, Archbishop of Canterbury In February 1528, Curwen gained a degree in
Canon law, followed by a
Master of Arts in 1532. In 1533, he was appointed
Rector in the village of
Ferriby, Lincolnshire. The following year, England broke with the
Catholic Church and formed the
Church of England, led by
Henry VIII, rather than the Pope. In 1541, he became
dean of Hereford, followed by a series of administrative posts; when
Mary became queen in 1555, he conformed with the restoration of Catholicism. Nominated
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, he was consecrated on 8 September 1555 by
Edmund Bonner. He was also appointed
Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and in 1557 served as
Lord Justice of Ireland during the absence of the
Lord Deputy of Ireland,
the Earl of Sussex. When
Elizabeth succeeded in 1558, only five Irish bishops accepted the
Religious Settlement, Curwen being one of them. He remained Archbishop and Lord Chancellor until 1567, but was accused of 'moral delinquency' by
Hugh Brady and
Adam Loftus, apparently for his reluctance to implement key religious reforms. Curwen suffered from
palsy and poor health made it increasingly difficult to continue his duties; in 1564, he obtained a
sinecure position for his nephew
Richard Bancroft at
St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Apparently 'speechless and senseless', he was finally allowed to resign in June 1567, when he became
Bishop of Oxford. He died at his home in
Swinbrook in October 1568, and was buried at the
Church of St John the Baptist, Burford. The diocese of Oxford remained vacant until 1589, when
John Underhill became bishop. ==References==