Chancellors

LIST 5 CHANCELLORS

CHANCELLERY

By the early 16th cent. the endowments of the chancellery consisted of the rectory of Little Hereford (Herefs.), the chapel of Ashford Carbonell (Salop.) and procurations of visitations of these churches, with a total income of £14 3s 4d (Valor III 8b). The manor of Little Hereford belonged to the church of Hereford by 1066, but Ashford Carbonell was held by Osbern son of Richard in 1086 (DB I fos. 182c, 260a). The chapel of Ashford Carbonell appears to have been attached to the chancellery before 9 Aug. 1272 (Capes, Charters p. 127), though it is not listed specifically as part of the chancellery endowments in pope Nicholas IV's taxation of c. 1291: here, only the church of Little Hereford is mentioned, with a value of £20 (Taxatio p. 157a).

CHANCELLORS

M. Nicholas divinus

Occ. first as can. (list 36). It is quite likely that from his first occ. as can., 1173 (Hereford ch. no. 1093), he held a position equivalent to that of Master of the Schools, but if so the post could not yet have been an established dignity. Occ. as chanc. 1187 × 1201, before Henry de Vere became chanc. in the late 1190s (Hereford ch. no. 233, issued by M. Richard Brito as dean; cf. Brooke and Brooke p. 183). Occ. without any title, as Nicholas le devin, 1187 (Pipe Roll 33 Henry II p. 132) and as Nicholas le Divin, 1188 (Pipe Roll 34 Henry II p. 211). Commem., as teacher of theology, can. and pr., 28 Dec. (app. 1 fo. 53r).

? Ranulf

The obit of an otherwise unattested chanc., Ranulf, was commem. 4 Feb. (app. 1 fo. 4v). He could perhaps have preceded or succeeded Henry de Vere, or even have preceded M. Nicholas divinus.

Henry de Vere (fn. 1)

First occ. as chanc. Apr. 1195 × 24 Dec. 1198 (EEA VII nos. 201-2, in the second of the two with surname); occ. 30 Nov. 1201 × 1215 (EEA VII no. 288, witnessing a ch. of Hugh de Mapenore as dean contained in an inspeximus issued by bp. Giles de Braose), and 1201 × 20 Apr. 1214 (Hereford ch. no. 159, witnessed by M. John Clementis, list 36). Occ. as rector of Dilwyn, without his chanc. title, 21 Apr. 1206 (Rot. Litt. Pat. p. 62b). Is prob. to be identified with the Henry de Vere who was given a royal gr. of a preb. in Lincoln cath., 7 Sept. 1208 (ibid. p. 86a; 1 Fasti III 127). Commem. 31 July, and he left his house in vico cancelli to future chancs. (app. 1 fo. 29r). He may have d. as early as 1209, or as late as 1215: since his successor was in office in Aug. 1216 it is unlikely, though not absolutely impossible, that he d. as late as 1216.

T.

Occ. as chanc. once only, Aug. 1216 (CPL I 40; cf. Brooke and Brooke p. 13). He is prob. identifiable with M. Thomas of Bosbury, who became dean in or just after 1216 (see lists 2, 36).

M. Albinus

Occ. first as can. (list 36). May be the unnamed chanc. who occ. in a mand. of Innocent III of 30 Apr. 1214, quoted in the undated document settling the case issued by archdcn. Hugh Foliot, Albinus chanc. and W[illiam] the subdean (cart. St Guthlac fo. 72r; Innocent's mand. is pd. Innocent III, Cal. Letters no. 964), but it is possible, assuming that the chanc.'s name was omitted from the original of Innocent's mand., that Albinus might have taken over the case from a predecessor. First occ. as chanc. 18 Dec. 1216 × Dec. 1218, prob. 1217 × 18 Nov. 1218 (Reading Cartularies I 293-4; EEA VII no. 308 and cf. B. R. Kemp, 'Hereditary benefices in the medieval English church: a Herefordshire example', BIHR xliii (1970) 13- 14; EEA VII nos. 309-10); occ. 1222 (BL Harley MS 6280 fo. 40r), 1217 × 17 Apr. 1227 (PRO E 326/2272, after the foundation of Aconbury priory, while William de Ria was archdcn. of Hereford, and before the d. of Lucas de Netterville abp. of Armagh) and 14 Jan. 1226 or 1227 (cart. Pershore, PRO E315/61 fo. 9r). His obit is not recorded in the cath. obit book, and it is likely that he res. the chancellorship and his preb. before his d.

