Person:John Carpenter (123)

!This JOHN born about 1399 is listed in the AF as a second JOHN in this family and is known as JOHN the Senior or Elder. Raymond Carpenter, the genealogist, indicates that it was this John who was the "Elder Bishop of Worcester who died in 1476.

He is the JOHN CARPENTER that was appointed Chancellor of Oxford University in 1437 and made a Bishop of Worcester in 1444. This fits with his death in Worcester. See page 2 of the Carpenter Memorial which gives pacticulars regarding his life and where he was buried. IE "in his native village of Westbury upon Tryn near Bristol, where a plain altar-monument was erected to his memory, with a skeleton lying on the top." BIRTH: 4 May 1399 "Peterschurch",Hereford,Herefordshire,England.

!NOTE: Westbury on Trym is NOT almost halfway between Salisbury and Bristol near Trowbridge. Westbury on Trym is in the suburbs on Bristol just north of Redland in Bristol. You need a very detailed map to find it! Bristol used to be part of Somersetshire and is now referred to the county of Bristol. His will does not mention a wife or children.

John Carpenter, who was Bishop of Worcester, was was also tutor of Prince Henry, afterwards King Henry V, of England. He died in 1476 and was buried at Westbury on Trim, Gloucester, and his arms as used by the Hereford family were emblazoned on a glass window of the college and church as early as 1443, as he rebuilt the College and was a great benefactor to it.

!SEE: "THE CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL" By A. E. Douglas-Smith, 2nd Edition, 1965, Oxford. The City of London School for the Poor was endowed by this John's Uncle [there is no evidence for their exact relationship], who was the noted Town Clerk of London. On page two it reads "The third John Carpenter was Warden of St. Anthony's Hospital, Rector of St. Mary Magdalen, and later Bishop of Worcester. Our John Carpenter (the noted Town Clerk of London) evidently knew him well, and bequeathed to him 'that book on architecture which Master William Cleve gave me.' (Cleve was King's Chaplain and clerk of the works, and carried out building at the Palace of Westminister and the Tower.)

!A Coat of Arms is a common way of tracing lineage. The arms granted to Lord George Carpenter in 1719, as published in the account of his life (The Life and Times of Lord George . . .) were Pally of six, argent and gules on a chevron, azure, three cross crosslets, or. CREST, on a wreath a globe in a frame all or. Supporters, two horses, party-perfess, embattled argent and gules. MOTTO: "Per Actua Belli" (Through the Asperities of War). The same arms, less the supporters and motto, were used by the Herefordshire Carpenter family and were emblazoned in a glass window of the college and church at Westbury upon Tryn as early as 1443. They were placed there permanently by Bishop John Carpenter of Worcester, who was a native of Westbury and a great benefactor of the college, having rebuilt and refounded it. Bishop John Carpenter died in 1476 and was buried in the church, where a plain altar monument was errected to his memory. This church (in 1890) is the Holy Trinity of Bristol, and is described in Willi's Survey of Cathedrals, published in 1742. And in Atykn's and Rudder's History of Gloucester where there is a very interesting sketch of Bishop John Carpenter who was also known as "Master John Carpenter" mentioned in the will of the town clerk of London, John Carpenter, the younger.

!E-MAIL: Date: 10/12/98 From: [email protected] (Bruce Carpenter) John: Happened to be in the basement of my university and discovered a whole wall of books dealing with the history of England (Victoria histories Series) by district. Unfortunately the Herefordshire volumes were missing. However the Worcester and London volumes were there. The following is about John Bishop of Worcester: "In the chancel is the gravestone of a priest with a cross flory on a stepped calvary. On one side is a chalice and host and on the other a shield of the arms of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester (1446-76), paly azure and gules a chevron argent with three crosslets gules and a mitre or in the chief." Per Bruce Carpenter. MORE: SEE: Godwin, De Praesul. (1743), p. 467; Le Neve's Fasti Eccl. Angl. iii 61; Newcourt's Diocese of London, i. 285, 299, 471: Thomas Brewer's Life of John Carpenter, Townclerk of London. The John Carpenter who, according to Boase's Oxford Univ. register (i. 16) proceeded B.A. 28 Jan 1451-2, and M.A. 4 Dec. 1455, cannot be identical with the Bishop.

