Archdeacons: Hereford

LIST 6 ARCHDEACONS OF HEREFORD (fn. 1)

Heinfrid

Occ. as archdcn. ('Hainfridus archidiaconus') 1085 (EEA VII no. 2); occ. 14 Nov. 1086 as 'Hamofridus archidiaconus' (R. W. Eyton, Antiquities of Shropshire (12 vols., 1853-60) I 109-112; Brooke and Brooke pp. 14, 183; for dating, see J. F. A. Mason and P. A. Barker, 'The Norman castle at Quatford', Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Soc. lvii (1961-4) 40); occ. as archdcn., with no territorial definition, March 1101 or March 1102 (CDF no. 1138). Commem. 6 July (app. 1 fo. 25v), and could have d. in any year between 1101 and 1120.

Geoffrey

D. by drowning in the White Ship, 25 Nov. 1120 (John of Worcester III 148-9; Brooke and Brooke p. 14).

Peter

Occ. twice as P., archdcn. of Hereford. 15 Aug. 1127 × 1131 (Reading Cartularies I 277, 288; Brooke and Brooke p. 15; MB p. 268); occ. as archdcn., without any territorial specification, 1131 × 1139, prob. after 1134 (EEA VII no. 16), 1132 (ibid. no. 55) and 9 Apr. 1145 (ibid. no. 27). Occ. in company of archdcn. Walter (of Shropshire) 1154 × 1155 (Reading Cartularies I 263-4). Occ. as archdcn. of Hereford 1173 (Hereford ch. no. 1093) and c. 1179 (MB p. 268: the document is cal., but misdated, in 'Gloucester register' p. 48). It is possible that some of the earliest references to Peter, which do not specify where he was archdcn. of, may refer to archdcn. Peter le Kauf of Shropshire (see under archdcns. of Shropshire). Commem., as archdcn., 15 March (app. 1 fo. 11v), and it is possible that he d. as early as 1179, or perhaps in 1180 or even 1181.

Ralph Foliot

Still can. when occ. 2 Dec. 1178 (GFL no. 410; list 36). First occ. as archdcn. of Hereford 15 March 1179 × 1181 (EEA VII no. 136), and 15 March 1179 × 31 Dec. 1183 (ibid. nos. 147-8, 153), and as archdcn. and king's sigillarius 1181 × 1182 (Recueil des actes de Henri II, ed. L. Delisle and E. Berger (3 vols., Paris, 1916-27) II 215-6). Occ. as archdcn. 1182 (Acta Chichester no. 141); last dated occ. as archdcn. of Hereford, 28 Oct. 1195 at Westminster (Feet of Fines (PRS xvii, 1894) p. 42, and Reading Cartularies I 392); last datable occ. as archdcn. of Hereford 1196 × 24 Dec. 1198 (EEA VII nos. 179-80, after Walter Map became archdcn. of Oxford). Commem. 20 Dec. (app. 1 fo. 52r); he prob. d. in either 1198 or 1199, because Gerald of Wales, in a letter of condolence to Ralph's brother William Foliot, the prec., remarked that Peter de Leche, archdcn. of Worcester, had d. in the preceding year (Gir. Cambr. I 270; Brooke and Brooke p. 16), but it is just conceivable that he d. as early as 1197 (see next item).

William fitzWalter

William, archdcn. of Hereford, occ. c. 1190 × 24 Dec. 1198 (EEA VII no. 237), but this is almost certainly an error for William, vice-archdcn. of Hereford (see William de Stokes, list 36). Otherwise, William fitzWalter, brother of Robert fitzWalter, first occ. as W., archdcn. of Hereford, 26 Nov. 1200, when he was presented to the portion which Henry Banastre (list 36) had held in the church of Ledbury (Rot. Chart. I 80b; Brooke and Brooke p. 16). Occ. as archdcn. of Hereford 24 Sept. 1200 × 30 Nov. 1201 (EEA VII no. 260), Dec. 1207 (Rot. Litt. Pat. I 77b), 2 Jan. 1213, when outlawed (Rot. Litt. Claus. I 165b), and 21 July 1213, when he received a royal pardon (Rot. Litt. Pat. I 101b; he also occ. 21 July 1213 in Cart. Oseney V 353). He once more lost royal favour and was excomm. 5 Sept. 1215 (F. M. Powicke, 'The bull "Miramur plurimum" and a letter to archbishop Stephen Langton, 5 September 1215', EHR xliv (1929) 92-3; cf. Innocent III, Cal. Letters no. 1016n) or Feb. 1216 (Wendover III 356; Chron. Maj. II 644). Presumably, therefore, as suggested by Brooke and Brooke p. 17, he was stripped of his archdcnry. when he was excomm. and was unable to recover it; he does not appear in the obit book.

