Richard Mitford

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Richard Mitford
Bishop of Salisbury
Tomb of Richard Mitford in Salisbury Cathedral
Church	Catholic
See	Diocese of Salisbury
In office	1395–1407
Predecessor	John Waltham
Successor	Nicholas Bubwith
Personal details
Born	East Hagbourne, Berks.
Died	3 May 1407
Previous post	Bishop of Chichester

Richard Mitford (died 1407) was an English bishop of Chichester from 17 November 1389, and consecrated on 10 April 1390^[1]^[2] and then bishop of Salisbury.^[3] He was translated to the see of Salisbury on 25 October 1395.^[4]

The earliest record of him is "Richard Medeford of Hakebourne, clerk"^[5] in 1349. The cartulary of Cirencester Abbey^[6] records the Metfords of Hakebourne (modern name East Hagbourne, Berks.) as a leading freeman tenant family of the village. His name appears as "Metford" in his own household accounts^[7] and as "Medford" in the Register of John Chandler,^[8] who was Dean of Salisbury Cathedral during much of Mitford's episcopacy. Mitford, as revealed by bequests in his own and his brother Walter's wills,^[9] had three brothers and four sisters. He spent much of his life at the royal court, starting probably as a chorister in the Chapel Royal and continuing as a clerk of the household under Edward III. His training during his time as a Fellow at Kings Hall, Cambridge^[10] from 1352-1374 prepared him for service in the royal bureaucracy, where he eventually rose to become Secretary of the King's Chamber to Richard II (1385 to 1388).

Senior household members of Richard II were politically important, and his position gave Mitford considerable influence. He was one of the members of the royal household arrested by the "Lords Appellant"^[11] in late 1387 for treason, and was imprisoned first in Bristol Castle and then in the Tower of London. However, he was eventually released without penalty.

From 1385 to 1390 he was Archdeacon of Norfolk.^[12] In 1389, Mitford was elected to be Bishop of St David's but was rejected by the Pope.

While Bishop of Salisbury, Mitford spent much of his time at one or another of his episcopal manors, and by chance the household accounts survive of his stay at Potterne, near Devizes, for the last seven months of his life. These give day-by-day records of members of his household and his visitors, the amounts and prices of the food provided for everyday meals as well as the feasts given at Christmas, and even at his own funeral. Such details as his charitable gifts, the fee for his doctor and how much serecloth^[13] was provided for his funeral are also included.

The figure of a bishop labelled with Mitford's name appears in the illustrations of the Sherborne Missal.^[14] He was a patron of Henry Chichele, who acted as lawyer for him.^[15]

Mitford died 3 May 1407,^[4] and was buried in the south transept of Salisbury Cathedral, where his tomb survives.

Notes

↑ Bishops of Selsey and Chichester accessed on 25 August 2007
↑ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 239
↑ Bishops of Salisbury accessed on 25 August 2007
↑ 4.0 4.1 Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 271
↑ Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III, p. 136, 23 Edward III Part 2m 1349.
↑ Ross, C.D. (ed.). The Cartulary of Cirencester Abbey, Gloucester, vols. 1, 2 & 3 (London, 1964).
↑ Woolgar, C.M. Household Accounts from Medieval England, Parts 1 & 2. British Academy Records of Social & Economic History (New Series) XVII (London, 1992, pp. 264-430
↑ Timmins, T.C.B. The Register of John Chandler, Dean of Salisbury 1404-17/ Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIX (Devises, 1988).
↑ Register of Archbishop Thomas Arundel, Will of Richard Metford in the unpublished testamentary portion, Vol. I, folios 237v-239r. Lambeth Palace Library; and Jacob, E.F. (ed.). Registrum HJenrici Chichele, Vols. 1 & 2. Canterbury & York Society 39 & 40 (Oxford, 1943).
↑ Cobban, A. The King's Hall within the University of Cambridge in the Later Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1969), p. 9.
↑ Mainly the magnates Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick, who were dissatisfied with the extravagant lifestyle of Richard II and the rewards he granted to his favorite courtiers. The lords led an armed revolt in 1387 which the king's troops were unable to quell, and persuaded Parliament to behead five of the king's Chamber knights.
↑ "Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300-1541: volume 4: Monastic cathedrals (southern province)". British History Online. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
↑ A coarse cloth wrapped round a corpse over which wax was poured to seal it.
↑ British Library Online Online Showcases Sherborne Missal accessed on 25 August 2007
↑ Catholic Encyclopedia Online Article on Henry Chichele accessed on 25 August 2007

