Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Kylmington, Richard
KYLMINGTON or KYLMETON, RICHARD (d. 1361), dean of St. Paul's and theologian, was educated at Oxford, where he graduated as doctor of divinity before 1339. He was afterwards a clerk of Richard de Bury (Wharton, De Episc. Lond. p. 221), and seems to have been a friend of Richard Fitzralph [q. v.] In July 1339 he was employed in the embassy sent to negotiate with Philip of France (Fœdera, iii. 1084, Record ed.) On 18 March 1348 he was appointed archdeacon of London, which position he held for two years. In 1353 he was made dean of St. Paul's (Le Neve, Fasti Eccl. Angl. ii. 311, 321). He died in 1361, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. Kylmington is memorable for his share in the controversy on evangelical poverty between Richard Fitzralph, archbishop of Armagh, and Roger of Conway [q. v.] the Franciscan. According to Wood, Kylmington was the first to oppose Conway (Hist. and Antiq. Univ. Oxford, i. 475, ed. Gutch). Kylmington's contributions to the controversy were: 1. ‘Pro Armachano contra fratres,’ inc. ‘Quod dominus archiepiscopus Armachanus.’ 2. ‘Contra Rogerum Conway,’ inc. ‘Licet ex responsione Armachani mei.’ 3. ‘Contra mendicitatem otiosam.’ None of these seem to be extant. His other writings were: 4. ‘Sermo de Adventu Domini’ (Bodleian MS. Auct. F. inf. 1.2); this MS. contains some seventy other anonymous sermons. 5. ‘Opuscula Logica,’ in MS. at St. Peter's College, Cambridge, No. 37 (Bernard, Cat. MSS. Angliæ, ii. 146). 6. ‘Quæstiones Theologicæ.’ 7. ‘De generatione ac corruptione.’ Leland calls him ‘most Aristotelian;’ in Bodleian MS. Auct. F. inf. 1.2, he is spoken of as ‘fratribus mendicantibus infensissimus.’ His name appears as Kilmyngton, Chillington, Kylvyngton, and Chelmeston.
[Leland's Comment. de Scriptt. Brit. p. 455; Bale, v. 95; Pits, p. 490; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.-Hib. p. 990; Wharton, De Episcopis et Decanis Londinensibus, p. 221.]