M. Alexander de Walton

Commem., as archdcn. of Hereford, 16 June (app. 1 fo. 22v). Dates of office uncertain, but prob. c.1215, since he is prob. identifiable with the M. Alexander, can., who is mentioned in a ch. of 16 July 1213 × 17 Nov. 1215 (EEA VII no. 278; see list 36).

M. William de Ria

First occ. as can., preb. of Bartonsham (list 8). First occ. as archdcn., though without surname, 5 Jan. 1216 (Innocent III, Cal. Letters no. 1046); 18 Dec. 1216 × 16 Apr. 1219 (EEA VII no. 306) and 1217 × Dec. 1218, prob. before 18 Nov. (ibid. no. 308 and cf. nos. 309-10, and Brooke and Brooke p. 17). Occ. with surname 1217 × 1222 (PRO E 326/4020; Brooke and Brooke p. 183); occ. 1221 (CPR 1216- 25 p. 342) and 1222 before 27 Oct. (cart. St Guthlac fo. 74v). Occ. 27 Oct. 1219 × 23 July 1227, prob. before 29 Nov. 1223 (EEA VII no. 317); occ. 1216 × 1230 (cart. St Guthlac fo. 75r, no. 316) and 1224 × 1228 (ibid. fo. 49v, no. 180). His preb. of Bartonsham was later held by can. Thomas de Fauconberg, cf. Curia Regis Rolls XVII 323, no. 1653 of June 1243, in which William is referred to as d. William must have d. between 1224 and 1234, as his successor as archdcn. was in office by 1234 (below). Commem., as archdcn. and pr., 22 Oct. (app. 1 fo. 42r).

M. Henry Bustard

First occ. as archdcn. of Hereford, as M. Henry without surname, 1231 × 1234 (cart. St Guthlac fo. 55r, no. 218); occ. as archdcn. of Hereford immediately after 26 July 1234 (Hereford ch. no. 2118); occ. 18 May 1235 (Close Rolls 1234-7 p. 178), 1240 × c.1247 (Hereford ch. no. 786), c. 1248/9 × 1252 (ibid. no. 862), 1247 × 1253 (ibid. nos. 925, 950, 2008). Held land in the lane running from the cath. graveyard steps or stile to Cabocheslone, now Church Street (cart. I p. i). Commem. 15 May (app. 1 fo. 18v).

William of Conflans (fn. 2)

Occ. as archdcn. of Hereford 4 Nov. 1258 (CPR 1258-66 p. 2), 6 June 1261 (Hereford ch. no. 1084), 25 Feb. 1267 and 25 Jan., 28 March and 20 Oct. 1268 (CPR 1266-72 pp. 42, 184, 213, 265); occ. as W., archdcn., 24 June 1273 (when resident) and 30 Sept. 1273 (Capes, Charters pp. 138-9); occ. 23 May 1275 (CPR 1272-81 p. 90); given licence by bp. Thomas de Cantilupe before 10 Sept. 1275 to stay in the schools or the Roman curia for 3 years (Reg. Cantilupe p. 7); occ. in Hereford 14 Dec. 1275 (Hereford ch. no. 1758); occ. 2 Oct. 1277 (cart. I p. viii); occ. as mag. 17 Sept. 1281 (Reg. Pecham II 132-3); occ. in Hereford 9 Oct. 1285 (Reg. Swinfield p. 95). Became bp. of Geneva in 1287, before 27 May (see list 10).

M. Roger of Sevenoaks

Occ. first as can. of Hereford (list 36). Was also episcopal official under bp. Richard de Swinfield; occ. as such 10 Oct. 1283 (Hereford ch. no. 1052) and 30 Apr. 1286 (Reg. Epp. Peckham III 921). Coll. ('in commendam') to the archdcnry. of Hereford 27 May 1287 after it had been vacated by William of Conflans, bp. of Geneva (Reg. Swinfield p. 526), but this appt. was provisional only, or perhaps Roger swiftly res. (see next item). Later Roger became treas. (list 4; see also list 12).

Richard of Hertford

Coll. to archdcnry. of Hereford 21 Nov. 1287 (Reg. Swinfield p. 527); occ. as archdcn. 29 Apr. 1293 (ibid. p. 299) and 22 Sept. 1297 (cart. II fo. 2v); mentioned, 15 Nov. 1299 (Hereford ch. no. 3). Preb. of Pratum Minus from 1288 (list 29) and then preb. of Warham from 1293 (list 33). Had d. by 1 June 1303 when the archdcnry., the preb. of Warham and his house were all given to Henry de Schorne (Reg. Swinfield pp. 535, 547).