Which English knight founded the chantry college at Tattershall in 1439?

Ralph Cromwell founded the chantry college at Tattershall in 1439. He was a powerful English nobleman who served as Lord Treasurer of England and was closely involved in royal government.

Cromwell transformed Tattershall Castle and its surrounding estate in Lincolnshire. His foundation included priests whose religious duties included praying for the souls of the founder and his family. Such chantries were a common way for wealthy medieval patrons to support worship and memorialize themselves.

Cromwell was also an important patron of architecture. Tattershall Castle’s great brick tower is one of the best-known examples of late medieval English brick construction. The college was later dissolved during the Reformation under Henry VIII. Cromwell is sometimes confused with Thomas Cromwell, the Tudor minister, but they belonged to different generations and families.