John Acton (canon lawyer)
Encyclopedia
John Acton was an English canon lawyer, known for his commentary on the writer on the ecclesiastical Constitutions of two papal legate
s of the thirteenth century. Sent to Henry III of England
, they were Cardinal Otto, i.e. Oddone di Monferrato
, and Cardinal Ottobone, i.e. Ottobuono de' Fieschi (the future Pope Adrian V
). His name is variously spelt Achedune, De Athona, Athone, and Eaton.
, and to have taken there the degree of LL.D. He was a pupil of John de Stratford
. In 1329 he was provided by the pope to a canonry and a prebend in Lincoln Cathedral, but some years appear to have elapsed before he obtained these preferments. In 1343 he is found holding the prebend of Welton Ryval. In his books he is described as canon of Lincoln. He died in 1350.
in William Lyndwood
's Provinciale. Printed copies contain anachronistic references to books that were not written until after the death of Acton.
Sir Henry Spelman made use of Acton's commentary in his Concilia. It was then partly translated in John Johnson
's Collection of Ecclesiastical Laws (London, 1720; cf. the English translation of Otto's Ecclesiastical Laws, by J. W. White, 1844, where many of his notes are translated). Other manuscripts are extant, and John Pits gave titles of other legal books ascribed to Acton.
Frederic William Maitland
wrote of Acton that he was "a little too human to be strictly scientific. His gloss often becomes a growl against the bad world in which he lives, the greedy prelates, the hypocritical friars, the rapacious officials."
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
s of the thirteenth century. Sent to Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, they were Cardinal Otto, i.e. Oddone di Monferrato
Oddone di Monferrato
Oddone di Monferrato was an Italian papal diplomat and Cardinal. He was of the noble house of Monferrat, son of Marquis Guglielmo VI de Monferrato.He was created Cardinal in 1227...
, and Cardinal Ottobone, i.e. Ottobuono de' Fieschi (the future Pope Adrian V
Pope Adrian V
Pope Adrian V , born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was pope in 1276.-Biography:Ottobuono belonged to a feudal family of Liguria, the Fieschi, Counts of Lavagna....
). His name is variously spelt Achedune, De Athona, Athone, and Eaton.
Life
Acton is stated by John Leland to have been educated at the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and to have taken there the degree of LL.D. He was a pupil of John de Stratford
John de Stratford
John de Stratford was Archbishop of Canterbury and Treasurer and Chancellor of England.-Life:John was born at Stratford-on-Avon and educated at Merton College, Oxford, afterwards entering the service of Edward II....
. In 1329 he was provided by the pope to a canonry and a prebend in Lincoln Cathedral, but some years appear to have elapsed before he obtained these preferments. In 1343 he is found holding the prebend of Welton Ryval. In his books he is described as canon of Lincoln. He died in 1350.
Works
Acton's chief work was a commentary on the ecclesiastical ‘constitutions’ of Otto and Ottobone, in succession papal legates in England in the thirteenth century. These constitutions formed for many years the English canon law, and Acton's notes were held by the lawyers of his own time in their interpretations. Many manuscript copies of Acton's commentary survived in the college libraries at Oxford. Acton's work was printed for the first time in 1496 by Wynkyn de WordeWynkyn de Worde
Wynkyn de Worde was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognized as the first to popularize the products of the printing press in England....
in William Lyndwood
William Lyndwood
William Lyndwood was an English bishop of St. David's, diplomat and canonist, most notable for the publication of the Provinciale.-Early life:...
's Provinciale. Printed copies contain anachronistic references to books that were not written until after the death of Acton.
Sir Henry Spelman made use of Acton's commentary in his Concilia. It was then partly translated in John Johnson
John Johnson (theologian)
John Johnson, of Cranbrook was an English clergyman, known as a theologian in the Laudian tradition.-Life:Born 30 December 1662, at Frindsbury in Kent, he was son of the vicar, Thomas Johnson, by Mary, daughter of Francis Drayton, rector of Little Chart, Kent. His father died about four years...
's Collection of Ecclesiastical Laws (London, 1720; cf. the English translation of Otto's Ecclesiastical Laws, by J. W. White, 1844, where many of his notes are translated). Other manuscripts are extant, and John Pits gave titles of other legal books ascribed to Acton.
Frederic William Maitland
Frederic William Maitland
Frederic William Maitland was an English jurist and historian, generally regarded as the modern father of English legal history.-Biography:...
wrote of Acton that he was "a little too human to be strictly scientific. His gloss often becomes a growl against the bad world in which he lives, the greedy prelates, the hypocritical friars, the rapacious officials."