Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Maunsfield, Henry de
MAUNSFIELD, MAUNNESFELD, MAMMESFELD, or MAYMYSFELD, HENRY de (d. 1328), chancellor of the university of Oxford, was educated at Oxford, and became fellow of Merton College. In 1283, according to Wood, he filled with glass at his own expense all the side windows of the chancel of the old collegiate church of St. John the Baptist in Merton College, putting his monogram on several of them. He was chancellor of the university in 1309, and again in 1311, appointing William Gifford his locum tenens (Wood, Fasti, pp. 18, 327). In the latter year he was professor of theology and rector of Flintham, Nottinghamshire (Tanner, p. 519), and he attended a provincial council about the Templars, held in York Minster (Brodrick, Memorials of Merton, p. 180).
On 17 Dec. 1314 he was elected dean of Lincoln (Willis, Cathedrals, iii. 76; Le Neve, ii. 32); he was collated to the prebend of Asgarby, Lincoln, in 1316, and was elected bishop of Lincoln in 1319; the latter office he declined (Brodrick, p. 181). In 1324 he was canon of Carlisle, and in 1328 he died, his will being proved on 6 Dec.
Pits, p. 863, Tanner, p. 519, Fabricius, ii. 223, and Brodrick all attribute to Maunsfield a commentary on Boethius, preserved in New College library (No. cclxiv. i) (Coxe, Cat. Codicum). The work was, however, by William of Wheatley [q. v.] (see Fabricius, ii. 171; Tanner, p. 760), and was merely dedicated by Wheatley to Maunsfield.
[Authorities quoted.]