Simon of Wells
| Simon of Wells | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Chichester | |
| See | Diocese of Chichester |
| Elected | April 1204 |
| Predecessor | Seffrid II |
| Successor | Nicholas de Aquila |
| Other posts | Archdeacon of Wells |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 11 July 1204 |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 21 August 1207 |
| Denomination | Catholic |
Simon of Wells (or Simon Sutwell[1] or Simon de Wells or Simon FitzRobert or Simon de Camera; died 1207) was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.
Life
Simon was the son of Robert and was in the household of Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1194.[2] His father was usually known as Robert of Whatley and held land in Somerset. Some sources state that he was related to the brothers Hugh of Wells bishop of Lincoln and Jocelin of Wells bishop of Bath and Wells, but this is unlikely.[3] By 1198 he was Archdeacon of Wells.[2] He was also provost of Beverley and a prebend of London and Salisbury.[4] He was in Normandy with King John of England in both 1199 and 1203, when the king was campaigning against King Philip Augustus of France. By 1201 he was serving the king as a clerk of the chamber, or camera, which led to one of his names.[3] Also in 1201, King John tried to give him the church of Faversham, but the church was owned by the monks of St Augustine's Abbey Canterbury. The monks appealed to Rome and kept Simon from receiving the church. The next year, in 1202, Hubert Walter asked the king to allow Simon to have custody of Fleete Prison, as well as being the guardian of the heir of Robert of Leveland, who was going on crusade.[5] He was elected to the see of Chichester between 4 April and 9 April 1204, and consecrated on 11 July 1204.[6]
After Simon's election he concentrated on building in his cathedral city, walling Chichester, and recovering lost lands of the diocese. He did continue to work for the king up until the death of Hubert Walter, but after that event he no longer appears in royal service.[3] He died 21 August 1207[6] while returning from pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela at St Giles in the south of France.[3] Besides his profession of obedience to the archbishop of Canterbury, 12 genuine documents survive from his episcopate.[7]
Notes
- ↑ Major "Familia of Archbishop Stephen Langton" English Historical Review p. 529
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 British History Online Archdeacons of Wells
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Mayr-Harting "Wells, Simon of (d. 1207)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ British History Online Bishops of Chichester
- ↑ Young Hubert Walter p. 64
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 239
- ↑ Mayr-Harting "Introduction" Acta p. 39
References
- British History Online Archdeacons of Wells accessed on 20 October 2007
- British History Online Bishops of Chichester accessed on 20 October 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.
- Mayr-Harting, Henry (1964). "Introduction". The Acta of the Bishops of Chichester 1075–1207. Canterbury & York Society 56. Torquay, UK: Canterbury and York Society. pp. 3–70.
- Major, Kathleen (October 1933). "The 'Familia' of Archbishop Stephen Langton". The English Historical Review 48 (192): 529–533. doi:10.1093/ehr/XLVIII.CXCII.529. JSTOR 552793.
- Mayr-Harting, Henry (2004). "Wells, Simon of (d. 1207)" ((subscription or UK public library membership required)). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25571. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
- Young, Charles R. (1968). Hubert Walter: Lord of Canterbury and Lord of England. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Seffrid II |
Bishop of Chichester 1204–1207 |
Succeeded by Nicholas de Aquila |