Archdeacons: Berkshire

Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 4, Salisbury. Originally published by Institute of Historical Research, London, 1991.

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'Archdeacons: Berkshire', in Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 4, Salisbury, (London, 1991) pp. 28-31. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/fasti-ecclesiae/1066-1300/vol4/pp28-31 [accessed 11 April 2024]

Archdeacons

ARCHDEACONRY

Church of North Moreton (Berks.) annexed to archdcnry. between 1237 and 1246, in compensation for loss of profits through 'imprebendatio' of churches of Wantage and Hungerford and chapel of Shalbourne (Berks.) to abbot and convent of Le Bec-Hellouin, preb. Ogbourne (list 46; IV/E.5/Archdeacon of Berkshire/1). (fn. 1) Deeds relating to the church, ibid. nos. 2, 3; C. 384.

Second archdcnry., covering entire county of Berkshire, with its four deaneries of Abingdon, Newbury, Reading and Wallingford.

Valuations

1291 archdcnry. (with church of North Moreton, excluding procurations) £54, total of spirs. in archdcnry. £1,739 5s. 8d.

ARCHDEACONS

Roger preb. unident., list 65

First certain occ. 1150 x 7 Sept. 1151 (Regesta III no. 705), (fn. 2) but possibly to be identified with Roger archdcn. who occ. at Reims 1142 x 53 [prob. 1148] (Cart. Baioc. I no. 61, cal. in Cal. Docs. France no. 1438), although this may have been Roger of Ramsbury, archdcn. of Wilts. (list 10). Occ. several times. Last certain occ. 10 Aug. 1156 (Chron. Abingdon, ed. J. Stevenson (RS ii, 1858) II 211), and occ. possibly later, 1155 x 61 (RSO I 218, for date see Philip chanc., list 4) and 1155 x 65 (Oxford Chs. no. 25). (fn. 3) Also can. of Lincoln, commem. 24 March (1 Fasti III 141). (fn. 4) Possibly, as suggested by Kealey, pp. 273-4, to be identified with Roger le Poer, chanc. of king Stephen and son of bp. Roger le Poer, but this seems unlikely. (fn. 5)

Geoffrey [de Vernun] preb. unident., list 65

First occ. as Geoffrey archdcn. of Salisbury 16 Oct. 1173 (M. G. Cheney, Roger of Worcester 1164-1179 (Oxford, 1980) p. 294; cf. Cart. Lewes Wilts. no. 47, of c. 1173), and as Geoffrey archdcn. of Berks. Oct. 1175 x Aug. 1179] (HMC Wells I 20). (fn. 6) Presum. to be identified with Geoffrey de Vernun archdcn. who occ. in Wilts. 1185 and 1186 (PR 31 Hen. II p. 194, 32 Hen. II p. 163). Called 'magister' twice (Cart. St Frideswide II 332-3, of 1191/2, as 'magister G.'; and Cart. Daventry, ed. M. J. Franklin (Northants Rec. Soc. xxxv, 1988) no. 501, of 1175 x 87, (fn. 7) as 'magister Gaufridus'). Last occ. 1197 x 1205 (cart. Bath: BL, Egerton MS 3316 fo. 38v; (fn. 8) cf. Sar. Chs. p. 73, of after 1197, as Geoffrey archdcn.). (fn. 9)

Alberic preb. unident., list 65

Occ. with full name twice only: 15 Oct. 1206 (IV/C.4/5); June 1206 x June 1207 (HMC 4th Report (1874) p. 453b). Occ. as A. archdcn. of Berks. four times: 1206/7 (Cart. Sandford II no. 264), 27 May 1208 (Windsor, St George's Chapel Muniments, XI. G. 21 (original ch.), pd. RSO I 190, from RSO MS p. 38), 7 Jan. 1213/14 (Nova Const.), 14 Nov. 1215 (C. 479, witnesses omitted in Sar. Chs. p. 79).

Geoffrey preb. unident., list 65

First occ., as 'G.', 1204 x 20 (Cart. Reading II 148). Occ. several times. Last occ., with full name, 15 and 18 Aug. 1222 (Sar. Stats. p. 70, also pd. RSO II 18; RSO I 339).

M. William de Merton preb. Faringdon, list 30

Can. (list 30). First occ. this archdcnry., as 'W.', 25 Apr. 1224 (Sar. Chs. p. 164) and with full name 28 June 1224 (ibid. p. 166). Occ. frequently. Last occ. 17 Feb. 1236 (ibid. p. 237, as 'William', wrongly extended to [de Preston]). Dean of Wells and still preb. Faringdon 1237/8 (ibid. p. 243). Last occ. at Wells 19 Sept. 1237 (HMC Wells I 49), and had been succeeded there as dean by 28 Jan. 1238 (CPR 1232-47 p. 208).

M. Clement preb. unident., list 65

Occ. this archdcnry. once only, 31 Dec. 1236 (Cart. Glastonbury I 63). Prob. to be identified with M. Clement de Melcheburne, can., unident. preb. (list 66).

