William of Louth

William of Louth
Bishop of Ely
William of Louth's seal, now in the British Museum
See	Diocese of Ely
Elected	12 May 1290
Reign ended	25 or 27 March 1298
Predecessor	John Kirkby
Successor	John Salmon
Other posts	Archdeacon of Durham
Orders
Ordination	23 September 1290^[1]
Consecration	1 October 1290
Personal details
Died	25 or 27 March 1298
Buried	Ely Cathedral
Denomination	Catholic

William of Louth (died 1298) was a medieval Bishop of Ely.

Life

William probably was born in Louth, Lincolnshire but his parentage is unknown.^[2] William attended a university and held a university degree.^[3] He probably held an office in the chancery under King Henry III of England.^[2] Soon after the coronation of King Edward I of England, Edward appointed William cofferer of the wardrobe, on 18 October 1274.^[4] The cofferer was in charge of the money of that department of the administration.^[3] In 1278 through 1280, William was put in charge of the construction of the town and castle at Rhuddlan by the king.^[2]

William held prebends in the dioceses of Lincoln, London, Wells, and York as well as the deanery of St Martin le Grand in London before being named Archdeacon of Durham by 22 August 1284.^[5] In 1286 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to France by the king.^[3]

William was elected to the see of Ely on 12 May 1290 and consecrated on 1 October 1290. He died on 25 March 1298 or 27 March.^[1]^[6] He was buried in Ely Cathedral. His only known relative was a nephew William Tuchet, who was his heir.^[2] His tomb, with an elaborate canopy, still is located close to where it was originally placed near the high altar in the south choir aisle near the entrance to the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral.^[7]

Notes

^ ^a ^b British History Online Bishops of Ely
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Martin "Louth, William of (c.1240–1298)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
^ ^a ^b ^c Prestwich Edward I pp. 139–140
^ Prestwich Edward I p. 92
^ British History Online Archdeacons of Durham
^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 244
^ Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" Journal of the British Archaeological Association pp. 79–80

References

British History Online Archdeacons of Durham 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 revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
Martin, G. H. (2004). "Louth, William of (c.1240–1298)" (Subscription or UK public library membership required). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (January 2008 revised ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60124. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/60124. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
Prestwich, Michael (1997). Edward I. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07157-4.
Sayers, Jane (2009). "A Once Proud Prelate: An Unidentified Episcopal Monument in Ely Cathedral". Journal of the British Archaeological Association 162: 67–87. doi:10.1179/006812809x12448232842376.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Kirkby	Bishop of Ely 1290–1298	Succeeded by John Salmon

Archdeacons of Durham

Medieval	William of Durham • Antony Bek • William of Louth • William de St Botulph • Thomas de Goldesburgh • Amaury de Beaumont • Robert de Taunton • Thomas de Neville • William de Westle • John de Kyngeston • John de Stokes • Alexander Neville • James Orsini • Agapitus de Colonna • Pileus de Prata • Marius Bulcano • John Maundour • Hugh Herle • Thomas de Weston • Alan de Newark • John Hovyngham • John Kemp • Gabriel Condulmier • Robert Gilbert • Robert Rolleston • William Scrope • George Neville • Thomas Rotherham • Ralph Booth • Thomas Colston

Modern	Roger Leyburn • William Franklyn • Bernard Gilpin • John Ebden • John Pilkington • William Morton • Gabriel Clark • Denis Granville • Robert Booth • George Sayer • Samuel Dickens • Benjamin Pye • Richard Prosser • Charles Thorp • Trevor Willmott • Stephen Conway • Ian Jagger

Persondata
Name	William of Louth
Alternative names
Short description	Bishop of Ely
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	March 25, 1298
Place of death