John Wessington
Encyclopedia
John Wessington (died 1451) was an English Benedictine
who became prior of Durham Abbey.
and now part of Trinity College, Oxford
. In 1398 he became bursar of Durham College, obtaining books for its use from the chapter at Durham, and writing in 1422 a treatise to prove that it should be exempt from the jurisdiction of the general ‘prior studentium’ at Oxford because the college existed before the appointment of the prior.
About 1400 Wessington appears as chancellor of Durham Cathedral
, and in the autumn of 1416 he was made prior. He retained this office for twenty-nine and a half years, during which he was active in extending and repairing the buildings of the cathedral and its dependent houses. In 1426 he presided over a general chapter of Benedictines in England held at Northampton
. He resigned his priory in May 1446, the bishop of Durham Robert Neville
, issuing letters for the election of his successor on the 26th. The chapter of Durham made provision for his old age: he was assigned a pension, a private room in the monastery, and five attendants. He died on 9 April 1451.
gives a list of Wessington's works extant among the manuscripts at Durham Cathedral; they include treatises
His ‘Defensio Jurium, Libertatum, et Possessionum Ecclesiæ Dunelmensis adversus Malitias et Machinationes ipsa molentium impugnare’ extant in Cottonian MS. Vitellius A xix, was damaged by fire, but was partially restored. A volume of his sermons entitled ‘Sermones de Festis principalibus tam de Sanctis quam de Tempore,’ is in the Bodleian Library
(Laud MSS. Miscellanea 262), and the same manuscript contains ‘Materiæ pro Sermonibus eodem forsan Auctore.’
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
who became prior of Durham Abbey.
Life
He may have been named from Washington, County Durham. He entered the Benedictine order, and was one of the students regularly sent by the Benedictines of Durham to be educated at their house at Oxford, then known as Durham CollegeDurham College
Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology is located in the Durham Region with campuses in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and Whitby and additional locations in Uxbridge, Port Hope, Port Perry and Beaverton...
and now part of Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
. In 1398 he became bursar of Durham College, obtaining books for its use from the chapter at Durham, and writing in 1422 a treatise to prove that it should be exempt from the jurisdiction of the general ‘prior studentium’ at Oxford because the college existed before the appointment of the prior.
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
, and in the autumn of 1416 he was made prior. He retained this office for twenty-nine and a half years, during which he was active in extending and repairing the buildings of the cathedral and its dependent houses. In 1426 he presided over a general chapter of Benedictines in England held at Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. He resigned his priory in May 1446, the bishop of Durham Robert Neville
Robert Neville
Robert Neville was a Bishop of Salisbury and a Bishop of Durham. He was also a Provost of Beverley. He was born at Raby Castle. His father was Ralph Neville and his mother was Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt. He was thus a highly-placed member of the English aristocracyNeville was...
, issuing letters for the election of his successor on the 26th. The chapter of Durham made provision for his old age: he was assigned a pension, a private room in the monastery, and five attendants. He died on 9 April 1451.
Works
Edward BernardEdward Bernard
Edward Bernard was an English scholar and Savilian professor of astronomy at the University of Oxford, from 1673 to 1691.-Life:He was born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and St John's College, Oxford, where he was a scholar in 1655; he became a Fellow...
gives a list of Wessington's works extant among the manuscripts at Durham Cathedral; they include treatises
- ‘De Origine Ordinis monachalis’;
- ‘De Constitutione Monasteriorum Wermuthensis et Girwicensis [Wearmouth and Jervaulx] et Abbatibus eorum;’
- ‘De sanctis Monachis Lindisfarnensibus;’
- ‘De Fundatione Athenarum et Universitatum Parisiensis et Oxoniensis,’ and
- ‘Vita S. Pauli primi Eremitæ et S. Antonii.’
His ‘Defensio Jurium, Libertatum, et Possessionum Ecclesiæ Dunelmensis adversus Malitias et Machinationes ipsa molentium impugnare’ extant in Cottonian MS. Vitellius A xix, was damaged by fire, but was partially restored. A volume of his sermons entitled ‘Sermones de Festis principalibus tam de Sanctis quam de Tempore,’ is in the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
(Laud MSS. Miscellanea 262), and the same manuscript contains ‘Materiæ pro Sermonibus eodem forsan Auctore.’