Thomas Minot

Thomas Minot (died 1375) was Archbishop of Dublin from 1363 to 1375. He is chiefly remembered for his extensive restoration of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. In particular he built the cathedral's tower which is still sometimes called Minot's Tower.

He came from a family which had a tradition of Crown service, and probably originated in the north of England. He is thought to have been a cousin of Laurence Minot, the poet, although very little is known of Laurence's life.

He was presented to the living of Nothorpe, Lincolnshire in 1349, and to that of Seaton, Rutland in 1351. He was sent to Ireland in 1354 and in 1356 he was appointed a Baron of the Court of Exchequer (Ireland) to "supervise and hasten the interests of the King". This does not necessarily mean that he had any legal training, since Irish Barons of the Exchequer at this time were often laymen, and at a later period this was to give rise to complaints about their ignorance of the law. He received several preferments including the prebendaries of Mulhuddart and Rathsallagh. He was Lord Treasurer of Ireland 1362-1364.

Minot was consecrated Archbishop of Dublin on Palm Sunday 1363. Witihin two years the long-running controversy as to whether the Archbishop of Dublin, like the other Irish bishops, must acknowledge of the Archbishop of Armagh as Primate of Ireland flared up again. Minot and Milo Sweetman, Archbishop of Armagh, maintained the quarrel with such heat that the King intervened, urging them to live in friendship and, more practically, suggesting that the matter could be resolved by allowing each Archbishop to carry his crozier in the other's presence, as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York did. Sweetman replied at length urging the claims of Armagh to primacy and also complaining that Minot had failed to attend a meeting arranged to discuss the matter. His arguments apparently convinced the King since in October 1365 Minot was summoned by Clarence, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to answer a charge of contempt in failing to attend the meeting with Sweetman. No further action seems to have been taken, and the controversy lapsed for some decades.

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