England Lord of Canterbury
The Lordship of Canterbury
Canterbury's lordship is dominated by one figure: the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has been the most senior churchman in England since 597 AD when Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the Anglo-Saxons. The Archbishop held enormous temporal as well as spiritual power, controlling vast estates and serving as one of the most influential advisers to the Crown.
The Archbishop of Canterbury ranks immediately after the Royal Family in the English order of precedence, ahead of the Lord Chancellor and all secular peers. Medieval archbishops like Thomas Becket wielded power that rivalled the King's own, and Becket's murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 sent shockwaves through Christendom.
Canterbury also held importance as a point of pilgrimage. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales immortalised the pilgrim route to Becket's shrine, and the income from pilgrims made the Archbishop's see one of the wealthiest lordships in England.
Canterbury and the Peerage
The Archbishop of Canterbury sits in the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual and ranks first among all bishops and archbishops. The Viscountcy of Canterbury was created in 1786 for Charles Manners-Sutton. Canterbury also gives its name to a barony, and the cathedral city has been associated with ecclesiastical lordship for over 1,400 years.
Among the notable figures associated with Canterbury, Thomas Becket was known for archbishop, murdered 1170. Thomas Cranmer, archbishop, Protestant reformer, also left a significant mark on the area's history.
View the full Peerage Hierarchy ChartNotable Lords of Canterbury
Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury Cathedral attracted so many wealthy pilgrims that the offerings exceeded the income of many English earldoms, making the Archbishop one of the richest lords in the land.
England Noble Surnames
Explore the noble heritage of England's most prominent family names and discover their connections to the peerage.
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