!E-MAIL: 18 Mar 2000 - from Bruce E. Carpenter: The following provides insight into Bishop John Carpenter's early activities. We can now add to our knowledge that he was the king's clerk prior to his appointment at St. Anthony's. From Patent Rolls, 1433, March 17. "Grant for life, by advice of the council, to Master John Carpenter, king's clerk, of the wardenship of the house or hospital of St. Anthony, London; he must within a year profess the regular order wont to be observed in the same. Mandate to the mayor of London to put him in possession." This sheds light on other documents that I have reviewed that mentioned crown money and a clerk, John Carpenter. Previously I had assumed any mention of `clerk' referred to John Carpenter, Town Clerk. The following from Patent Rolls, 1435, July 9, shed light on the Bishop John's role in lending funds to the crown. "Grant pursuant to an act of the last Parliament, that the men of Bristol, who have lent the king 200l. for the defense of the realm__..shall have repayment from all customs, subsidies, profits____The like to the following in respect of the following sums respectively.__.Master John Carpenter, master of St. Anthony's, London --------100 marks." It now seems clear to me that it was John Carpenter, who was later to be Bishop of Worcester, who was the major Carpenter bankroller of the crown at this juncture of time. In a previously reviewed document clerk John Carpenter, and others, turned over 2,000 marks to the crown. This may well have been Master John Carpenter, later Bishop of Worcester. Bruce Carpenter.

!E-MAIL: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 From: Bruce E. Carpenter <[email protected]> (NOTE I asked for more detail and Bruce replied with this message. JRC) Another book just in my possession is PEASANTS AND LANDLORDS IN LATER MEDIEVAL ENGLAND by Fryde, 1996. There is major material on Bishop John Carpenter within. The author tells us that, "He appears to have come from Westbury near Bristol and to have descended from a family of Episcopal tenants there." (p. 169) An entire chapter is dedicated to the Bishop's estates and his wool business. Directly connected to these estates is Chipping Camden where I discovered Richard Carpenter in the company of drapers, in the role of broker and agent. Here we are talking about the Cotswolds, the crucial wool producing region of England in the 1400s. Associated are the estates of the earls of Warwick and Richard Beauchamp who was directly associated with Bishop John Carpenter. The Warwick earls were also wool producers, finished cloth producers and even ship owners. This book may prove a crucial one for Carpenter history. The Carpenters must have been tenants of the Beauchamps as well. Cordially, Bruce Carpenter. ("must have" and similar are speculations. JRC)

!E-MAIL: The important book for Bishop Carpenter's estates is Dyer's Lords and Peasants in a Changing Society:The Estates of the Bishopric of Worcester, 680-1540, Cambridge, 1980. This I have not seen, but was the basis of the book I mentioned by E.B. Fryde, Peasants and Landlords, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1996, ISBN 0-86299-866-2. Chaper 11 is entirely taken up with Carpenter's estates. There is a mountain of unpublished material in England I didn't realize existed. Chapter 11 goes from p. 169-184 and is exclusively Carpenter connected. Other sections of the book deal with him also. The sentence about his ancestry is the only one. 'Appears' suggests Fryde, and probably Dyer before him, have no clear indication of his ancestry. In Carpenter history Bishop John is the major frustration. The Dyer book might be a help. Basically all the moveables of the estates were the personal property of the Bishop. The unmovables were church property. When the Bishop died the animals were disposed of and the next Bishop was free to make of the estates what he pleased. All manner of people were the tennants of the estates, from serf to gentleman, rich and poor. The Bishop was not much of a business man and spent much of his wealth on his projects like Westbury College. What is interesting in all this was the economic depression in the wool trade at this time. After the Bishop the Worcester episcopal estates give up sheep farming. These must have been hard days for the Carpenters and this explains the lack of really wealthy members of the family into the late 1400s. They seem to settle into small estates and no longer have a place in national affairs. This was partly politics with the demise of the House of Lancaster. There is a lot more to learn. Just the tip of the iceburg. BC

