| Stigand of Selsey | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Selsey Bishop of Chichester |
|
| See | Diocese of Selsey Diocese of Chichester |
| Appointed | 1070 |
| Reign ended | 1087 |
| Predecessor | Æthelric II |
| Successor | Godfrey |
| Other posts | royal chaplain |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | before 29 August 1070 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Stigand |
| Died | 1087 |
| Denomination | Catholic |
Stigand (died 1087) was the last Bishop of Selsey, and first Bishop of Chichester.
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Shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066, there was a purge of the English episcopate, Archbishop Stigand was deposed in 1070 along with four other bishops, including Æthelric II of Selsey, probably because of his association with the Archbishop.[1] King Williams chaplain, who was also called Stigand, replaced Æthelric, as Bishop of Selsey within the week.[1] Lanfranc was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury on 29 August 1070, and Stigand was listed as one of the assisting bishops, therefore Stigand must have been appointed as bishop prior to that date.[2]
At the Council of London in 1075 the South Saxon see was transferred to Chichester.[3] The medieval chronicler William of Malmesbury said that there had been a church dedicated to St Peter, as well as a convent in the town. Presumably it was in the church, or minister, which became the new seat of the diocese. Traditionally, the building of the cathedral has been credited to one of Stigand's successor's, Ralph de Luffa, but the architectural historian R. D. H. Gem argues it is possible that Stigand began the building of Chichester Cathedral,[4] and Tatton-Brown goes further, by suggesting that "most of the first church was completed as far as the fourth bay in the nave by the time of Bishop Luffa".[5] The problem for historians, is that virtually no charters or other documents survive from Stigand's time, at least that are not forgeries.[6] The loss of most of the documents were attributed to the sacking of the cathedral by the Parliamentarians in 1642, during the English Civil war.[7]
The cathedral, that was probably planned during Stigands tenure, consisted of an eight-bay nave with flanking western towers, however evidence from the fabric shows that only the eastern four bays were built in the first phase.[5]
The organization of his diocese into prebends may have begun under Stigand.[8] Stigands organisational skills brought him into a dispute with Lanfranc over the Archbishops peculiars in Sussex, which were numerous.[9] Lanfranc wrote a letter to Stigand instructing him not to meddle in future with the Sussex parishes belonging to the see of Canterbury and he also prohibited any of the clergy in those peculiars from attending Stigands diocesan synods.[9]
Stigand also managed to attract the kings displeasure, this was after the king had chosen a monk from Marmoutier Abbey in the Loire Valley, France to be the first abbot of Battle Abbey. The king had requested that Stigand go to Battle to consecrate the new abbot, however Stigand refused and insisted that the abbot elect go to Chichester for the purpose instead. The king was insensed and compelled Stigand to go to Battle to consecrate the monk before the altar of St. Martin. The abbey was to remain outside Stigands jurisdiction and become part of the kings own chapel and as a further humiliation Stigand and his retinue were forbidden to be lodged or boarded within the grounds of the abbey on this occasion.[10]
Stigand was Bishop of Chichester until his death in 1087, possibly on 29 August.[11]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Æthelric II |
Bishop of Selsey 1070–1075 |
see moved to Chichester |
| New title see moved from Selsey
|
Bishop of Chichester 1075–1087 |
Succeeded by Godfrey |
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