The illegitimate son of John Booth,
lord of the manor of
Barton, near
Eccles,
Lancashire, Booth read
civil and
canon law at
Cambridge, graduating as
licentiate (Lic.C.L.), before receiving a
Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). He was elected
Master of
Pembroke Hall in 1450, a post he held until his death, and also served as
Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Whilst at
Cambridge, where he started a movement for both a
School of
Arts and a
School of Civil Law, he is believed to have produced his first
miracle, but cause for his
beatification or
canonization is yet to be introduced. Outside Cambridge, Booth's career was helped by his half-brother
William Booth, who was
Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1447–1452) and
Archbishop of York (1452–1464). In 1449, he was appointed a
prebendary of
St Paul's Cathedral and, on 2 November 1456, became
Dean of
St Paul's. He was also a prebendary of
York Minster and of
Lichfield Cathedral. From 1454 to 1457 he was
Archdeacon of Richmond. Booth's influence was not confined to the
Church; he was also active in government. He was
chancellor to
Margaret of Anjou and, in about 1456, he became
Keeper of the Privy Seal, and in that same year on 28 January he was also appointed one of the tutors and guardians of the
Prince of Wales. He was
Lord Privy Seal until 1460. On 25 September 1457, Booth was installed as
Prince-Bishop of Durham. Although from a
Lancastrian family, he cultivated relations with the
Yorkists and, after the fall of
Henry VI, Booth adapted himself to the new
status quo. He submitted himself to King
Edward (the former Earl of March) in April 1461, and by the end of June, Booth defeated a raid led by the
Lords
de Ros,
Dacre and
Rugemont-Grey who brought Henry VI over the border to try to raise a rebellion in the north of England. King Edward named him his
confessor. Although he temporarily lost control of the
palatinate of Durham, he was restored in 1464, after making a submission to Edward IV; he was successful in part by being a prelate who was never imprisoned in that era. He resumed activity in Edward's government thereafter being appointed, on 27 July 1473,
Lord Chancellor, serving until May 1474. In October 1473 he led a delegation to Scotland to formally sign the marriage treaty between the newborn son (later
James IV of Scotland) of
James III and Edward's third daughter
Cecily. In 1476 Booth was
translated to the
see of York, previously held by his half-brother. He was the only
prelate after King Edward IV's accession ever promoted to higher office. Booth served as Archbishop of York until his death on 19 May 1480, ==See also==