Lecture: Robert Sherbourne

Join Dr Andrew Foster for a lecture on Bishop Robert Sherbourne and his tenure as bishop between 1508 and 1536 - a highly significant period for Chichester Cathedral and the Diocese of Chichester.Bishop Robert Sherbourne's presence in the cathedral is clear from his magnificent tomb in the south aisle and depiction in the Lambert Barnard painting in the south transept.Sherbourne left his mark on the diocese by his care for his episcopal residences in Chichester, Aldingbourne, Cakeham and Amberley.A great patron of learning, he founded four new prebends for the cathedral, known as the Wiccamicals owing to the requirement that their holders should have attended either Winchester College or New College, Oxford.

We still have the Wiccamicals today and they are unique to Chichester.Sherbourne was unlucky in living in turbulent times under Henry VIII and resigned having been forced to accept the royal supremacy, only to die shortly afterward.

This talk aims to pay fitting tribute to his legacy.About Dr Andrew FosterDr Andrew Foster has served as Cathedral Sub-Librarian since 2025.

He is President of the Chichester branch of the Historical Association, an Honorary Vice-President of the Sussex Record Society (having been Literary Director for over thirty years), and was for many years the Research Director of the University of Chichester.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Historical Association, and the Society of Antiquaries and has published mainly in the field of ecclesiastical history.

Andrew has been a visiting researcher at the Huntington Library in California, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, and closer to home, with the University of Kent, Lincoln College, Oxford and currently, the University of Durham.