Roger Lupton

Rubbing of monumental brass in Eton College Chapel, of Roger Lupton (d.1540). His hair displays the tonsure of a cleric. He wears the mantle of a Canon of Windsor (based in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle), displaying on his left shoulder a Cross of St George within a circle. A speech scroll emanating from his chest is inscribed in the Latin with the opening words of Psalm 51: Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam ("Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness"). Below is an heraldic escutcheon displaying his arms

File:LuptonArms.png

Arms of Roger Lupton: Argent, on a chevron between three wolf's heads and necks erased sable three lilies of the field on a chief gules a Tau cross between two escallops or

File:Eton College (2) - August 5, 2007.jpg

Lupton's Tower, Eton College, built 1514-20, together with Lupton's Chapel

Roger Lupton (1456–27 February 1539/40) was an English lawyer and cleric who served as chaplain to King Henry VII (1485-1509) and to his son King Henry VIII (1509-1547) and was appointed by the former as Provost of Eton College (1503/4-1535).

Family origins

The Lupton family originated at the manor of Lupton, near Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria. The name was first recorded in the 15th century.

Career

Lupton was born in 1456 in the parish of Sedbergh, at that time situated in Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Lupton of Sedbergh. He is first recorded at Cambridge University in 1479, and graduated in 1484 as a Bachelor of Canon Law from King's College, Cambridge, a twin royal foundation with Eton College, in the governance and development of which latter he subsequently played a major role. He was admitted a Bachelor of Canon Law in 1484 and a Doctor of Canon Law in 1504.

In 1484, shortly after his graduation, Lupton served in the Court of Chancery, and was later appointed Rector of Harlton in Cambridgeshire. In 1500 he succeeded Oliver Dynham (1480-1500) as a Canon of Windsor, namely as the Canon of the 7th Stall, which office he held until his death. In February 1503/4 he was elected a Fellow and then Provost of Eton College, near Windsor, which post he retained until 1535. In 1509/10 he was occupying the post of Master of St. Anthony's Hospital, St Benet Fink in the City of London, but the exact date of his appointment is not known. In 1475 this Hospital, previously an independent foundation, had been annexed and appropriated to the College of St. George at Windsor Castle, and thus Lupton's appointment as Master was by the king.

Founds Sedbergh School

In 1525, Dr Roger Lupton began to provide finance for the founding of Sedbergh School, a Chantry School in Sedbergh, the place of his birth. A few scholars were gathered together under a Chaplain, Henry Blomeyr. Lupton's intentions were twofold: "for the maintaining and increase of learning in Christ's Church", and "for his soul's health". An agreement was made so that the chaplain and scholars should have free seats in the chancel of Sedbergh Church. Sedbergh School continues to use Lupton's coat of arms as its emblem. In 1527, he established six scholarships to St John's College, Cambridge, to be awarded exclusively to boys from Sedbergh School. A document held in the archives of St John's records that the scholars were:

"to be chosen from the grammar scole of Sedbare, wher the sayd Roger Lupton was borne and hath foundyd a perpetuall chauntry and the sayd grammar scole indued sufficiently with lyvelode and lands truly and suerly purchased and manciones sufficiently bylded".

After land had been purchased and a school building constructed, almost certainly on the site of the present School Library, the foundation deed was signed, which bound the School to St John's College, Cambridge, which thenceforth had the power to appoint Headmasters. In 1535 two further scholarships to Cambridge were established by Lupton, with provision for two Fellowships also.

Death and burial

He died on 27 February 1539/40 and was buried in the Lupton Chapel at Eton College, which was named in his honour due to his generous donations to the College. His monumental brass survives at Eton, showing him dressed as a Canon of Windsor wearing a long robe with a cross. (Illustrated in Lack, Stuchfield and Whittemore, Monumental Brasses of Buckinghamshire, p. 86; brass rubbing at Ashmolean Museum, ref: "Buckinghamshire 2/106"). The Lupton Tower, a bell tower built during his time as Provost, and a dormitory in "College" (the house of the "King's Scholars" situated on one side of the Lupton's Tower quadrangle), are also named after him. His death is commemorated each year on 27 February at Eton on Threepenny Day which he founded.

Lupton coat-of-arms

Lupton was chaplain to both Kings Henry VII (1485-1509) and his son Henry VIII (1509-1547) and was executor of Henry VII's will. King Henry VII granted Lupton a coat-of-arms. The arms were: Argent, on a chevron between three wolf's heads erased sable three lilies argent on a chief gules a Tau cross between two escallops or The Tau cross was a symbol of Saint Anthony of Egypt and thus probably referred to his mastership of St Anthony's Hospital. The wolves were canting references to his surname from the Latin Lupus, "a wolf", and Sable, three lillies argent, the same arrangement, is the base part of the arms of Eton College. The crest - a wolf's head erased - was borne by Lupton's collateral descendants.

Notable descendants

His descendants included the famous surgeon Sackville B. Lupton and the family were connected through marriage to the Gascoigne family, also of Yorkshire – (Gawthorpe). Lady Fairfax, née Agnes Gascoigne was herself the direct descendant of Edward III.

See also

• Lupton family

References

• Stephen Wright, ‘Lupton, Roger (1456–1540)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, October 2006, accessed 28 April 2007. (subscription access)

Academic offices
Preceded by Henry Bost	Provost of Eton 1504–1535	Succeeded by Roger Aldrich