E-MAIL: From: "Terry Carpenter" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 7:12 PM Subject: Bishop (John) Carpenter's Arms at Oxford University Hello John, I hope all is well out your way. I was browsing some old works from England at the Library of Congress and came across the Visitations of the County of Oxford taken in 1566, 1574, and 1634, published in 1871, which describe the arms displayed in the buildings at the University in Oxford as recorded by the officials performing the visitations in those years. Previous reports, including works based on Harry F. Rogers' notes, state the arms of Bishop Richard (SHOULD BE JOHN) Carpenter were "Paly of six, argent and gules on a chevron, azure, three cross crosslets, or" -- six pales alternating silver and red, with a blue chevron bearing three gold cross-crosslets. The Visitations describe the arms of Bishop Richard (SHOULD BE JOHN) Carpenter as: "Paly of nine Gu. and Az. on a chevron Arg. surmounted by a mitre Or, three cross crosslets of the last [Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester]" -- nine pales alternating red and blue, with a silver chevron bearing three gold cross-crosslets. These Visitation arms are significantly different from what has been previously reported about the Bishop's arms. A paly of nine is three more pales than six, the pales are red and blue instead of silver and red, and the chevron is silver rather than blue -- generally similar to the ancient Carpenter arms, but significantly different. Do you know if anyone has recently viewed these arms? If not, someone should. The 1871 publication may be in error, but until someone verifies the description and attribution of the arms at the University, this raises a question about the assumption of direct descent of Bishop Richard Carpenter from the family that bore the more ancient arms. Best regards, Terry

E-MAIL: From: "Terry Carpenter" <[email protected]> To: "John R. Carpenter" <[email protected]>; "Tony Carpenter UK" <[email protected]>; "Tony Carpenter" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 7:06 AM Subject: Re: Bishop Carpenter's Arms at Oxford University (RE: Rev. Richard Carpenter b. abt 1468 d. 1503) Dear John, Tony, Mrs. Brown, In reading my original message to John, I realized that I mistakenly stated the arms at Oxford University were those of "Bishop Richard Carpenter" -- it should instead be "Bishop _John_ Carpenter". I confused John, Bishop of Worcester (c1411-c1476) and the Rev. Richard Carpenter (c1450s?-1503). My apologies! In the 1871 publication, the described arms are listed "In the Lyberarye of Baliall Coleg." Might they still be seen in the library of Baliol College? Regards, Terry Carpenter

E-MAIL: From: "Terry Carpenter" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 8:13 AM Subject: More on Bishop Carpenter John, The Westbury (UK) Harriers club have adapted Bishop John Carpenter's arms to use as their "crest", and have included an illustration of the arms on their web page: "The Westbury Harriers Crest -- Heraldically, our crest is described as "Paly of six gules and azure on a chevron argent three cross crosslet or; on the top of the chevron is a mitre wrought or." This was the crest of a native of Westbury-on-Trym, John Carpenter, D.D. who was Provost of Oriel College, Oxford 1428-1444 and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 1437. Bishop Carpenter, elected See of Worcester in 1448, conceived so great a regard for Westbury as to make the name part of his designation, enacting that himself and each successor should be styled Bishop of Worcester and Westbury. He enlarged and rebuilt the College, in College Road, surrounding it with a turreted and castellated wall and thereby adding to its castle-like appearance. The mitre and square on this crest can be seen to this day on the middle roof boss in the basement of the College Tower. Bishop Carpenter died at Westbury-on-Trym and is buried in the Chancel of the adjacent Collegiate Church, where his tomb is still to be seen." This web page with illustration is at: <http://members.aol.com/wharriers/web/WH_CrestDetails.html> A photo of the statue of Bishop John Carpenter at the church in Wesbury-On-Trym (note spelling Trym, not Tryn): "Westbury on Trym -- The Church -- Although the actual village was very small, the parish of Westbury on Trym was a large one, stretching from the Filton boundary over to Shirehampton, across the Downs and into Redland and Kingsdown. The Beating the Bounds ceremony in the 1770s took two days (but this did include stops for refreshments!). The city of Bristol expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries, so churches were built in the new suburbs and the parish size was reduced. Nothing remains visible of the earliest church buildings at Westbury. The first, dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and probably of wood, was built in the 8th century. Of the subsequent rebuildings the oldest work to be seen is from the early 13th century. Over two hundred years later Westbury Church gained status as a joint cathedral with Worcester, thanks to Bishop Carpenter, who seemed to be very fond of the place. He rededicated it to the Holy Trinity and various additions were made, including the chancel and St Oswald's chapel. When he died he was buried in the crypt under the High Altar. This statue of Bishop Carpenter stands in a niche on the west tower. The head has been restored." This web page with photo is at:

<http://www.about-bristol.co.uk/wot-01.asp>

I found these while searching for more about Bishop John and Rev. Richard from original sources. I'm trying to define them a little better in my notes - there is a lot of bogus information about them in various genealogical records. Regards, Terry

E-Mail: From: "Cynthia Stiles" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 6:38 AM Subject: Re: Bristol Information: Enquiry Hello John Nice to hear from you and apologies for the delayed reply due to a mixture of office move and Christmas).I live about 2 miles or so from Westbury on Trym, which became a suburb of Bristol in the 20th century, but still retains much of its village-like atmosphere. The church is now the parish church of Westbury on Trym and if you go to our sister site. About Bristol you can see and read about the church . http://www.about-bristol.co.uk (SEE: A) BELOW) There is a statue of Bishop Carpenter over the porch entrance doorway. The head is an early 20th century replacement, said to have been made by the gravedigger of that time who was an amateur sculptor, but the body part is much earlier. There is a memorial, but not the original. It stands between the high altar and St Oswald's chapel and is of Purbeck marble with a croizier sculpted on it. Round the side of the marble slab in raised brass letters is this Latin inscription,translated being 'Beneath, formerly was buried Lord John Carpenter, Doctor of Divinity, sometime Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Provost of Oriel College, Bishop of Worcester and of this church for 33 years, who died AD 1476. On account fo gratitude the Provost and Scholars of Oxford caused this memorial to be erected AD 1853' Beneath the canopy and just visible is a stone cadaver 'an emaciated skeleton in stone'. The original monument was on the south side of the altar with the stone cadaver below: as now, but apparently there is written evidence showing that a companion figure was placed above it on a carved slab showing Carpenter in full episcopal attire, as was a fashion at the time. This monument suffered desecration at the time of the Civil War, when in 1646 the church was smashed up by soldiers from the Bristol garrison and the body was removed and lost. In 1851 the small crypt chapel at the church was opened up and the stone cadaver found. This was incoporated with the new canopy as described above. I can certainly take a photo of it for you, but it may be a short while as I am going to visit my parents for a few days at the end of this week. John Carpenter enlarged the church and the size and fabric is virtually the same today, except of course that certain internal furnishings have been changed over the years. He also rebuilt Westbury College, a college of monks, also shown on the About Bristol site in the Westbury section. He styled himself Bishop of Worcester and Westbury. Bristol itself did not become a see until after the Reformation. The bishop resigned the see of Worcester shortly before his death which was in Northwick. He was then brough back to Westbury and buried in the small crypt chapel under the High Altar. Hope the above may be of some interest and can let you know a bit more if it will help. Regards (from a grey and wet Bristol) Cynthia Stiles for Bristol Information A) SEE ALSO THE FOLLOWING - USING A SEARCH OF THE WORD "WESTBURY" "*" INDICATES MENTION OF BISHOP JOHN CARPENTER - SOME INCLUDE PICTURES OF THE CHURCH. "&" INDICATES PICTURE OF HIS STATUE. About Bristol Search Results 4 results for "carpenter" Format: Section - Page (Matches) Famous People - Mary Carpenter (2) SEE RIN 25571 - daughter of Lant Carpenter. Montpelier - Beginnings (1) Westbury on Trym - Westberrye super Trim (1) * Westbury on Trym - The Church (3) * & SEE ALSO: Westbury on Trym - The Churchyard Westbury on Trym - The Village Westbury on Trym - How Things Changed Westbury on Trym - Pubs and Taverns Westbury on Trym - Cote

