William Reade

William Reade or William Rede (1315-1385) was a medieval bishop, theologian and astronomer. Education Reade was initially brought up, from boyhood to maturity, by his friend and protégé Nicholas of Sandwich. He was then educated at Exeter College, Oxford where astronomy, mathematics, and natural philosophy flourished. Reade's career at Oxford is unclear, but it is probable that he was studying there from 1337. He was a fellow at Merton college from around 1347 until 1357 at least, a second bursar in 1352-3 and sub-warden in 1353–54. There is some suggestion that he was also a fellow of Exeter College but there is no evidence to support this. He became a doctor of theology some time before 1362. Career In 1354 Reade was given letters dimissory, by the bishop of Exeter and moved to the diocese of Rochester, Kent. From the same year until 1356 he was successively subdeacon, deacon and priest in the Rochester diocese. He became archdeacon of Rochester in 1359 and provost of the college of Wingham, Kent in 1363. Then on 23 September 1368, he was nominated for Bishop of Chichester by provision of Pope Urban V, he was confirmed as bishop of Chichester on 2 September 1369 and vacated his post as provost of Wingham at the same time. He remained as bishop of Chichester until his death. Life