William de Ralegh preb. unident., list 65

In 1249 called former archdcn. of Berks., predecessor of M. Giles of Bridport (Civil Pleas Wilts. 1249 no. 229), so presum. in office some time between Feb. 1236 and Dec. 1237. Presum. to be identified with William de Ralegh, treas. of Exeter amd preb. of London (1 Fasti I 37), royal justice 1229-39 (Turner, Judiciary p. 301 and index), who became bp. of Norwich, el. 10 Apr. 1239, temps. after 4 June, cons. 25 Sept. (1 Fasti II 57).

M. Giles of Bridport I (fn. 10) preb. unident., list 65

First occ. this archdcnry., as M. Giles, 26 Dec. 1237 (Close R. 1237-42 p. 18; cf. Cart. Cirencester II no. 560, of c. 2 Feb. 1237/8). With full name and title first occ. 1238/9 (Cart. Cirencester II no. 507) and last occ. thus 6 Apr. 1255 (Cart. Eynsham, ed. H. E. Salter (Oxford Hist. Soc. xlix, li, 1906-8) II no. 728). Also bp.'s official (Cart. Cirencester II no. 507) and dean of Wells (cf. C. 398). Occ. frequently. Last occ. as archdcn. 28 Dec. 1255 (ibid.; cf. Cart. Reading II 303). Bp., el. between 13 Feb. and 15 Apr., temps. 17 Aug. 1256, cons. 11 March 1257 (list 1).

M. William preb. unident., list 65

Occ. 21 Feb. x 1 Nov. 1262 (cart. De Vaux fo. 26r). D. as archdcn. of Berks. and rector of Lewknor (Oxon.) before 3 Nov. 1262 (Rot. Gravesend p. 216).

M. Simon of Bridport preb. unident., list 65

Archdcn. of Dorset (list 7). Occ. this archdcnry. four times only: as Simon 4 Oct. 1262 (Sar. Stats. p. 98, also pd., but with defective date, RSO I 354) and 15 Aug. 1263 (C. 414); as 'S.' 15 June 1263 (B. 450); with full name and title 3 Feb. 1263/4 (cart. De Vaux fo. 34r). Treas. by 22 Apr. 1265 (list 5).

William preb. unident., list 65

Occ. once only: 22 Apr. 1265 (Niger fo. 59r-v).

M. Walter Scammel preb. unident., list 65

Can. (list 65). First occ. as archdcn. 6 July 1266 (Reg. Malmes. I 420; cf. B. 494, of shortly after 18 Apr., and CPR 1258-66 p. 620, of 28 July). Described as king's clk. and collector 1267-8 (see CPR 1266-72 pp. 173, 175, 183 etc.). Became treas. of Salisbury, first occ. 13 Feb. 1268, although called archdcn. 8 March; occ. as treas. 24 March and thereafter (list 5).

M. Stephen of Newbury preb. unident., list 65

Occ. three times only: with full name and title before 18 Jan. 1275 (cart. De Vaux fo. 133v); as Stephen 8 March 1278/9 (Sar. Stats. p. 110, also pd. Cart. St Nich. p. 46) and 1 Sept. 1281 (IV/E.5/Archdeacon of Dorset/3).

No known archdcn. of Berks. occ. May-June 1284 (app. 2), so archdcnry. perhaps vacant at that time.

William de Berges preb. Grantham Borealis, list 33

First occ. 5 March 1287 (C. 540). Occ. several times (cf. app. 3). Last occ. 17 Apr. 1311 (Reg. Gandavo I 403). D. by 10 March 1313 (ibid. II 805).

Footnotes

  • 1. Temp. Giles of Bridport, archdcn. of Berks., and bp. Robert de Bingham.
  • 2. Occ. Dec. 1154 x June 1155, IV/C.3/Chardstock/2 and B. 47 (given as 'Robert' in same document in C. 76, from which pd. Sar. Chs. p. 19).
  • 3. Temp. Henry de Beaumont, dean, list 2.
  • 4. In this entry the reference to RSO I 238 should be deleted, as this archdcn. Roger is surely Roger [of Ramsbury], archdcn. [of Wilts.] (list 10).
  • 5. M. Ranulph of Calne officiated vices archdcn. ? 1160s, Cal. Docs. France p. 118. He occ. without title 1157 x 71, cart. St Cross, Winchester: BL, Harley MS 1616 fo. 12r, pd. Voss, Heinrich p. 158, name wrongly given as 'de Salum'. Cf. M. Ranulph, unident. preb., below list 66.
  • 6. Temp. Roger bp. of Worcester and Adam bp. of St Asaph.
  • 7. Temp. [Savaric] archdcn. of Northampton and Roger of Derby, 1 Fasti III 31, 142.
  • 8. Temp. Savaric bp. of Bath and Glastonbury.
  • 9. Richard vice-archdcn. of Berks. occ. 1183 x 84, Cart. Reading II 91-2, and an unnamed vice-archdcn. occ. 1142 x 84, Cart. Cirencester II no. 479.
  • 10. There is no contemporary authority for M. Giles 'de Wocumbe', who appears as archdcn. of Berks. in Le Neve-Hardy and Jones (hence Biog. Ox. III 2068); it is clear that the occs. of M. Giles, without toponym, belong to M. Giles of Bridport.
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