Potter Thomas Randolph George Turner Phineas Pett Charles Clerke
Late modern	Edwin Palmer Leslie Randall, Bishop of Reading Thomas Archer Houblon Edward Shaw, assistant bishop Gerald Allen, assistant bishop/Bishop of Dorchester Carlyle Witton-Davies Frank Weston John Morrison Julian Hubbard Hedley Ringrose (Acting) Judy French, assistant archdeacon Martin Gorick Jonathan Chaffey
Dorchester	Hedley Ringrose (Interim) Judy French David Tyler

v t e Archdeacons of Norfolk
High Medieval	Roger Steingrim John Geoffrey de Bocland Martin of Pattishall Robert de Bilneia R- Ralph de Blonvilla (de Blundeville) Thomas de Lecche Ralph de Blonvilla (again) Simon the Norman Walter de Salerne/de Saleron alias of London Nicholas de Plimpton Alan de Freston
Late Medieval	R. de S. Thomas de Kerdeston William de Herlaston Adam de Ayremynne John Newland Robert de Usflet John de Harewell William de Blythe Richard de Ravenser Robert de Prees/Prots John de Freton Richard de Medeford/Mitford John de Middleton Robert de Prees/Prots (again) James Dardani Ralph Selby John de Middleton (again) Thomas Langley Richard Dereham John Macworth Richard Dereham (again) Philip Morgan William Sponne John Hales Thomas Marke John Morton Oliver Dynham Christopher Urswick William Stillington Thomas Winter Stephen Gardiner William Newton
Early modern	Alexander Carew Matthew Carew Richard Stokes Francis Mason Thomas Muriell Writhlington White Robert White Philip Tenison Edward Reynolds Charles Trimnell Robert Cannon Thomas Tanner John Baron Samuel Salter Samuel Stedman Thomas Warburton John Oldershaw Philip Jennings William Bouverie
Late modern	Ralph Blakelock Henry Nevill William Pelham-Burn Sidney Pelham Charles Lisle Carr George MacDermott Augustus Buckland Arthur Moore Louis Baggott Eric Cordingly, Bishop suffragan of Thetford Peter Dawson Michael Handley David Hayden Steven Betts

v t e Archdeacons of Richmond, of Craven and of Richmond and Craven
High Medieval	Osbert de Bayeux Bartholomew Godfrey de Luci William de Chemillé Eustace Honorius of Kent Roger de Sancto Edmundo Honorius (again) Morgan Richard Marsh William Langton Walter de Woburn Robert Haget John le Romeyn the elder William Simon of Evesham Richard le Brun Thomas Passelew Geoffrey de Sancto Marco Henry of Newark Gerard de Vuippens
Late Medieval	Francesco Cardinal Caetani John Sandale Roger Northburgh Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord Robert Wodehouse John Gynwell Jean-Raymond Cardinal de Comminges Henry de Walton Humphrey de Cherleton John Bacon John Waltham Thomas Dalby (er) Stephen Scrope Nicholas Bubwith Stephen Scrope (again) Henry Bowet Thomas Kempe William Grey Lawrence Booth John Arundel John Booth John Sherwood Edward de la Pole John Blyth Christopher Urswick James Stanley Thomas Dalby (yr) Thomas Wynter William Knight
Early modern	John Bird John Horleston John Hansom John Horleston (again) Christopher Goodman Thomas Mallory Thomas Dod Henry Bridgeman Charles Bridgeman Henry Dove Thomas Lamplugh William Stratford Samuel Peploe Thomas Townson Thomas Breithweite George Bower John Owen Henry Law John Headlam Charles Dodgson
Late modern	Edwards Cust William Danks Armstrong Hall Arthur Watson Claude Thornton Donald Bartlett William MacPherson Harry Graham John Turnbull Paul Burbridge Norman McDermid Ken Good Janet Henderson Nicholas Henshall (Acting) Paul Slater (Acting)
Craven (1836–2014)	Charles Musgrave Vincent Ryan William Boyd Francis Kilner Lucas Cook James Howson Frederick Ackerley Thomas Williams Arthur Sephton Martin Kaye David Rogers Brian Smith Malcolm Grundy Paul Slater (became Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven)
Richmond and Craven	Paul Slater Simon Cowling (Acting) Bev Mason Jonathan Gough

v t e Archdeacons of Wilts
High Medieval	Azo Roger of Ramsbury Reginald Fitz Jocelin William Richard of Wilton Humphrey of Bassingbourn/de Bassingeburn William of Sainte-Mère-Église Richard Grosseteste William de Merston Stephen of Tisbury Roger of Buscot Nicholas of York Roger de la Grene Henry Brandeston Ralph of Leicester Ralph le Waleys of Brightwell William of Abingdon Richard de Sotwell
Late Medieval	Thomas of Savoy William de Chaddleshunt Gerald de Tilheto Iswin de Gandavo Robert de Baldock (senior) Robert de Ayleston Ralph de Querendon John de Whitchurch John Barne John Lineden John Silvestre/Codeford Nicholas Wykeham William Magot John Chitterne John Gaunstede John Symondesburgh John Chadworth Marinus Ursinus Vincent Clement Peter Courtenay Hugh Pavy Christopher Urswick Edward Finch John Pollard
Early modern	John Lawrence Giles Lawrence John Sprint Edmund Lilly Walter Benet Thomas Leche William Creed Thomas Henchman Seth Ward Robert Woodward Thomas Ward Cornelius Yate Thomas Rundle Henry Stebbing Charles Weston Richard Brickenden Arthur Coham William Douglas William Coxe William Macdonald
Late modern	Henry Drury Charles Harris Thomas Stanton Thomas Buchanan Frederic Wallis Eric Bodington Joseph Coulter Cecil Plaxton John Neale John Smith Barney Hopkinson John Wraw Ruth Worsley Sue Groom