Background
His father was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby.
His father was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby.
Described as the tallest man in England and reputed to be some 6 feet 7 inches tall, he took holy orders after university study, but, although regarded as a popular man, was not considered either a natural scholar or celibate. (There is an apocryphal story of Erasmus turning him down as a pupil) Like most senior churchmen of his period, he was a pluralist and is believed to have lived with a woman, fathering at least one illegitimate child. Besides being renowned as a skilled soldier and an enthusiastic huntsman, he is also credited with a great interest in cockfighting.
His appointment as bishop was made by papal bull of Pope Julius World War II He held the office of Archdeacon of Richmond from 1500 to 1506.
He was buried in a tomb in what is now Manchester Cathedral, then a collegiate church, patronised by several generations of the Stanley family, and which he had enriched as Warden. The tomb, together with the Ely Chapel that housed it, was destroyed during the Blitz although the original, contemporary brass memorial has survived.
The Stanley coat of arms can still be seen decorating the roof of this chapel, which is now dedicated to the memory of the Manchester Regiment. He died on 22 March 1515 and was later remembered thus:
From the Ancient Metrical History of the House of Stanley.