http://www.westbury-on-trym.freeserve.co.uk/history.htm#WoT1

THE GOLDEN AGE OF WESTBURY The golden age of Westbury Collegiate Church lies in the second half of the fifteenth century. In 1444 A.D. John Carpenter, who had been born at Westbury, and had become a distinguished Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, and Chancellor of the University, was appointed Bishop of Worcester. In an age of lawlessness and slackness John Carpenter was an energetic and diligent ruler of his diocese, a wise and capable administrator; an earnest sponsor of true religion, who became a saintly father-in-God. He was a man of deep friendships, and it was in partnership with Sampson and Canynge, successive Deans of Westbury, that he accomplished so much for Church and College.

Carpenter built the present chancel of three bays with its three-sided apse (there are only a few examples of this feature in England), the north chapel (now occupied by the organ), the extension westwards of the north aisle (now the choir vestry) and the fine, lofty, Perpendicular tower The church was rededicated in honour of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity together with the ancient dedication to the Apostles Peter and Paul and raised to the status of a cathedral, while the bishop styled himself "Bishop of Worcester and Westbury". This was not due merely to pride of birthplace nor because it rolled well off the tongue in emulation of "Bath and Wells". It gives an insight into Carpenter�us strategy to meet a pressing administrative need. By this time there had grown up on the banks of the Avon a city that ranked fourth in the kingdom, named Bristol, and it was on the southernmost edge of the Diocese of Worcester It was a city of many churches and religious houses and needed a bishop of its own. Carpenter did the next best thing; he established Westbury-on-Trym as a centre for episcopal administration. Hence the title "Worcester and Westbury" and the cathedral status for the church.

Meanwhile the College was reorganised and its foundation increased to a dean, a subdean, a treasurer, five canons, six chantry priests, a schoolmaster, twelve boy choristers and twelve almspeople. a magnificent new set of buildings was erected on the bank of the Trym, a hundred yards from the church, with gatehouse and turrets around a quadrangle (only the gatehouse and half of one side now remain in what is called College Road). When this was completed Dean Sampson (his brass can be seen in Tredington Church of which he became Rector) retired to make way for Carpenter�us other great friend, William Canynge. Canynge was a great merchant prince of Bristol, the rebuilder of Saint Mary Redcliffe, five times Mayor of Bristol and twice Member of Parliament, who at an advanced age was ordained to the priesthood in 1468 as a Canon of Westbury, and in the following year succeeded Sampson as Dean. He died in 1474 and was buried in Redcliffe Church. Bishop Carpenter lived for another two years and was laid to rest in the chapel he had made under the sanctuary of Westbury Church. SEE: MISC PICS - RIN 4678 Bishop John Carpenter COAs

THE END OF THE COLLEGE The Act for the surrender of the religious houses was passed by Parliament in 1539 and Westbury College was surrendered to King Henry VIII on February 8th, 1544. Meanwhile in 1542 the Diocese of Bristol had been founded. The Abbey of Saint Augustine, the present Cathedral, had been dissolved in 1539, and Priory of Saint James, the last of the religious houses in Bristol, early in the next year. How was it then that Westbury was allowed to survive so long? Tradition asserts that it was because Westbury was under consideration as a possible cathedral for the new Diocese, for it had, nearby in the College buildings, places of residence for a bishop and dean and canons. The lead had already been stripped from the roof of the nave of Saint Augustine�us, which was becoming ruinous, and it was only when the King ordered it to become the Cathedral of Bristol that the rest of it was saved. That being settled, Westbury College was granted to Sir Ralph Sadlier as a private residence and Westbury Church became simply a parish church with a vicar at a stipend of £10 a year. Giffard and Carpenter�us dream of a diocese for Bristol has been realised, but the glory of Westbury was departed for a season.

The magnificent College with its strong walls, tower, turrets and battlements survived but another century, for in 1643 Prince Rupert caused it to be burned down rather than it should fall into the hands of the Roundheads. All that remains of it today is the tower and the south-west corner with its turret and the walls on the bank of the Trym with another turret. About 1769 a fine Georgian house was built alongside the remaining wing of the mediaeval College set in a spacious garden stretching from the present Church Road to Trym Road, the residence of the Hobhouse family. In 1871 the two acres of garden were sold for building and College Road came Into being. The Georgian house became a Boys�u School for a time and an upholstery works before being destroyed by fire. The property is now owned by the National Trust.

