The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

¶Cuthbert Tunstall was translated from London to Durham, Fr. Thin. Description and commen|dation of bi|shop Tunstall. after the death of cardinall Wolseie, of whome (besides that which Holinshed in this booke reporteth) I will saie a little, he being so reuerend a prelat; as the managing of the princes affaires by him dooth well witnesse, and this present age can yet well remember. This man (being of a mild condi|tion) was borne at Hachaford in Richmondshire, and (as Leland hath left in writing that he heard) the base sonne of one Tunstall an ancient gentleman: whose ancestors (as I haue read) came into England with the conquerour, attending on him as his bar|bar, for which cause he beareth in his armes thrée combes as a note to posteritie of the originall of his gentrie.The armes of Tunstall. Which bishop although he is supposed to haue béene base borne (as manie noble capteins and other the valiant persons of the world haue béene, whereof six hundred examples as hath the prouerbe might be produced) yet was he not base in lerning, eloquence, grauitie, and honorable calling both in spirituall & temporall affaires: both in seruice of the prince and in charge of his church. For (besides manie other of|fices that he exercised) he was maister of the rols: sundrie time ambassador to forreine princes, bishop of London, and from thence (by vertue of Clement the seuenth his bulles to K. Henrie the eight in the yeare 1530,Tunstall bare office. the fiue & twentith of March) aduanced to the sée of Durham, and (by the kings letters) elec|ted therevnto the yeare before said. In the which function he behaued himselfe, as the worthinesse of the estate required, and as the doctrine of the church in those daies would permit; of which I meane not to intreat, neither of his fall or rising: but will onlie meddle with méere temporall accidents, as one that hath not béene accustomed to die his pen in the bloud of mens consciences, nor in the opinions of religion.

Wherefore to omit all such things, I saie of this bishop, that he was a man singularlie learned (& as Caius tearmeth him Litera [...]issimus) in the Hebrue, Gréeke, and Latine toongs; and did not onelie erect sumptuous buildings for the mind and inward man (in furnishing when he was bishop of London a li|brarie EEBO page image 1186 in Cambridge, with manie notable both writ|ten and printed bookes: compiling also manie other bookes, aswell of diuinitie as of other sciences, wher|of at this daie his arithm [...]tike is of great estimati|on through Europe) but did also for the flesh & out|ward man build from the ground a most beautifull porch or gatehouse (with a chapell annexed therevn|to) of faire stone in the castell of Durham,Buildings founded by Tunstall, &c. withall adding vnto the said castell certeine gates with iron bars and portcullices supported with strong walles of stone on each part for the more strength against the enimie: not forgetting to make a water-con|duit for the ease of washing (and to serue the other of|fices in the house) on the left side of the entrance in|to the said castell. To which these sumptuous déeds (for they are verie heroicall) may be added the gate|house built at Alnewike, and the tolboth in the mar|ket of Durham all of stone, with the rest of the hou|ses of office next vnto the hinder part of the said tolboth, which afterward (with other great liberali|ties) he gaue to the citizens of Durham.

Lastlie (at his owne charge) he new repared with stoneworke the third part of Tinbridge, which his predecessour Thomas Langleie recouered against the manor of Newcastell: and which, others his pre|decessors (as occasion was offered therefore) did from time to time most statelie repare. In the end about the latter reigne of Edward the sixt (being by Kinian or Ninian, Menuile or Menille, accu|sed,Tunstall de|priued from his bishop|rike. for that he somewhat fauoured the Romane reli|gion, and was not so forward in furthering of the gospell as that time required) he was for that cause depriued from his bishoprike, from all other eccle|siasticall gouernment, and committed to the tower: where he remained all the time of K. Edward. After|ward (by the benefit of quéene Marie) in the first yeare of hir reigne, he was reinuested into his sée of Durham, which he possessed all the time of hir gouernement:Tunstall re|stored. during which he was not so seuere an executor of the Romane canons against the pro|testants, as the other bishops of England were.

Previous | Next