John Prise (c. 1510 – 1585) was an English antiquary, manuscript collector, and royal official who played a notable role during the reign of Henry VIII, particularly in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Born in Shropshire, Prise was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and later a Master of Arts.
In the 1530s, he entered the service of the Crown as a commissioner tasked with the visitation and suppression of monastic houses. In this capacity, Prise surveyed and reported on the contents of monastic libraries, often acquiring valuable manuscripts for the royal collection. His work contributed to the formation of the King's Library, a precursor to the British Library's manuscript holdings.
Beyond his administrative duties, Prise was a prolific antiquarian. He corresponded with contemporary scholars, including Sir Thomas Smith and Sir William Cecil, and contributed to the early development of English historical scholarship. He compiled notes on English heraldry, local histories, and genealogies, many of which survive in manuscript form.
Prise also served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Shrewsbury (1545) and Leominster (1553). He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire and held various local offices, reflecting his standing in both regional and national affairs.
His later years were marked by continued patronage of learning and the accumulation of a personal library, parts of which were bequeathed to academic institutions after his death. John Prise is remembered for his contributions to the preservation of medieval English manuscripts and for his role in the cultural transformations of the Tudor period.