42 UNRECORDED DEANS OF WIMBORNE MINSTER. 



Five more Deans follow in Hutchins's list before we come to 

 Hugh Oldham, afterwards Bishop of Exeter, Co-founder of 

 Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and Founder of Manchester 

 Grammar School, &c., who, according to our local historian, 

 " succeeded " to this Deanery in 1485. 47 This date, as will 

 be seen below, is incorrect. Oldham was not presented to the 

 Deanery of Wimborne until 1499, and before him we have the 

 names of two more unrecorded Deans. 



The first of these was 



William Smyth, "clerk," who, on September 24th, 1485, 

 was " by the king's special favour, granted the Deanery of 

 the king's free chapel of Wymborne Mynster in co. Dorset." 48 

 Born about the year 1460, the fourth son of Robert Smyth, 

 of Peel House, Prescott, Lancashire, William was, accord- 

 ing to tradition, educated in the household of Margaret, 

 Countess of Richmond and Derby (first foundress of the 

 Grammar School at Wimborne Minster), the second wife 

 of Thomas Stanley, who was created Earl of Derby as 

 a reward for the help that he had given in the battle 

 of Bosworth. William Smyth, (king's) clerk, was made 

 clerk of the hanaper on September 20th, 1485 ; and four days 

 later was presented to the Deanery of Wimborne. Honours 

 and preferment came quickly to him. Two of the daughters 

 of King Edward IV. were entrusted to his keeping. He was 

 a member of the Royal Council. He obtained the livings of 

 Combe Martin, Devon, of Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and 

 of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, all of which were in the King's 

 gift ; and, in 1493, he was presented to the Deanery of St. 

 Stephen's, Westminster. Two years later, in 1493, he was 

 consecrated Bishop of Lichfield ; and in 1496 was trans- 

 lated to Lincoln. During the years 1500 to 1503 he was 

 Chancellor of the University of Oxford ; and, in 1507, con- 

 jointly with Sir Richard Sutton, he commenced the work of 

 founding a new College in Oxford, for which in 1512 a charter 



47. Hutchine' s Dorset, Vol. III., p. 

 48. P.R.O Duchy of Lancaster Misc. Books 21 fol. 194. 



