Sir Geoffrey Regaby

**Sir Geoffrey Regaby** (1501 - 1563) was a Sudrian nobleman and courtier. As Governor from 1539 until his death, he oversaw the implementation of the English Reformation in Sodor.

## Biography

Sir Geoffrey Regaby was born in 1501. A younger son, he went to London to make his way. He entered the service of the Earl of Sodor, and in that capacity came to Court and attracted the notice of King Henry VIII who soon came to appreciate his ability and wide knowledge of Sudrian affairs. He was able to do the King an important service for which he was knighted and made a Privy Councillor.

By 1534, he was known as a moderate in favour of reform, and was trusted by Henry VIII. He was a friend of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. Sir Geoffrey knew what was coming in regards to the Church, and was hated by Thomas Cromwell and Co. because of his moderate views, who manoeuvred Henry VIII into getting rid of him by appointing him Governor of Sodor (a good long way from London).

Sir Geoffrey thus returned to Sodor in 1539 as Governor and King's Agent with orders to put into effect the Act of Suppression of that year. He knew it was Henry's wish (he had seen the memorandum in Henry's own writing) to convert some thirteen of the Abbeys into Cathedrals for new dioceses. Regaby knew that the Dissolution of the Monasteries was inevitable, and had a shrewd idea as to who would get the plunder. He discussed the matter with the Abbot of Cronk, Michael Colden, for whom he had a great respect for, and both were agreed that though reform was desirable they would not allow the new ways to be forced on those who, in conscience, held to the old, nor would they allow such people as these to be harassed or persecuted. Together they evolved a plan which would give an appearance of Reformation zeal, be in accordance with Henry's wishes, secure the greater part of the revenues of Cronk and Wellsworth for the Church and Island, and were not filched away by Cromwell's rapacious friends, while at the same time not be unprofitable for themselves.

Shortly afterwards, armed with his royal warrant and with a suitably impressive following, Sir Geoffrey presented himself at the Abbey Gate. The Abbot received him gravely and, with a suitable show of reluctance in order to impress observers, was apparently forced to hand over the deeds of the Abbey. That done, while Regaby's men searched the buildings, the Abbot retired to the parlour where, over a glass of wine, Sir Geoffrey showed him three documents. The first of these documents gave the Church of Saint Luoc in the City of Suddery the status of a Cathedral; the second, 'issued by the newly constituted Chapter', elected Henry's "well beloved" Michael Colden as the first Bishop of Suddery; while the third, a conveyance, gave Cronk Abbey, its buildings and half its revenues to Sir Geoffrey - with the other half going to endow the new Bishopric.

He was thus able, in spite of the efforts of Cromwell's repacious friends to discredit him, to carry through the Dissolution of Cronk Abbey and the establishment of the new diocese of Sodor with minimum disturbance and maximum benefit to the Island. In co-operation with Bishop Colden, such Abbey revenues as were not needed for the endowment of the Bishopric were used to found and endow schools, new churches and parishes in various parts of the Island, where they were greatly needed. Here dispossessed brethren from the Abbey, both lay and clerical, were able to find employment. Sir Geoffrey also whole-heartedly supported the policy of "no pressure" advocated by the Bishop, and firmly suppressed all attempts by fanatics and others to persecute those who were slow or unwilling to conform. Thus, in spite of the ”protestant zeal” displayed elsewhere during the reign of Edward VI, relations in Sodor between the Church of England and Roman Catholics were uniformly good, and in consequence the Catholic reaction under Queen Mary was hardly felt.

Sir Geoffrey turned part of the Abbey into a mansion, and founded and endowed a boys' Grammar School in some of the remainder, which is now a recognised Public School. Sir Geoffrey married late in life, and his one surviving son, Harold, born in 1546, became the third Bishop of Suddery (1594-1607). Sir Geoffrey succeeded to the family property in 1547 on the death of his elder brother, Peter; but he had already established himself in the Abbey, and this thereafter became the chief family seat. He died in 1563, aged 62.