John Payne (bishop of Meath)
John Payne, Bishop of Meath held that office from 1483 until his death in 1507; he was also Master of the Rolls in Ireland. He is best remembered for his part in the coronation of Lambert Simnel, pretender to the Crown of England, in 1487.
Early career
His early life is poorly documented, but it is known that he was born in Ireland,[1] probably in Dublin where the surname Payne has been common since about 1400. He joined the Dominican order, studied theology at Oxford and became a Doctor of Divinity. About 1475 he was appointed head of the English Province of the Dominican Order, and in 1483 Pope Sixtus IV appointed him Bishop of Meath.[2]
Lambert Simnel
In 1487, a priest named Richard Simon or Symonds appeared in Ireland with a young boy called Lambert Simnel, who, due to a striking physical resemblance, was passed off as Edward IV's nephew Edward, Earl of Warwick, whose claim to the throne as heir of the House of York was considerably stronger than that of the new Tudor dynasty. In fact the real Warwick was a prisoner in the Tower of London, where he remained until he was executed in 1499.
The traditionally Yorkist nobility of the Pale, headed by Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, agreed to recognise Simnel as King, in the hope of weakening English rule in Ireland. Payne was at that time a close friend of Kildare, and was said to be convinced of the truth of Simnel's claim.[3] On 24 May 1487 Simnel was crowned as King Edward VI at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin: there is some dispute as to which bishop performed the actual coronation, but it is known that Payne preached the sermon.[4]
When Simnel's cause was crushed at the Battle of Stoke Field, Payne was one of the first to sue for a royal pardon. Henry VII, who showed surprising clemency to the surviving rebels, including Simnel (who became a servant in the royal kitchen), readily granted it.[5]
During the later attempt to put another pretender, Perkin Warbeck, on the throne, Payne prudently remained passive, although he was required afterwards to enter a bond for good behaviour, suggesting that his loyalty was still questioned.
Later years
In 1489, Payne presided over a provincial council at Armagh, which attempted to settle a long-standong dispute between two rival claimants to be Bishop of Kilmore. In 1495, he attended the Synod of Drogheda, which dealt mainly with complaints by the mendicant orders that the secular orders were infringing their privileges. Payne issued a Pastoral Letter on foot of the Synod's deliberations.[6]
As the decade went on, he spent more time at the English Court, where he gained the trust of the King. His growing influence may have been the cause of his breach with the Earl of Kildare: it was said that they became as great enemies as they had once been friends. On one occasion they quarreled in front of the King, and Kildare accused the Bishop of immorality.[7] The King, a devout enough man, is said to have been highly amused, which suggests that the accusation was not taken seriously. In 1496 Payne was appointed Master of the Rolls;[8] it was said that the King wished him to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland, but Kildare was influential enough to block the appointment.
He died on 6 May 1507 and was buried in St. Saviour's Church, Dublin. He was remembered as a prelate noted for charity and hospitality.[9]
Portrayal
In the 1972 BBC mini-series The Shadow of the Tower he was played by Reginald Barratt.