to the high regard in which the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Shrewsbury, held him. He also acted as Justiciar of Ireland, following the sudden death of Sir John Stanley, although in view of his age and ill health it was understood that this was only a temporary appointment. As Justiciar he was assisted by a military council, made up of such noted soldiers as the Gascony-born knight Sir Jenico d'Artois. He became prebendary of Clonmethan in north County Dublin in 1410: in 1414 he was sued by the Crown for recovery of the profits of the prebend for the previous two years, on the grounds that he had been an absentee prebend, but the lawsuit was dismissed when Cranley produced the King's letters patent authorising his absence. Death In 1417 he was asked to present a memorial on the state of Ireland, which was highly critical of Lord Shrewsbury's record as Lord Lieutenant, to the English Crown. He reached England, but he was an old man even by modern standards, and in frail health. The journey proved to be too much for his constitution, and he died at Faringdon in Oxfordshire on 25 May. He was buried in New College, Oxford: his memorial brass survives, and the inscription on his tomb hails him as "the flower of prelates". Appearance and character Early historians praised Cranley for both his mental and physical qualities: "thou art fair beyond the children of men, grace is diffused through thy lips because of thine eloquence" wrote one particularly eloquent admirer. He was described as tall and commanding in appearance, with fair hair and a ruddy complexion; his personality was witty, eloquent and learned. As a cleric, he was described as charitable to the poor, a notable preacher and a great builder of churches. The Parliament of Ireland in 1421 praised him as the model of what a good chief governor should be. References 1337 births 1417 deaths Carmelites Archbishops of Dublin Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Wardens of New College, Oxford Chancellors of the University of Oxford 14th-century English people 15th-century English people Lord chancellors of Ireland Lords Lieutenant of Ireland 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Wardens of Winchester College 14th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland