John Incent
John Incent | |
|---|---|
 Sign on the Berkhamsted house depicting John Incent | |
| Born | c. 1480 |
| Died | 1545 Berkhamsted |
| Other names | John Innocent |
| Education | University of Cambridge(1500); B.C.L.All Souls College, Oxford(1506); D.C.L. 1513 |
| Parent(s) | Robert and Katherine Incent |
| Church | Church of England |
| Ordained | 1513 |
Congregations served | Several in theDiocese of Winchester |
Offices held | PrebendaryofSt Paul'sLondon], 1519-4; Canon residentiary, 1534; Master ofHoly Cross Hospital, Winchester,1537; Dean of St Paul's London, 1540-5; Adm. atGray's Inn,1542 |
John Incent(c. 1480– 1545)[1]was anEnglishclergyman in the early 16th century, during the early years of theEnglish Reformation.Originating from the town ofBerkhamstedin Hertfordshire, he studied at theUniversity of Cambridgeand later atAll Souls College, Oxford,[2]and served asDeanofSt Paul's Cathedralin London between 1540 and 1545.
Incent is noted for being one of the agents of the Lord ChancellorThomas Cromwell,responsible for thesequestrationof religious properties during theDissolution of the Monasteries[1]and as the founder ofBerkhamsted School.[3]His home in Berkhamsted, built in 1500, remains in use to the present day, situated on the High Street facingSt Peter's Church.[3]
Early life[edit]
John Incent was born in Berkhamsted around 1480 and was the son of Katherine and Robert Incent. Robert was the Secretary toCicely, Duchess of York,the last royal resident atBerkhamsted Castle,wife of theDuke of Yorkand mother of two Kings of England:Edward IVandRichard III.[4]The standing of the Incent family in the town is marked by two brass memorials to Robert and Katherine in St John's Chapel inSt Peter's Church.According to the inscriptions, Robert died in 1485 of theGreat Sweating Sickness:[5]
Here lyeth buryed and thys stone the body of Robert Incent Gentylman late suant to the nobel pryncess Cecyle duchesse of Yorke & mother unto the worthy kyng Edward and Richard the thyrde whych sayd Robert dyed of the grete swetyng sykeness the first yere of the reygne of kyng Henry the vii upon whose sowlys Jhu have mercy Amen.
Here lyeth buryed und(er) thys stone the bodye of Kateryn sumtyme wife of Robert Incent,Vgent father and mother unto John Incent docto(r) of ye lawe who hath done many benyfyt & ornament given unto thys chapel of Saynt John whyche sayd Kateryn dyed the XII day of Marche ye xii yere of the reygne of kyng Henry the viii.
Education and career[edit]
At the age of 20, Incent studiedcivil lawfor one year atCambridge University,continuing his studies atAll Souls College, Oxfordand graduating as aBachelor of Common Law.In 1509 he was appointed as an ecclesiastical lawyer in theChancellor's Court.Richard Foxe,Bishop of Winchesterand theLord Privy Seal,appointed Incent in 1512 Commissary and President of the EpiscopalConsistoryin the Winchester diocese. Incent became aDoctor of Civil Lawin 1513, and in the same year he was ordained as apriestin theChurch of England.[6]
Incent's career continued to flourish: he took charge of several parishes around Winchester; became master of theHospital of St Crossin Winchester and the Hospital ofDomus Deiin Portsmouth; and he acquired aprebendal stallin St Paul's Cathedral. Upon Bishop Foxe's death in 1529,Cardinal Wolseybecame Bishop of Winchester and Incent soon became Chaplain toKing Henry VIII,serving during the turbulent period of Henry's divorce fromCatherine of Aragon.Following thebreak with Rome,Incent, like many other clergy, renouncedRoman Catholicism.[6]
Incent's loyalty to the king was evident; he was a faithful supporter of the king's chief minister,Thomas Cromwell,who was a leader of theDissolution of the Monasteries,and probably played an active part in the destruction of religious houses. In 1540 he turned the Domus Dei Hospital over to the Crown for use as anarsenalin the coastal defences againstFrance.Incent's devotion was rewarded when he was appointed by the king asDean of St Paul's Cathedral.Cromwell, meanwhile had fallen into disfavour with the king and he was executed that same year.[6]
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St Paul's Cathedralas it appeared in Incent's day (illustration c.1670) -
Incent was Chaplain to Henry VIII from 1529 -
Thomas Cromwell
Foundation of Berkhamsted School[edit]
It was common at this time for high-ranking clergy to make their mark by founding schools. Incent was master of the Brotherhood of St John the Baptist in Berkhamsted, a monastic hospital which Incent himself had closed down. In 1523 he appropriated the brotherhood's lands and joined it to his own land, donating it for the creation of a school. In 1541 he obtained aRoyal Charterfor"one chauntry perpetual and schools for boys not exceeding 144 to be called Dean Incent's Free School in Berkhamstedde".[6]Records of the time state that Incent"builded with all speed a fair schoole lartge and great all of brick very sumptuously.".It was completed in 1544;"when ye said school was thus finished, ye Deane sent for ye cheafe men of ye towne into ye school where he kneeling gave thanks to Almighty God".[7]The school had no chapel of its own; for over 300 years the St John's Chantry in neighbouring St Peter's Church was used exclusively by the masters and boys of the school for worship, until a new school chapel was built in 1894 by Charles Henry Rew, based on the design of the church of theSanta Maria dei Miracoli, Venice.
Incent died some 18 months after his school opened, but it remains today as a lasting legacy of his more constructive activities. The founder diedintestateand there were legal arguments originating from"Evill Persons"who claimed a financial interest in his estate. To protect the school from subsequent challenges of this nature, school was incorporated by anAct of ParliamentasThe Free Schole of King Edwarde the Sixte in Berkhampstedde,making the Master and the Usher intotrusteesof the school property and making the Warden of All Soul's, Oxford theVisitor.The school received acommon sealbearing Incent'scoat of armsof crossed swords on a blue shield.
Dean Incent's House[edit]
Dean Incent's Housestands on Berkhamsted High Street and is a two-storeyGrade II* listed building.
References[edit]
- ^abBirtchnell, Percy (1988).A Short History of Berkhamsted.The Book Stack.
- ^"Incent, John (INCT506J)".A Cambridge Alumni Database.University of Cambridge.
- ^abJohn Cook (2000),A Glimpse of Our History: A Short Guide Around Berkhamsted,Berkhamsted Heritage Walk leaflet, Berkhamsted Town Council.
- ^"Places of Historical Interest – Dean Incent's House".Dacorum Borough Council.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved10 December2010.
- ^"Inscriptions in St Peter's Berkhamsted".Church of St Peter Great Berkhamsted.Archivedfrom the original on 16 November 2017.Retrieved16 November2017.
- ^abcdLea, Christine (June 2011)."Dr John Incent, Dean of St Paul's 1540–45"(PDF).Your Berkhamsted.p. 12.Archived(PDF)from the original on 16 November 2017.Retrieved16 November2017.
- ^Birtchnell 1988,p. 30.
External links[edit]
Pearce, David (13 January 2014)."Dean John Incent or Innocent GPF?".English Catholic History Association(audio). Archived fromthe originalon 16 November 2017.Retrieved16 November2017.
