Walter de Thornbury

Walter de Thornbury (died 1313) was an English-born statesman and cleric in 14th century Ireland who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His efforts to secure confirmation of his election as Archbishop of Dublin were cut short by his death in a shipwreck.

Biography

Walter de Thornbury was born in Herefordshire, where he later owned the manor of Wolferlow. He was closely associated with the Mortimer family: he was an executor of the will of Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer,^[1] and was appointed guardian to his son Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March.^[2] Given Roger's later role as the usurper, and probably the killer of King Edward II, it is perhaps ironic that Walter owed his rise largely to his friendship with the King's favourite Piers Gaveston, who was Roger's co-guardian.^[3] He was much at King Edward's Court in the years 1305-6.^[4]

A distant view of Wolferlow Church- the manor of Wolferlow was granted to Walter c.1300

He was sent to Ireland as Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland in 1308 and became Lord Chancellor of Ireland the following year, on Piers Gaveston's recommendation.^[5] He was deputy Treasurer of Ireland in 1311, and Treasurer and Chanter of St. Patrick's Cathedral. He accompanied Gaveston on his largely successful campaign to restore the Crown's authority in Leinster in 1309, in which he defeated the O'Byrne clan of County Wicklow and restored order in the neighbourhood of Glendalough.^[6] The downfall and execution of his patron Piers Gaveston in June 1312 does not seem to have injured Thornbury's career.

In 1313 he was one of two candidates for the Archbishopric of Dublin, the other being Alexander de Bicknor. Thornbury, quicker off the mark than his rival, set out for Avignon to secure Papal confirmation of his election; the ship sank in a storm with the loss of all lives on board : the dead were said to number 150.^[7]

References