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Made his way in the Church - with
a little help from the Black Prince
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John Harewell lived in the 14th century.
He was also called John Harwell. He came from Harwell, near Wantage,
where his family lived at Bayllol's Manor.
He had an elder
brother who was going to inherit all his father's lands. So it was decided
that he should become a vicar. Then he wouldn't need any land. This happened
to a lot of younger sons.
John went to
University in Oxford and then became the vicar of a small village in
Warwickshire. But he wanted to become important in the Church.
His father knew the
Black Prince because he owned Prince's Manor
in Harwell and visited sometimes from Wallingford
Castle. He introduced him to his son. John became the Prince's private
chaplain and they spent lots of time together.
With the Prince's
help, he was made an Archdeacon. In return, he looked after Guyenne in
Aquitaine (France)
for him. The Prince even persuaded the Pope to make John into the Archdeacon
of Berkshire, so he could still live nearby.
Eventually, John
was appointed Bishop of Bath & Wells. He lived in a grand palace in
Somerset. He was famous for getting one of the twin-towers of Wells Cathedral
built.
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