Item 1
On James Stanley from a poem found amongst the Stanley family papers (from Bentham - A History of the Conventual Cathedral of Ely)

His third sonne was James
A goodlie man a Prieste
Yet little Prieste’s metal
Was in him by Christe
As manie more Pittie!
Sacred orders take
For promotion
Rather than for Christ’s sake
And often most long of Frendes
The truth to tell:
It is greate grace if such
A one prove well.
Greate abuse in Priesthood
And Matrimonie
When fancie of Frendes
Shall chuse for the Partie
A goodlie tawel Man
As was in all England
And sped well in matters
That he took in hand.
King Henry VII
A Prince and noble Sage
Made him Bishoppe
For his wisdome and Patronage
Of Elie many a day
Was he Bishoppe there
Builded Sommersame
The Bishoppes chiefe Mannere.
An great Viander
As anie in his dayes
To Byshoppes that then was
This is no dispraise
Because he was a priest
I dare doe noe less
But leave as I know not
Of his hardinesse.
What priest hath a
One the one ear sodainlie
Turn the other likewise
For humilitie.
Hee woulde not doe soe
By the Crosse in my purse
Yet I truste his soule fareth
Never the wurse
For he did Actes bouldlie
Divers in his daies
He did ende his life
At merrie Manchester
And right honourablie
Lyes buried there
In his Chappell
Which he began of Free-stone
Sir John Stanley made it out
When he was gone.
God send his soule
To the heavenly companie
Farewell godlie James
Bishoppe of Elie.



Item 2
From Godwin's history of the English Clergy known as "de Praesilibis "

His successor (as bishop of Ely) was James Stanley, Doctor of Sacred Theology and brother of the Count of Derby, of whom afterwards, nothing good was said. He was consecrated in 1506 and sat for eight and a half years whose time on (matters of) the church was too little or wasted. He spent a large part of the Summer at Somersham where “little” women visited him (not to say concubines) with whom he enjoyed consorting to excess.
Godwin adds in a footnote that:
"at the bishops expense the building of Somersham was embellished."

Item 3
In his great opus on the British Isles, the Magna Britannia, Camden notes that:
"Turning almost 3 miles to one side (from St Ives) I saw a large Palace lately belonging to the Bishop of Ely (so said anno 1607) being given to the church at Ely by Earl Britnoth in the year 991 and enlarged with new buildings by that lewd and luxurious bishop James Stanley. It is now in the possession of Anthony Hammond of the ancient family of that name in Kent."

Item 4
From the History of the Noble House of Stanley, published 1840

James the 6th son of this noble lord was Dean of St martins in London and made Bishop of Ely the twenty second (year of) Henry VII and also warden of the Collegiate Church of Manchester in the County of Lancaster. He was author of a M.S. history of his family in verse and lieth buried in the chapel of St John the Baptist by him built on the north side of that church with the following inscription of his tomb:
“of your charity pray for the soul of James Stanley sometime Bishop of Ely who deceased out of this transitory world the twenty second day of march in the year of our Lord 1525. Upon whose soul and all Christian souls, Jesus have mercy.”

It appears that this bishop was incontinent having a base son, Sir John Stanley who married to his first wife Elizabeth daughter and co heir to Sir John Harrington of Hornby and by her had three daughters.

He (James) was a stout man as appears from the Old Rhymaster of the same family Thomas Stanley, Bishop of Man 1562 wherein he is described:
“a goodlie tall man as was in all England
And spedd well all matters that he took in hand”
In the year 1812 his remains were exhumed for the purpose of settling an antiquarian doubt as some maintained that he was buried in Ely cathedral. At a depth of a yard and a quarter below the floor his remains were found with his arms folded over his breast. On the skeleton being placed on the floor of the chapel it was found to be upwards of 6 feet 4 inches in length, the thigh bone measured exactly twenty inches from which anatomists deduce that his stature must have been about six foot eight inches.