Michael Tregury was born in the parish of St Wenn

St Wenn

St Wenn is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated six miles west of Bodmin and nine miles east of Newquay....

 in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

. He was educated at the University of Oxford

University 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 was at some time Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...

. He was Archdeacon of Barnstaple

Archdeacon of Barnstaple

The Archdeaconry of Barnstaple is one of the oldest Archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter.-History:...

 from 1445 to 1449. He was consecrated in St. Patrick's church and was Archbishop of Dublin

Archbishop of Dublin

The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....

 from 1450 to 1471

He was chaplain

Chaplain

Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...

 to Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

 and a distinguished scholar. He became rector of the University of Caen in 1440 before becoming Archbishop of Dublin.

In 1451 more than fifty people from his diocese went to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 to celebrate the jubilee then promulgated by Pope Nicholas V

Pope Nicholas V

Pope Nicholas V , born Tommaso Parentucelli, was Pope from March 6, 1447 to his death in 1455.-Biography:He was born at Sarzana, Liguria, where his father was a physician...

. Those who returned safe in 1453, brought the sad news that Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 was taken by the Turks, and the Emperor Palaiologos

Constantine XI

Constantine XI Palaiologos, latinized as Palaeologus , Kōnstantinos XI Dragasēs Palaiologos; February 8, 1404 – May 29, 1453) was the last reigning Byzantine Emperor from 1449 to his death as member of the Palaiologos dynasty...

 slain. The Archbishop Michael was so afflicted at the news that he proclaimed a fast to be observed strictly throughout his diocese for three successive days, and granted indulgence

Indulgence

In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...

s to those who observed it, he himself walking in procession before his clergy to Christ church and clothed in sackcloth and ashes.

In 1453 he was taken prisoner in the bay by pirates, who were carrying off some ships from the harbor of Dublin. They were pursued to Ardglass

Ardglass

Ardglass is a coastal village in County Down, Northern Ireland and still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglass to Downpatrick road, about 11 kilometres to the south east of Downpatrick, in the Lecale peninsula on the Irish Sea. It had a population of 1,668...

, in County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

; five hundred and twenty of them were slain and the prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 released.

Having presided over his see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

for twenty years, he died on the 21st of December, 1471, at a very advanced age, in the manor-house of Tallagh, which he had previously repaired. His remains were conveyed to Dublin attended by the clergy and citizens, and were buried in St. Patrick's cathedral.

Burial

He was buried in Dublin and his epitaph reads..

Preasul Metropolis Michael hic Dublinenus

Marmore tumbatus, pro me Christum flagitetis

which translates as

Here's Michael the Prelate of Dublin See,

In Marble intomb'd, invoke Christ for me..