HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 296 



JOHN STAFFORD, a Franciscan friar of considerable celebrity, was 

 born here, as is generally supposed, towards the close of the four- 

 teenth century. He was, according to Fuller, " no contemptible 

 philosopher and divine." His principal work was a History of 

 England written in Latin. 



EDMUND STAFFORD, Chancellor of England in the reign of Henry 

 IV. was likewise a native of this town. He was brother to Ralph, first 

 Earl of Stafford, and consequently son of Edmund Baron Stafford. 

 Richard the Second preferred him to the bishopric of Exeter; and 

 Fuller informs us that some authors assert, he was likewise bishop of 

 Worcester, and ultimately archbishop of York. Godwin, however, 

 makes no mention of him as ever having held any other see but that 

 of Exeter, and his authority we are inclined to regard as decisive 

 of the question. This prelate was a great benefactor to Stapelton's 

 Inn, now Exeter college, in Oxford, having settled two fellowships 

 in it, and furnished liberal endowments for their support. 



Another distinguished character, a native of this town, was 

 THOMAS ASHEBURN, who lived in the fourteenth century. He was 

 educated chiefly at the university of Oxford, where he afterwards 

 obtained a fellowship, and entered into orders. Wickliffe met in 

 this divine a most vig'orous and active opponent to his new doc- 

 trines. Not contented with exerting all his talents and know- 

 ledge, in endeavouring to prove their falsity, he caused a convoca- 

 tion to be called at London, in the year 1382, where the writings 

 of the Reformer were solemnly condemned. 



THOMAS FITZHERBERT, a very ingenious and learned man, was 

 also born at or in the neighbourhood of Stafford, in 1552, and sent 

 to either Exeter or Lincoln college, in Oxford, in 1568. But having 

 been bred a Catholic, the college was uneasy to him; and though 

 he would now and then hear a sermon, which was permitted him 

 by an old Roman priest, who lived privately in Oxford, and to 

 whom he recurred for instruction in matters of religion, yet he 

 would seldom go to prayers, for which he was often admonished by 

 the sub-rector of the house. At length, seeming to be wearied 

 with the heresy of the times, as he called it, he receded without a 

 degree to his patrimony : where, also refusing to go to his parish 

 church, he was imprisoned about 1572; but being soon set at liber- 

 ty, he became still more zealous in his religion, maintaining pub- 

 licly that Catholics ought not to go to Protestant churches ; for 

 which, being likely to suffer, he withdrew, and lived obscurely with 



