V - He is made Archdeacon of Wilts: Divinity Professor in Oxford. His Doctrine.

Summary

A Doctor of Grossetete's uncommon learning, piety and zeal, could not fail of being pursued by honours, how carefully so ever he might endeavour to fly from them. His first promotion, after his Theological studies, seems to have been in the Church of Sarum where in 1220 we find him Archdeacon of Wilts, under that holy and learned prelate, the great canonist Richard Poore. By an obscure and almost unintelligible place in Bardney he appears to have made a journey to Rome, while Archdeacon of Wilts.

The same year 1220, or very soon after Doctor Grossetete, was placed upon a higher and more luminant candlestick in the house of God, and called to communicate his light, not only to inferior clergy but to the choicest portion of the national clergy, in the University of Oxford. And not only to the clergy, but to a new settlement of a religious order just sprung up in the Church, and in great odour of sanctity and learning by the many eminent secular scholars that either embraced or patronised it. This new order was that of St Francis of Assisium, commonly called the Friars Minors, and in England the Grey friars from the colour of their habit. It was but just founded, and the founder was still living, when their colony came over to England in 1219, or the beginning of 1220, under the conduct of the Blessed Agnellus Pisanus. Three of Agnellus’ eight companions in his expedition were Englishmen the first of the three was Richard de Ingeworth [Ingworth], a learned secular priest and an eminent preacher, who joined Agnellus in France. The two, were Richard of Devonshire, acolythe and William de Esseby, a great student and a perfect religious. Their first establishment was at Canterbury on a spot given them by Alexander, provost of the Poor Priests’ hospital. Their chief benefactress there after Alexander was a certain religious Lady, whom Eccleston, calls Domina Inclosa de Bagginton [Lady Baginton]. Their next settlement was in London. The third in Oxford, begun before All Saints of the same year 1220, under the conduct of William de Esseby their first guardian. Such was their edifying deportment that Matthew Paris saith they filled all England on a sudden. In 1258 less than 40 years after their first arrival, they formed seven wards, which in the year 1400 comprised sixty convents, afterwards encreased to ninety.