Chamberlain was the second son of George Chamberlain and Philippine L'Espinoy, and grandson of
Sir Leonard Chamberlain. He was born at
Ghent, and grew up in
Saint-Omer, where his father, a Catholic exile from England, had settled. He studied at the
English College, Rome, and was ordained priest in the
Lateran Basilica. He returned to the Low Countries to serve in the household of the
papal nuncio,
Ottavio Mirto Frangipani, and went on to become
canon,
archdeacon, and
dean of
St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent. After the death of
Antoine de Hennin in December 1626, was appointed to the bishopric of Ypres. Around that period members of his English family resided at
Shirburn in
Oxfordshire. The estates having fallen to an heiress, Chamberlain, the next heir male, came to England, not so much to put up his claim as to resign it, in order to confirm the title of the heiress to
Shirburn Castle. He was consecrated bishop of Ypres only on 5 November 1628. On 16 June 1630 he assisted at the consecration of
Servaas de Quinckere as
bishop of Bruges. As bishop he sat in the
States of Flanders as a representative of the
First Estate, and in the
Estates General of 1632. He died in Ypres on 19 December 1634. He composed some poems and religious pieces in Latin. ==Notes==