William Zouche

William Zouche
Archbishop of York
Elected	2 May 1340
Enthroned	unknown
Reign ended	19 July 1352
Predecessor	William Melton
Successor	John of Thoresby
Other posts	Dean of York
Orders
Consecration	7 July 1342 by Pope Clement VI
Personal details
Died	19 July 1352 Cawood Palace
Buried	York Minster

William Zouche or William de la Zouche, (died 19 July 1352 at Cawood Palace, North Yorkshire) was a medieval treasury official and Archbishop of York.

Zouche was a younger son of William, Lord Zouche of Haringworth, in Northamptonshire.

Zouche entered the treasury and was appointed Keeper of the Great Wardrobe in 1329 (until 1334).In 1335 he was named Lord Privy Seal, having already been controller of the (household) wardrobe from 1334 to 1335 and Dean of York.^[1] In 1337 he was given the position of Lord High Treasurer, which he held until March 1338, and then once more was Treasurer from December 1338 to May 1340.^[2]

Zouche was appointed Archdeacon of Barnstaple in 1329.^[3] On 12 July 1330, he was collated Archdeacon of Exeter.^[4]

Upon the death of Archbishop Melton of York, King Edward III wanted his secretary, William of Kildesby elected to the post. However, the canons of York elected Zouche, their Dean, on 2 May 1340.^[5] The king endeavoured to set aside the election, but without effect, and, after a delay of two years, Zouche was consecrated, at Avignon, by Pope Clement VI on 7 July 1342.^[5]

Zouche had been employed by Edward III before his elevation to the see, but had fallen into disfavour. He was not forgiven until the year 1346, when he was made a Warden of the Marches. In this capacity, he led one of the bodies of English troops which defeated the Scots at the Battle of Neville's Cross, close to Durham, on 18 October 1346. The King was extremely thankful and Archbishop Zouche was asked to continue his careful watch over the border.

While archbishop, the plague known as the Black Death hit England and his diocese, and Zouche had to take action in 1349 to ensure extra burial grounds were consecrated and get approval from the pope to ordain replacement clergy.^[6]

Zouche died on 19 July 1352^[5] at Cawood Palace and was buried before the altar of St. Edward in the nave of York Minster. He founded, and himself began the building of, a chantry adjoining south wall of the choir. This must have been taken down, when Thoresby's choir (wider than the old one) was built and no trace of it remains.

Citations

^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 94
^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 104
^ British History – Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541 – Archdeacons of Barnstaple
^ British History – Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541 – Archdeacons of Exeter
^ ^a ^b ^c Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 282
^ Raine Historical Letters and Papers from the Northern Registers pp. 401–402

References

Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
Raine, James (ed) (1873). Historical Letters and Papers from the Northern Registers.

Political offices
Preceded by Robert Tawton	Lord Privy Seal 1335–1337	Succeeded by Richard Bintworth
Preceded by Henry Burghersh	Lord High Treasurer 1337–1338	Succeeded by Robert Wodehouse
Preceded by Robert Wodehouse	Lord High Treasurer 1338–1340	Succeeded by Robert Sadington
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by William Melton	Archbishop of York 1342–1352	Succeeded by John of Thoresby

Bishops and Archbishops of York

Pre-Reformation Bishops	Paulinus · Chad · Wilfrid · Bosa · John of Beverley · Wilfrid II

Pre-Reformation Archbishops	Egbert · Æthelbert · Eanbald I · Eanbald II · Wulfsige · Wigmund · Wulfhere · Æthelbald · Hrotheweard · Wulfstan I · Oscytel · Edwald · Oswald · Ealdwulf · Wulfstan II · Ælfric Puttoc · Æthelric · Cynesige · Ealdred · Thomas of Bayeux · Gerard · Thomas II · Thurstan · William FitzHerbert · Henry Murdac · William FitzHerbert · Roger de Pont L'Évêque · Geoffrey Plantagenet · Simon Langton · Walter de Gray · Sewal de Bovil · Godfrey Ludham · William Langton · Bonaventure · Walter Giffard · William de Wickwane · John le Romeyn · Henry of Newark · Thomas of Corbridge · William Greenfield · William Melton · William Zouche · John of Thoresby · Alexander Neville · Thomas Arundel · Robert Waldby · Richard le Scrope · Thomas Langley · Robert Hallam · Henry Bowet · Philip Morgan · Richard Fleming · John Kemp · William Booth · George Neville · Lawrence Booth · Thomas Rotherham · Thomas Savage · Christopher Bainbridge · Thomas Wolsey

Post-Reformation Archbishops	Edward Lee · Robert Holgate · Nicholas Heath · Thomas Young · Edmund Grindal · Edwin Sandys · John Piers · Matthew Hutton · Tobias Matthew · George Montaigne · Samuel Harsnett · Richard Neile · John Williams · Accepted Frewen · Richard Sterne · John Dolben · Thomas Lamplugh · John Sharp · Sir William Dawes Bt · Lancelot Blackburne · Thomas Herring · Matthew Hutton · John Gilbert · Robert Hay Drummond · William Markham · Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt · Thomas Musgrave · Charles Longley · William Thomson · William Magee · William Maclagan · Cosmo Lang · William Temple · Cyril Garbett · Michael Ramsey · Donald Coggan · Stuart Blanch · John Habgood · David Hope · John Sentamu

Persondata
Name	Zouche, William
Alternative names	Zouche, William la
Short description	Archbishop of York
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	19 July 1352
Place of death	Cawood Palace

This article incorporates text from Handbook to the Cathedral's of England, Vol. 1, Part 2, by Richard John King, a publication from 1869 now in the public domain in the United States.