Henry Cliffe (cleric)

Henry Cliffe (also Henry de Cliffe or Henry de Clyffe ) (* around 1280, † 1334 ) was an English clergyman and civil servant.

Origin, studies and advancement as a civil servant

Henry Cliffe was probably born in Cliffe near Selby in Yorkshire . He presumably studied at Oxford University and received a Master of Arts degree before 1307 . Cliffe served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Winchester between 1316 and 1319 , but most of all he served as an official in the Royal Chancellery. During the occasional absence of the royal chancellor , he served as Keeper of the Great Seal between 1318 and December 12, 1324 . He accepted petitions during Parliament in York in October 1318 . He announced the answers to these questions during Parliament in Westminster in 1320. As representative of the dean and the cathedral chapter of York Minster , he himself participated in five parliaments between 1324 and 1332. From April to July 1325 he served as Keeper of the Privy Seal , after which he was appointed Keeper of the Chancery Rolls . After King Edward II was overthrown by Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabelle , they briefly appointed him Keeper of the Great Seal in the autumn of 1326, until he handed over the Great Seal to William Airmyn on November 30th . During the fall of the government, Cliffe took over the looted deeds and rolls of the royal chancellery as Keeper of the Chancery Rolls in Hereford . As a clergyman, he was allowed to belong to Queen Philippa's household from 1329 . On January 8, 1333 he was replaced as Keeper of the Chancery Rolls.

Spiritual offices

As a reward for his services, Cliffe received numerous benefits . As early as 1307 he was rector of Collingtree in Northamptonshire . Between 1317 and 1319 he was Dean of Tamworth , in addition he was canon at York Minster and at the cathedrals of Salisbury , Wells and Chichester . In Chichester he rose to treasurer of the cathedral chapter before 1333. Due to his activity in the royal chancellery, he was represented in his clerical offices by deputies, but kept the income. Despite his numerous benefices , he was never ordained a priest, but had only received minor ordinations .

In 1329 Cliffe testified to the donation of a house called La Oriole to a college in Oxford, which was named Oriel College after this house . His exact date of death is unknown, his will was opened in 1334. In this he left small amounts of money to various monasteries and religious establishments. The nun Alice de Clyffe , who is probably related to him, also received a small donation . He bequeathed most of his property to his brother John , his wife Emma and their children. He then asked to be buried in the Augustinian Priory of Drax near Cliffe.

Web links

• JA Hamilton, Roy Martin Haines: Cliffe [Clyffe], Henry (c. 1280-1334). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

predecessor	Office	successor
William Airmyn	Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1325	William Herlaston
Richard Airmyn	Keeper of the Chancery Rolls 1325-1333	Michael Wrath