Thomas Wynter

Thomas Wynter or Winter (c. 1510 - c. 1546) was the Archdeacon of York, Richmond, Cornwall, Provost of Beverley, Dean of Wells Cathedral and the illegitimate son of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

Thomas Wynter's exact date of birth is unknown, but most scholars argue that he was born sometime around the year 1510. His mother is the supposed mistress of Thomas Wolsey, Joan Larke, daughter of Thetford innkeeper Peter Larke. Some historians, such as Stella Fletcher, show some skepticism about Wynter's parentage, as Wolsey had two brothers and one sister that leave little trace in the historical record that could be the true parents of Wynter. Most historians argue that Wynter was Wolsey's son because Wolsey had maintained a great interest in Wynter’s education and career. Contemporary ambassadors and officials also believed Wynter was the cardinal’s son, and stated as much in their correspondence. Thomas Lupset, a tutor of Wynter's, wrote to Erasmus in August 1525, stating that Wolsey treated Wynter with so much affection that it was as if "he were his own legitimate offspring." The Spanish diplomat Eustace Chapuys wrote to Emperor Charles V that "A son of [Wolsey's], who is in Paris following his studies, and of whom I have formerly written to your Majesty, has received orders to return," to England in October 1529. Similarly, the ambassador from Milan referred to Wynter as Wolsey's son in a dispatch the following year.

Wynter supposedly grew up in northern London in an area called Willesden. In August 1518 at roughly age nine, Wynter matriculated to the University of Louvain. He studied Latin, among other elements of classical education, under his first known tutor, Maurice Birchinshaw. Within a few years, Wynter received dispensation to start holding clerical offices, and obtained three benefices by June 1522, including the lucrative prebend of Milton at Lincoln Cathedral. Wynter would go on to obtain several more benefices in England over the next few years, despite the fact that he was studying abroad almost constantly until 1529. He became Archdeacon of York on August 31, 1523, which he held longer than any other benefice, before surrendering it in June 1540. When his father, Wolsey, spoke of Wynter in his correspondence, he referred to him as the Dean of Wells, a position he received in January 1526.

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