He was elected Master of Pembroke Hall in 1450, a post he held until his death, and also served as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

He was chancellor to Margaret of Anjou and, in about 1456, he became Keeper of the Privy Seal,[12] and in that same year on 28 January he was also appointed one of the tutors and guardians of the Prince of Wales.

[14] Although from a Lancastrian family, he cultivated relations with the Yorkists and, after the fall of Henry VI, Booth adapted himself to the new status quo.

He submitted himself to King Edward (the former Earl of March) in April 1461, and by the end of June, Booth defeated a raid led by the Lords de Ros, Dacre and Rugemont-Grey who brought Henry VI over the border to try to raise a rebellion in the north of England.

[16] Although he temporarily lost control of the palatinate of Durham, he was restored in 1464, after making a submission to Edward IV; he was successful in part by being a prelate who was never imprisoned in that era.