John Incent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Incent |
|
 Sign on the Berkhamsted house depicting John Incent |
|
| Born | c. 1480 in Berkhamsted, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 1545 in Berkhamsted |
| Church | Church of England |
| Other names | John Innocent |
| Education | University of Cambridge (1500); B.C.L. All Souls College, Oxford (1506); D.C.L. 1513 |
| Ordained | 1513 |
| Congregations served | Several in the Diocese of Winchester |
| Offices held | Prebendary of St Paul's London], 1519-4; Canon residentiary, 1534; Master of Holy Cross Hospital, Winchester, 1537; Dean of St Paul's London, 1540-5; Adm. at Gray's Inn, 1542 |
| Parents | Robert and Katherine Incent |
John Incent (around 1480 – 1545) was an important church leader in England during the early 1500s. This was a time of big changes for the church, known as the English Reformation. John Incent was born in Berkhamsted, England. He studied at the University of Cambridge and All Souls College, Oxford. Later, he became the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London from 1540 to 1545.
John Incent is known for two main things. First, he helped Thomas Cromwell, a powerful minister to the King. Incent helped to take over church properties when many monasteries were closed down. Second, he founded Berkhamsted School. His old home in Berkhamsted, built in 1500, is still used today. It stands on the High Street, across from St Peter's Church.
Early life
John Incent was born in Berkhamsted around 1480. His parents were Katherine and Robert Incent. Robert Incent worked for Cecily, Duchess of York. She was a royal who lived at Berkhamsted Castle. She was also the mother of two English Kings, Edward IV and Richard III.
The Incent family was well-known in Berkhamsted. There are two special brass plaques in St Peter's Church that remember Robert and Katherine. The plaques say that Robert died in 1485 from a serious illness called the Great Sweating Sickness. Katherine died in 1520.
Education and career
When John Incent was about 20 years old, he began studying civil law at Cambridge University. He then continued his studies at All Souls College, Oxford. He earned a degree in law there. In 1509, he became a church lawyer in the Chancellor's Court.
In 1512, Richard Foxe, who was the Bishop of Winchester, gave Incent an important job. He made Incent a special judge in the Winchester church area. Incent became a Doctor of Civil Law in 1513. In the same year, he became a priest in the Church of England.
John Incent's career grew steadily. He took charge of several churches near Winchester. He also became the head of the Hospital of St Cross in Winchester and another hospital in Portsmouth. He gained a special position at St Paul's Cathedral.
After Bishop Foxe died in 1529, Cardinal Wolsey became the new Bishop of Winchester. Incent soon became a chaplain to King Henry VIII. This was a difficult time because King Henry VIII wanted to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. When England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, Incent, like many other church leaders, supported the King.
Incent was very loyal to the King. He also strongly supported Thomas Cromwell, the King's main minister. Cromwell was leading the effort to close down many monasteries. Incent likely helped in this process. In 1540, he gave the Domus Dei Hospital to the King. It was then used as a place to store weapons for England's defense against France.
Because of his loyalty, King Henry VIII made Incent the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral. Sadly, Cromwell lost the King's favor and was removed from his position that same year.
-
St Paul's Cathedral when Incent was Dean (illustration from around 1670)
-
Incent was a chaplain to King Henry VIII from 1529
-
Thomas Cromwell
Foundation of Berkhamsted School
During this time, it was common for important church leaders to start schools. John Incent was the head of a religious group in Berkhamsted called the Brotherhood of St John the Baptist. Incent himself had closed this group down. In 1523, he took the Brotherhood's land and added it to his own. He then gave this land to create a school.
In 1541, he received a special permission from the King, called a Royal Charter. This charter allowed him to create "one perpetual school for boys not exceeding 144 to be called Dean Incent's Free School in Berkhamstedde." Records from that time say that Incent "built with all speed a fair school, large and great, all of brick, very grandly."
The school was finished in 1544. When it was done, the Dean invited the town's main leaders to the school. He knelt and thanked God. The school did not have its own chapel. For over 300 years, the St John's Chantry in the nearby St Peter's Church was used only by the school's teachers and boys for worship. A new school chapel was built in 1894.
Incent died about 18 months after his school opened. But the school remains today as a lasting reminder of his good work. Incent died without leaving a will. This led to some legal problems from people who wanted money from his estate. To protect the school from future challenges, a special Act of Parliament was passed. This act officially made the school "The Free Schole of King Edwarde the Sixte in Berkhampstedde." It made the head teacher and assistant teachers the trustees of the school's property. The Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, became the school's overseer. The school also received a special seal with Incent's family symbol on it.
Dean Incent's House
Dean Incent's House is located on Berkhamsted High Street. It is a two-story building that is considered a very important historic building.