John Foliot

Occ. as I., chanc. of Hereford, c.1225 × 1230 (Hereford ch. no. 1080, whose witnesses include E[lias of Radnor], treas., and M. Stephen of Thornbury); occ. as John Foliot, chanc. of Hereford, Sept. 1234 × 29 Sept. 1235 (cart. II fo. 143v). Became archdcn. of Shropshire after Peter of Aigueblanche was made bp. of Hereford in 1240 (list 7; see also below).

Thomas, the king's chaplain

Occ. first as chanc. 13 May 1241 (Close Rolls 1237-42 p. 299); last occ. as chanc. 24 Feb. 1243 (Close Rolls 1242-7 p. 14). Almost certainly to be identified with Thomas, chapl. of Eleanor, the queen mother, who was gr. the archdcnry. of Llandaff 26 March 1243 (Cal. Pat. Rolls 1232-47 p. 370), and who occ. only once in that office, 10 July 1244 (ibid. p. 431: cf. Llandaff Episcopal Acta p. xx). Thomas seems to have maintained a connection with Hereford (perhaps by continuing to hold a preb.), for his obit as archdcn. of Llandaff, was recorded at Hereford on 1 May (app. 1 fo. 16v). The year of his d. is uncertain.

John Foliot

Occ. again as chanc., 1247 × 1253 (Hereford ch. nos. 950, 925, 2008), and 24 June 1249 (cart. II fo. 24r, in which he occ. together with his namesake, can. John Foliot II (list 36; see also above)). Commem., as chanc., 24 Sept. (app. 1 fo. 37v).

M. Aimeric of Aigueblanche

Previously prec. (list 3). Chanc. by 20 Dec. 1270 (Hereford ch. no. 2867); occ. as E[mery], chanc. and residentiary can., 24 June 1273 (Capes, Charters p. 138); occ. with his nephews Pontius and Peter 25 Aug. 1280 (Reg. Cantilupe p. 248); last occ. 14 Sept. 1282 (Hereford ch. no. 2074). Commem. 19 Jan. (app. 1 fo. 2r), and d. perhaps in 1287, or perhaps 1286 if his executors were gr. a year of grace (see next item). Aimeric's will had still not been fully executed by 13 Dec. 1290 (see Capes, Charters pp. 161-2; Sayers, Orig. Papal Documents no. 945).

M. Gilbert de Swinfield (fn. 2)

Coll. to the chancery 20 Jan. 1287 (Reg. Swinfield p. 526). Held the preb. of Woolhope (i.e. Gorwell and Overbury, list 16), then Bartonsham (list 8). Outside the cath. he held a preb. in the church of Fownhope until 15 June 1287 (Reg. Swinfield p. 526), and then, from 14 Oct. 1297, a prebendal portion in the church of Bromyard (ibid. p. 531). D. by 4 Aug. 1299, when his portion in the church of Bromyard was given to Nicholas of Reigate (ibid. p. 531).

M. Robert of Gloucester (fn. 3)

Can. of Hereford by 17 Dec. 1282 (list 36); preb. of Hunderton by 1291 (list 19); coll. to the chancery 16 Sept. 1299 (Reg. Swinfield p. 531); occ. as chanc. of Hereford and can. of Wells 20 Aug. 1300 (Reg. G. Giffard (Worc.) II 528). D. by 31 Jan. 1322 (Reg. Orleton, p. 387; 2 Fasti II 12). Preb. of Wells by 1294 (1 Fasti VII 68).