Geoffrey de Burgo

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Geoffrey de Burgo

Denomination	Catholic
Senior posting
See	Diocese of Ely
Title	Bishop of Ely
Period in office	1225–1228
Predecessor	John of Fountains
Successor	Hugh of Northwold
Religious career
Previous post	Archdeacon of Norwich
Personal
Date of death	December 1228

Geoffrey de Burgo (c. 1180–8 December 1228) was a medieval Bishop of Ely.

[edit] Life

He was the brother of Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent,^[1] and William de Burgh, Lord of Connacht.^{[citation needed]} He was born no later than 1180 or so, based on his appointment as archdeacon in 1200. The name of his father is not known, but his mother's name was Alice and the family was from Norfolk and was of knightly status.^[1]

He was canon of Salisbury Cathedral and a treasurer of the Exchequer before being named Archdeacon of Norwich in 1200.^[2] He was elected to the see of Ely in 1215, but the election was quashed by Pope Honorius III before May 1219 due to a competing election with Robert of York.^[3] The pope quashed both elections, and ordered a new election, where the monks elected John of Fountains, who was a Cistercian and the abbot of Fountains Abbey.^[1]

He was once more elected to Ely in June 1225.^[3] He owed his election to his brother Hubert, who was Justiciar at the time.^[1] He was consecrated Bishop of Ely on 29 June 1225 and died between 8 December and 17 December 1228.^[4] He was buried in Ely Cathedral in the north choir. Besides his brothers, he also had a nephew, Thomas Blunville, who Hubert had elected to the see of Norwich in 1226.^[1]

Roger of Wendover told the story of a Geoffrey, archdeacon of Norwich who was a victim of King John of England's cruelty. The story goes that Geoffrey was thrown into prison and fitted with a lead cloak and starved to death. However, this cannot be this Geoffrey, for the bishop died well after John. The historian Sidney Painter suggested that the real victim may have been another Geoffrey of Norwich, known to be a justice of the Jews.^[5]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• British History Online Archdeacons of Norwich accessed on October 25, 2007
• British History Online Bishops of Ely accessed on October 25, 2007
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• Karn, Nicholas (May 2007). "Burgh, Geoffrey de (d. 1228)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on 2008-04-01. 
• Poole, Austin Lane (1955). From Domesday Book to Magna Carta, 1087-1216, Second Edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-821707-2. 

Roman Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Eustace, Dean of Salisbury	Bishop of Ely Election quashed 1215–1219	Succeeded by Robert of York
Preceded by John of Fountains	Bishop of Ely 1225–1228	Succeeded by Hugh of Northwold

Persondata
NAME	Burgo, Geoffrey de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Bishop of Ely
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	December 8, 1228
PLACE OF DEATH