Welsh Journals

Search over 450 titles and 1.2 million pages

BIOGRAPHICA ET BIBLIOGRAPHICA [See Journal Vol. I, p. 51, for a note as to the purpose and scope of this section.-Editor. D.N.B. = The Dictionary of National Biography. JOHN (IEUAN) TREVOR, Bishop of St. Asaph (d. 1410; D.N.B. lvii, 220). No facts are available of the date, place of birth, and early life of Bishop Trevor. According to Adam of Usk1 he hailed from Powysland. His father, according to Chevalier Lloyd2, was Llewelyn ap Ieuaf ap Adda ap Awr of Trevor. His training for the Church must have been long extended, because he was a Doctor of both Civil and Canon Laws. He comes first to notice in 1386 as precentor and prebend of Wells3. This office of precentor he seems to have held until April, 13934, though he was absent from this country during the years 1390-5. In November, 1389, he received Provision of a canonry at St. Davids with reservation of a prebend, notwithstanding that he had a canonry and prebend of Wells with the precentorship, and of St. Asaph, and has this day received provision of canonries with expectations of prebends in Llanddewi- brevi and Abergwili in the diocese of St. Davids.' Trevor was a person of some import- ance as early as the year 1389, for in that year he with two others had been entrusted with the temporalities of the see of Hereford.5 On March 2, 1390, Trevor was elected by the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of St. Asaph to the vacant see of that diocese and he received the royal sanction to go to Rome to secure the Papal confirmation of his election.6 This vacancy had occurred in December, 1389. When he arrived in Rome he found that one Alexander Bache had already been appointed by the Pope. Trevor thereupon decided to stay in Rome as Auditor of Causes of the Apostolic See and Papal Chaplain.' He seems to have made good use of his stay at St. Asaph, for in November, 1391, he received the emoluments of the parish of Meifod and its chapels valued at 300 marks, as well as the dignity of a canonry at Lincoln and in November of the following year he obtained permission to resign or exchange his benefices.7 In August, 1394, the see became vacant by the death of the bishop, and again Trevor was elected by the Chapter. This time he succeeded in obtaining the confirmation of his election by Pope Boniface IX. He obtained the royal licence to accept on April 9 of the following year, and he received the temporalities of the see on July 6 and the spiritualities on Oct. 15.8 His consecration took place at Rome in October. On becoming bishop he gave up his canonries and prebends of St. Davids and Llanddewibrevi, and, presumably, his precentorship and the prebend at Wells.9 Before he left Rome he had secured a faculty « Chronicon -4de de Usk. A.D. 1377-1421. p. 32. 2 J. Y. W. Lloyd: The History of. Powys Fadog IV, 135. 3 Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland [Calen- dars of State Papers], IV. 4 John Le Neve Fasti Ecclesia Anglicance I, 170. 5 Calendar of the Fine Rolls [Calendars of State Papers], July 9. 6 Rotuli Parliamentorum III, 274. 7 Calendar of Papal Registers IV. 8 Rotuli Parliamentorum, 9 Calendar of. Papal Registers Nov. 1394.