Ralph Neville
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ralph Neville | |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Enthroned | {{{began}}} |
|---|---|
| Ended | 1232 |
| Predecessor | Richard le Grant |
| Successor | John of Sittingbourne |
| Consecration | never consecrated |
| Birth name | Ralph Neville |
| Died | February 1244 London |
| Buried | Chichester Cathedral |
Ralph Neville (died 1244) served as Lord Chancellor of England (two separate terms) and Bishop of Chichester during the 13th century. He was also Archbishop of Canterbury elect from 1231 to 1232.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
He had at least three brothers: Nicholas de Neville, a canon at Chichester, William de Neville, treasurer of the see of Chichester, and Robert de Neville, holder of a prebend at Chichester. He was also related to Hugh de Neville, the chief forester for King John of England.[1] He was a royal clerk of King John in the spring of 1207, and in December of that year was at Marlborough Castle on royal business.[2] Ralph was Dean of Lichfield on April 11, 1214 and held a prebend in the diocese of London at that time.[3]
[edit] Royal service and Bishop of Chichester
Ralph was Keeper of the King's Seal under Henry III from about November 6, 1218.[4][5] He was also vice-chancellor of England, and with the retirement of Richard Marsh, the Chancellor, to Marsh's see of Durham to handle ecclesiastical affairs, Ralph in fact, if not in name, held the office of Chancellor itself.[6][2] He received a dispensation for illegitimacy on January 25, 1220. In late October he was named chancellor of the see of Chichester,[1] but was then elected as bishop of Chichester about November 1, 1222. He was given control of the temporalities of the bishopric on November 3, 1222, and was consecrated on April 21, 1224.[7]
Ralph was named Lord Chancellor of England on May 17, 1226.[4] That appointment was done by the great council during the minority of King Henry III, and Ralph obtained a grant of the office for life.[8] Unlike Hubert de Burgh, who lost his offices when Henry III attained his majority and took control of the government, Ralph remained in office with only slight disagreements until 1238.[6]
Letters from the precentor of Chichester Cathedral are still extant, begging the bishop to come to Chichester over Easter in order to celebrate the Easter Mass and to deal with pressing issues in the diocese. Ralph's duties as Chancellor kept him from attending to much of the business of his diocese.[9]
Ralph was elected Archbishop of Canterbury about September 24, 1231 by the monks of Canterbury, but his election to the archbishopric was quashed in early 1232 by the Pope Gregory IX.[10][2] In 1238, the cathedral chapter of the see of Winchester elected first William de Raley in opposition to the king's choice of William of Valence, and when that election was quashed, they then selected Ralph instead of William bishop of Valence. However, this election to Winchester was quashed in 1239,[1] and it led to a quarrel with Henry III. Henry deprived Ralph of the actual custody of the great seal from 1238 until 1242, but Ralph retained the title of Chancellor until his death.[6]
[edit] Death and afterward
He died between February 1 and February 4, 1244[7] at the palace he had built in London on a what was then New Street, but was renamed Chancery Lane because of the palace he built. He was buried in Chichester Cathedral.[2]
[edit] Writings
His letters have been collected in Sussex Archaelological Collections volume 3, edited by W. H. Blaauw in 1850.[11]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c British History Online Bishops of Chichester accessed on September 11, 2007
- ^ a b c d Cazel "Neville, Ralph de (d. 1244)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online Edition accessed November 8, 2007
- ^ British History Online Prebends of Chichester accessed on September 11, 2007
- ^ a b Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 85
- ^ Powell The House of Lords in the Middle Ages p. 173
- ^ a b c Chrimes An Introduction to the Administrative History of England p. 109-114
- ^ a b Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 239
- ^ Chrimes An Introduction to the Administrative History of Mediaeval England p. 87
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. 164-165
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 233
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. xv
[edit] References
- British History Online Bishops of Chichester accessed on September 11, 2007
- Cazel, Jr., Fred A. "Neville, Ralph de (d. 1244)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 8, 2007
- Chrimes, S. B. An Introduction to the Administrative History of Mediaeval England Third Edition Oxford:Basil Blackwell 1966
- 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.
- Moorman, John R. H. Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century Revised Edition Cambridge:Cambridge University Press 1955
- Powell, J. Enoch and Keith Wallis The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Marsh |
Lord Chancellor 1226–1240 (Keeper of the Great Seal) |
Succeeded by Richard le Gras |
| Preceded by Richard le Gras (Keeper of the Great Seal) |
Lord Chancellor 1242–1244 |
Succeeded by Silvester de Everdon |
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by Ranulf of Wareham |
Bishop of Chichester 1224–1244 |
Succeeded by Robert Papelew |
| Preceded by Richard le Grant |
Archbishop of Canterbury election quashed 1231–1232 |
Succeeded by John of Sittingbourne |
| Preceded by Peter des Roches |
Bishop of Winchester election quashed 1238–1239 |
Succeeded by William de Raley |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Neville, Ralph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Chancellor of England; Bishop of Chichester; Archbishop of Canterbury-elect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 1244 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
