#John Fordham# (1388-1425), who succeeded Bishop Arundel at Ely, was
Bishop of Durham. He had been Keeper of the Privy Seal. He died at
Downham in 1425, and was followed by #Philip Morgan# (1426-1435),
Bishop of Worcester. The king had given licence to the monks to elect,
and had recommended his confessor. They elected instead their prior; but
neither obtained the see. In Bishop Morgan's time the University of
Cambridge secured entire freedom from the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of
the Bishops of Ely: in the time of the previous bishop the University
had got rid of the necessity of presenting their chancellor to the
Bishop of Ely for confirmation. Bishop Morgan died at Hatfield in 1435,
and was buried at the Charterhouse in London.

There was much dispute about the next bishop. The monks chose Fitz-Hugh,
Bishop of London; but he died. The king then recommended the Bishop of
S. David's; but the monks preferred Thomas Bouchier, Bishop of
Worcester, whom the king refused. Bouchier appealed to the pope, who at
first confirmed his election; but the bishop-elect was afraid to present
the papal bull. This was an opportunity for the king (Henry VI.) "to
gratify one of his numerous adherents of the French nation, who had lost
their all in that kingdom, and followed his fortunes in this." He
accordingly obtained the pope's consent to appoint #Lewis De
Luxemburg# (1438-1443), Archbishop of Rouen, to be administrator of
the Diocese of Ely, at the same time assigning him the L2000 a year due
from the prior and convent to the king during a vacancy. The bulls for
Bishop Bouchier's translation from Worcester were revoked. This was in
1438, which is held to be the beginning of Bishop Luxemburg's tenure of
the see; but the spiritualities were not legally surrendered to him till
the next year, and even then it seems to have been only under the title
of "Perpetual Administrator of the See of Ely"; and in formal documents
some time later he still has the same title, and even in the pope's bull
appointing a new Bishop of Ely after his death. He had been Bishop of
Terouanne, Chancellor of Normandy, and Governor of Paris, and was a
great upholder in France of the cause of the King of England. He was
afterwards cardinal. He was hardly ever in his diocese of Ely. He died
at Hatfield in 1443, and was buried at Ely, his heart being taken to
Normandy to be interred at Rouen.

There was now no opposition to the appointment of #Thomas Bouchier#
(