BRIEF HISTORICAL OUTLINE 1444

Bishop Carpenter.. .probably trained at Westbury...became Bishop of Worcester and took a keen interest in Westbury. He rebuilt the College on the same site and rebuilt the Chancel and Choir of the Church as they now stand (1455). He raised Westbury to Cathedral rank to meet the growing needs of Bristol Died in 1476, and was buried at Westbury.

See also the following web page for a picture of the Westbury Parish Church: http://www.westbury-on-trym.freeserve.co.uk/

See the following web page for a Church tour: http://www.westbury-on-trym.freeserve.co.uk/tour_of_westbury.htm Sadly the pictures do not show anything having to do with Bishop John Carpenter

http://www.westbury-on-trym.freeserve.co.uk/newvicar.htm CHURCH BUILDINGS THE CHURCH Westbury is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the Bristol area. Although Westbury is now firmly part of Bristol, the feeling of a village has survived and locals still talk of "The Village", and the community feeling is arguably stronger than in any other neighbourhood in Bristol. The first church, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was built in A.D. 717 by a Saxon landowner. It was destroyed and rebuilt in A.D 962 by Oswald, Bishop of Worcester. The main part of the church dates from the early 13th century. During the episcopate of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester in the mid-15th century, this church was briefly made a joint cathedral with Worcester. He re-dedicated the church to the Holy Trinity, and added the chancel and Saint Oswald�us chapel.

THE COLLEGE Westbury Church existed as a collegiate foundation from at least 1194 and the building, known as Westbury College in College Road, dates from the 15th century. This was the work of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester, who in 1455, re-established and extended the collegiate foundation.

SEE: Web Page at: http://web.balliol.ox.ac.uk/ Balliol College UNIVERSITY of OXFORD Founded 1263 Andrew Graham Master Balliol College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ, UK Library web page: http://web.balliol.ox.ac.uk/history/library/index.asp

E-MAIL: From: "Catherine Willbery" <[email protected]> To: "John R. Carpenter" <[email protected]> Cc: "John Jones" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 3:25 AM Subject: Carpenter Arms My colleague Adam Middleton has taken what seems to me to be a rather good digital photograph of the relevant panel: it is attached. As I mentioned earlier, the border on the shield is an irrelevant collection of miscellaneous ancient fragments. I hope this photograph will serve your purpose. By all means make any use of it you like. With best wishes, Yours sincerely John Jones SEE: MISC PICS RIN 4678 Paly of 9 COAs.jpg

E-MAIL: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Carpenter" <[email protected]> To: "John R. Carpenter" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2003 5:36 AM Subject: Re: Carpenter Arms

