Henry Abyngdon
Henry Abyngdon, Abingdon or Abington (c. 1418 – 1 September 1497) was an English ecclesiastic and musician, perhaps the first to receive a university degree in music.
Also recorded as Henry Abingdon · Henry Abington
Henry Abyngdon
- Born
- 1418
- Died
- 1497
- Nationality
- Kingdom of England
- Occupation
- organist · choir director · composer · singer
- Education
- University of Cambridge
In this article
Biography
He may have been connected with the village of Abington in Cambridgeshire. As a cleric at Eton College in 1444 he received a life annuity from Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and was a member of the household chapel of the Duke from 1445 to 1447. He then succeeded John Bernard as succentor of Wells Cathedral on 24 November 1447 (holding that post until his death) and was a canon from 1458. He was admitted a Bachelor of Music at Cambridge on 22 February 1463, this being the first musical degree recorded at any university. In addition to the succentorship at Wells, Abyngdon held the office of Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal in London, to which he was appointed in May 1465 at an annual salary of forty marks, confirmed to him by a subsequent Act of Parliament in 1473–74. He was also made Master of St. Catherine's Hospital, Bedminster, Bristol, in 1478.
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Henry Abyngdon, revision 1363769765 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Reputation
He is said to have been pre-eminent both as a singer and an organist, although none of his works are known to have survived. Two Latin epitaphs on Abyngdon by Sir Thomas More have been preserved. In these he himself is styled "nobilis", and his office in London "cantor". One of them calls him The best singer among thousands, and besides this the best organist too. (Millibus in mille cantor fuit optimus ille, Praeter et haec ista fuit optimus orgaquenista.)
Citations
References
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reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
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