References

Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Thomas Rushock	Bishop of Chichester 1389–1395	Succeeded by Robert Waldby
Preceded by John Waltham	Bishop of Salisbury 1395–1407	Succeeded by Nicholas Bubwith

v t e Bishops of Chichester

High Medieval	Stigand of Selsey Godfrey Ralph de Luffa Seffrid Hilary John of Greenford Seffrid Simon of Wells Nicholas de Aquila Richard Poore Ranulf of Wareham Ralph Neville Robert Passelewe Richard de la Wich John Climping Stephen Bersted Gilbert of St Leonard

Late Medieval	John Langton Robert de Stratford William Lenn William Reade Thomas Rushhook Richard Mitford Robert Waldby Robert Reed Stephen Patrington Henry Ware John Kemp Thomas Polton John Rickingale Thomas Brunce Simon Sydenham Richard Praty Adam Moleyns Reginald Pecock John Arundel Edward Story Richard FitzJames

Early modern	Robert Sherborne Richard Sampson George Day John Scory George Day John Christopherson William Barlow Richard Curteys Thomas Bickley Anthony Watson Lancelot Andrewes Samuel Harsnett George Carleton Richard Montagu Brian Duppa Henry King Peter Gunning Ralph Brideoake Guy Carleton John Lake Simon Patrick Robert Grove John Williams Thomas Manningham Thomas Bowers Edward Waddington Francis Hare Matthias Mawson Sir William Ashburnham

Late modern	John Buckner Robert Carr Edward Maltby William Otter Philip Shuttleworth Ashurst Gilbert Richard Durnford Ernest Wilberforce Charles Ridgeway Winfrid Burrows George Bell Roger Wilson Eric Kemp John Hind Martin Warner

v t e Bishops of Salisbury

see at Old Sarum	merged from Ramsbury & Sherborne Herman Saint Osmund Roger Henry de Sully Philip de Harcourt Josceline de Bohon Hubert Walter Herbert Poore Richard Poore see removed to New Sarum

Medieval	Richard Poore Robert de Bingham William de York Giles of Bridport Walter de la Wyle Robert Wickhampton Walter Scammel Henry Brandeston Lawrence de Awkeburne William de la Corner Nicholas Longespee Simon of Ghent Roger Martival Robert Wyvil Ralph Ergham John Waltham Richard Mitford Nicholas Bubwith Robert Hallam John Chandler Robert Neville William Ayscough Richard Beauchamp Lionel Woodville Thomas Langton John Blyth Henry Deane

Early modern	Edmund Audley Lorenzo Campeggio Nicholas Shaxton John Capon Gasparo Contarini William Petow Francis Mallet John Jewel Edmund Gheast John Piers John Coldwell Henry Cotton Robert Abbot Martin Fotherby Robert Tounson John Davenant Brian Duppa Humphrey Henchman John Earle Alexander Hyde Seth Ward Gilbert Burnet William Talbot Richard Willis Benjamin Hoadly Thomas Sherlock John Gilbert John Thomas (I) The Hon Robert Hay Drummond John Thomas (II) John Hume Shute Barrington John Douglas

Late modern	John Fisher Thomas Burgess Edward Denison Walter Hamilton George Moberly John Wordsworth Frederick Ridgeway St Clair Donaldson Neville Lovett Geoffrey Lunt William Anderson Joseph Fison George Reindorp John Baker David Stancliffe Nick Holtam

Persondata
Name	Metford, Richard
Alternative names	Medford, Mitford
Short description	Bishop of Chichester, Bishop of Salisbury
Date of birth
Place of birth	East Hagbourne, Berks.
Date of death	3 May 1407
Place of death

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