William Franklyn

William Franklyn (1460–1556) was an English churchman, who became dean of Windsor. Life Franklyn was born at Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, probably about 1460, and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.C.L. in 1504. He took holy orders, and in 1514 was appointed chancellor of the diocese of Durham and receiver of the bishop's revenues. In 1515 he became archdeacon of Durham and master of the Hospital of St. Giles at Kepyer, County Durham. In this and the following years Franklyn was active in directing measures in border warfare with the Scotch. His headquarters was at Norham, and it was probably about this period that a grant of arms was made him in consideration of the recovery of the castle at that place by his prowess and policy. In February 1518 he was installed prebendary of Heydour-cum-Walton in the diocese of Lincoln, and before 1522 he was rector of Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, and held the prebend of Eveston, in the collegiate church of Lanchester, in the same county. On Thomas Wolsey's accession to the see of Durham he confirmed Franklyn in the chancellorship, with power of appointing justices of the peace, coroners, stewards, bailiffs, and other officers; and the chancellor made himself useful to the bishop in devising plans for increasing the revenues of the diocese. He was still chancellor under Cuthbert Tunstall, Wolsey's successor at Durham, but he already enjoyed marked proofs of Wolsey's favour. He received a salaried appointment as counsellor resident with Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, natural son of Henry VIII; was presented to the prebend of Stillington, Yorkshire, in February 1526, and in the same year became President of Queens' College, Cambridge, an office he held only a year and nine months.