Dear John
(1) The Paly of 9....
I feel that there is a problem with this description of the Carpenters arms.
There are guide lines [or rules] laid down in heraldic art which are normally used
You do not place a metal upon a metal - Chevron Silver, bearing three Gold cross crosslets.
You do not place a colour upon a colour- Blue upon a Red field.
 I would agree that the colours and metals of the arms described in the
visitation are correct but somewhere along the line they have been placed in
the wrong areas of the arms. Possibly human error crept in as most of the
artists were unable to read or write so had to rely on less than accurate
sources of information to carry out a commission - no computer images in
those days!
 The Paly of 9 how could this have been counted. Thus.
 I think over the period of 1443-1556 something may well have been lost in
the description.
 (2) Paly of 6.
 incorrect
 But you could consider that The Crusading Banner that has been described
earlier by me Was 3 cross crosslets Red on a White Field (silver) used for this chevron.
 Westbury Harriers Crest (arms)? It would be difficult to accept as a Crest,
and should be described as a Badge. Again we have metal upon metal. Artistic licence
again. Possibly a loose interpretation for simplicity and visual impact.
  The fresco has some interest. It shows in the background buildings which I
do not believe are English. Norman French Abbey [possibly Fontainebleau] and
Byzantine architecture springs to mind. In the foreground, these could be an
early form of Fleurs-de-lis. What story is this Fresco telling us?
 It is my opinion that the Westbury on Trym arms are correct.
 The Carpenter arms shown in windows of Kiplin hall go back to the Earl of
Warwick, are these a true history of our arms. Fay has a copy of these which
I sent to her last year.
 Notes:- By my late Brother Alex on his visit to the "WESTBURY ON TRYM Parish
Church and COLLEGE. Copy of the information framed at the entrance of the
Church and containing the History of the Vicars etc.
 JOHN CARPENTER D.D., (Probably a native of Westbury.)
 Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. 1428-35. Chancellor of Oxford University
1437-43. Bishop of Worcester 1447-76. Refounded and rebuilt Westbury
College, enlarged the Church and styled himself "Bishop of Worcester and
Westbury". The old style was again adopted in 1476.
 On this foundation were :-The Dean,- Sub Dean,- Treasurer ,- Five Canons,- A
Chaplain, Schoolmaster, - twelve Choristers Boys,- Eight Fellows,- Six aged
Chantry Priests,- Six poor Almsmen, - Six poor Almswomen, The Foundation
retained the same until 1544 when it was surrendered to Henry VIII. 1853.- '
Bishop Carpenters Monument",
 (In the Chancel of the Parish Church and directly over the Sepulchre in the
little Chapel beneath the Chancel.)
 The Monument was restored and beautified by the Provost and Scholars of
ORIEL COLLEGE Oxford
 It had been desecrated and partially destroyed at the time of the
Commonwealth in the 17th. cent.
 The following inscription was placed around the edge of the Marble slab on
the top of the Tomb
 " + BENEATH FORMERLY HAS BURIED LORD JOHN CARPENTER, DOCTOR OF DIVINITY,  SOMETIME CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD PROVOST OF ORIEL COLLEGE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER AND OF THIS CHURCH 33 YEARS. HE DIED IN 1476. +
 On account of gratitude the Provost and Scholars of Oriel caused this Monument to be
erected 1853 . end
 I will try to find where the visitations you mention are kept and will endeavour to obtain copies.
 Regards  Tony.

SEE: MISC PICS: Paly of 6 ...

E-MAIL: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cynthia Stiles" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 9:55 AM Subject: Re: Bristol Information: Enquiry - Carpenter Hello John The photos can be accessed as below. The first photo shows the position of the tomb in the church and you can see why it is difficult to access it easily, being behind the altar rails and almost up against the two columns.The coats of arms are on the ends. The second photo shows the two on the front end, but, to my shame, it is not at all good because the lens could not cope with being so close to the subject, (I needed a wide angle apparently) and this was the only way I could get it with the lens I had, because of the position of the column in front.. The coat of arms of Bishop Carpenter is stated as "Paly of six gules and azure on a chevron argent three cross crosslet or; on the top of the chevron is a mitre wrought or", which would be the right hand one. The third is more of a closeup to show the 'cadaver' statue inside. I did take several photos but they are very similar because the position of the tomb does not allow for much variation in where you can stand to photograph it. http://bristolinformation.co.uk/files/brispics/tomb-carpenter-24285-26.jpg http://bristolinformation.co.uk/files/brispics/tomb-carpenter-24285-25.jpg http://bristolinformation.co.uk/files/brispics/tomb-carpenter-24285-27.jpg I'll see if I can get a wide angle shot for you. Regards Cynthia As to coats of arms, there were only two small shields that could be seen on the end of the tomb (behind the pillar), one of which contained three leopards (lions) and the other a bishop's mitre over a chevron.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Stephen, Leslie, ed, and Sidney, ed Lee. Dictionary of National Biography. (London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900)
   3:1065.

   'CARPENTER, JOHN (d. 1476), bishop of Worcester, born probably at Westbury-on-Trym, Gloucestershire, ...'
   'He retired to Northwick, and died there in 1476. He was buried, as he had directed, in Westbury Church.'
   'Carpenter was the intimate friend, and was probably the kinsman, of John Carpenter, town clerk of London, who bequeathed to him several books on his death in 1441.'