ABSTRACT

The English Church in the late Middle Ages was, first and foremost, a part of Western Christendom, owing obedience to the Papacy. The jurisdiction exercised by archbishops and bishops was primarily limited by the geographical bounds of their dioceses, but there were a number of anomalous situations where a bishop might have powers over certain churches in other dioceses, which were called 'peculiars'. A number of parish churches in the city of London came directly under the archbishop of Canterbury, who also had jurisdiction over some parishes in the diocese of Chichester. The social backgrounds of the residentiary canons were as diverse as those of the men who became bishops. In the early Tudor period another high royal servant, Christopher Urswick, was very similar. The bulk of his preferment came in the latter half of Henry VII's reign, and he continued to hold numerous benefices until his death in 1522.