Peter Lacy

St Botolph's Church in Northfleet where Lacy was buried

Peter Lacy (* around 1310; † October 18, 1375 ) was an English clergyman who served as the king's lord seal keeper from 1367 to 1371 .

Rise in the service of the Black Prince

Peter Lacy is first mentioned in 1337 in the service of the heir to the throne Edward of Woodstock , when he had just been raised to the Duke of Cornwall . Before 1339 he was pastor of Whitsone , Cornwall , and he appeared to have had another pastorate in Rendlesham , Suffolk . In 1343 he was mentioned in Suffolk together with Nicholas Lacy , a parish priest of Chelmondiston , who was probably related to him .

Before 1341 he had become an official in the service of William Hoo, the cloakroom administrator for Edward of Woodstock. In the service of the heir to the throne, he traveled to Cornwall from 1344 to 1345. On November 12, 1346 he was supposed to send the income from the prince's possessions to France, where he was part of the campaign of his father, King Edward III. participated. He was on December 20, 1346 as the successor to the dismissed John Pirye Receiver General (administrator) of the extensive estates of the heir to the throne in Wales , Chester , Cornwall and other parts of England. Until 1371 he held the office of Receiver General, in addition he was administrator of the prince's cloakroom. Although he was actually only the administrator of the land, he apparently also took over the office of treasurer. He was probably also responsible for the irresponsible generosity of the prince, which ultimately led to the creation of legends about the so-called Black Prince . Lacy was rewarded very modestly for his services. He became a representative of the parish of Northfleet in Kent in 1356 until he took over the parish before 1363. As a result, he had an annual income of around 100 marks, and he had two benefices in Wolverhampton and Bisley .

Lord Seal Keeper of the King

As the successor to William of Wykeham , of the Lord Chancellor had risen and Lacy obviously promoted, Lacy was born on October 27, 1367 Lord Privy Seal . For this office he received a benefice in Lichfield , for which he had to give up his two benefices in Wolverhampton and Bisley, in addition he received a benefice in Dublin in 1368 . From June 3, 1369 he also carried the seal that Edward III. led as King of France. In this function he attested to numerous royal documents, in addition he remained administrator of the lands of the heir to the throne. Due to pressure from parliament , Lacy was replaced as Lord Seal Keeper in March 1371. On March 24, 1371, his sponsor Wykeham had to resign from his position as Lord Chancellor. However, Lacy continued his office as administrator until December 1371 or January 1372.

Next life

After his resignation, Lacy remained a priest in Northfleet until his death. In his will he expanded a Black Prince Foundation in Canterbury. He was buried in St Botolph's Church in Northfleet, where his bream has been preserved. The stone canopy that was above his grave is in the British Museum .

Web links

• John L. Leland: Lacy, Peter (c.1310-1375). 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 of Wykeham	Lord Seal Keeper 1367–1371	Nicholas Carew