Walter de Gray
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| Walter de Gray | |
| Archbishop of York | |
| Enthroned | {{{began}}} |
|---|---|
| Ended | May 1, 1255 |
| Predecessor | Geoffrey Plantagenet |
| Successor | Sewal de Bovil |
| Consecration | elected November 10, 1215 |
| Birth name | Walter de Gray |
| Died | May 1, 1255 Fulham |
| Buried | York Minster |
Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255) was an English prelate and statesman who rose to be Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor.
Contents |
[edit] Life
He was the son of John de Gray the Elder of Eaton in Norfolk and nephew of John de Gray (the Younger), Bishop of Norwich.[1] He was educated at the University of Oxford, where he heard the lectures of Edmund of Abingdon.[2]
Walter owed his early and rapid preferment in church and state to the favor of King John, becoming the king's chancellor in 1205,[3] having paid John 5000 marks for the office.[2] He was chosen bishop of Lichfield in 1210.[4] He was, however, not allowed to keep this bishopric, but he became bishop of Worcester on January 20, 1214,[5] resigning his office as chancellor in October of 1214.[3] His consecration as bishop of Worcester took place on October 5, 1214.[5] Gray was with John when the king signed the Magna Carta in June of 1215; soon after this event he left England on the king's business, and it was during his absence that he was forced into the archbishopric of York, owing his election on November 10, 1215[6] to the good offices of John and of Pope Innocent III. John had wanted Walter, but, the canons of York felt that Walter was uneducated, and selected Simon Langton, brother of Stephen Langton Archbishop of Canterbury instead. John objected, and wrote to Pope Innocent III complaining of the election of the brother of one of his staunchest enemies, and Innocent agreed.[7] However, Walter in the end paid more than ₤10,000 to the pope in various fees to get his election confirmed.[8]Walter attended the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.[9]
He took a leading part in public affairs during the minority of Henry III, and was regarded with much favour by this king, who employed him on important errands to foreign potentates, and left him as guardian of England when he went to France in 1242.[2] In 1252, Walter hosted King Henry and King Alexander III of Scotland for the Christmas feasts at York, which event cost the archbishop ₤2500.[10] Afterwards the archbishop seems to have been less favorably disposed towards Henry, and for a time he absented himself from public business. Gray was always anxious to assert his archiepiscopal authority over Scotland, and to maintain it against the archbishop of Canterbury, but in neither case was he very successful. He built the south transept of York Minster and bought for his see the village, afterwards called Bishopthorpe, which is still the residence of the archbishop of York.[2] He was also generous to the church at Ripon.[11]
He held a series of councils in his diocese from 1241 to 1255 which endeavored to enforce clerical celibacy, keep benefices from being inherited, and improve the education and morals of the clergy. He gave generously to his cathedral and other churches, as well as working to endown vicarages. He visited many of the monasteries of his diocese and helped those that were in financial difficulties. He also oversaw the translation of Saint Wilfrid's remains to a new shrine at Ripon.[2]
in 1255, he visited London to attend a meeting of parliament, and died at Fulham on the May 1, 1255.[5][1] He was buried on May 15, 1255 at York Minster.[2]
His three nephews were William Langton (or Rotherfield) who was Dean of York and was elected archbishop of York but never consecrated, and Walter le Breton and Walter de Grey, who were canons of York.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f Haines "Gray, Walter de (d. 1255)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online Edition accessed November 12, 2007
- ^ a b Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 84
- ^ British History Online Bishops of Worcester accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ a b c Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 279
- ^ Fryde Handbook of British Chronology p. 282
- ^ Bartlett England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings p. 406-407
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. 174
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. 237
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. 175
- ^ Moorman Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century p. 204
[edit] References
- Bartlett, Robert England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings: 1075-1225 Oxford:Clarendon Press 2000 ISBN 0-19-822741-8
- British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- British History Online Bishops of Worcester accessed on September 15, 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.
- Haines, Roy Martin "Gray, Walter de (d. 1255)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 12, 2007
- Moorman, John R. H. Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century Revised Edition Cambridge:Cambridge University Press 1955
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hubert Walter |
Lord Chancellor 1205–1214 |
Succeeded by Richard Marsh |
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by Mauger of Worcester |
Bishop of Worcester 1214–1216 |
Succeeded by Sylvester of Worcester |
| Preceded by Simon Langton |
Archbishop of York 1216–1255 |
Succeeded by Sewal de Bovil |
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gray, Walter de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Lord Chancellor; Bishop of Worcester; Archbishop of York |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 1, 1255 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Fulham |
