William of Kilkenny

Bishop of Ely

Memorial to Bishop William de Kilkenny in Ely Cathedral

Elected| c. 29 September 1254
Term ended| 21 September 1256
Predecessor| Hugh of Northwold
Successor| Hugh of Balsham
Other post(s)| Archdeacon of Coventry
Orders
Consecration| 15 August 1255
by Boniface of Savoy
Personal details
Died| 21 September 1256
Spain
Denomination| Catholic
Lord Chancellor
In office
1250–1255
Monarch| Henry III of England
Preceded by| John Lexington
Succeeded by| Henry Wingham

William of Kilkenny (died 21 September 1256) was a Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Ely.

## Life

[edit]

William may be the same William of Kilkenny who was elected Bishop of Ossory in 1231, but resigned the office in 1232 before being consecrated. Whether or not that was the case, the man who later became bishop of Ely was a king's clerk by 1234. He was sent to Rome on royal business twice, once in 1234–1235 and again in 1237. In 1238 he left royal service, and was employed by two successive bishops of Durham, Nicholas of Farnham and Richard Poore. By May 1247 he was back in royal service, for in that month King Henry III of England sent him overseas.[1]

William was Archdeacon of Coventry,[2] from November 1247,[1] as well as controller of the wardrobe from 1249 to 1252, and chancellor from 1250 to 1255.[3]

William was elected to the see of Ely about 29 September 1254[4] and consecrated on 15 August 1255 at Bellay in Savoy by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Boniface of Savoy.[1]

William died on 21 September 1256,[4] in Spain where he had gone on a diplomatic mission for the king. His heart was sent to Ely for burial in Ely Cathedral. His only known relative was a nephew who held land in Waterford and was knighted in 1254.[1] He had constructed an elaborate tomb that remained empty, and is now located near the high altar in the north choir aisle of Ely Cathedral. His heart was buried near the altar of Saint Etheldreda.[5]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Stacey "Kilkenny, William of" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2. ^ Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
3. ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 85
4. ^ a b Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 244
5. ^ Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" Journal of the British Archaeological Association pp. 77–78

## References

[edit]

* 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.
* Greenway, Diana E. (1971). "Ely: Bishops". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300. Vol. 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
* 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. S2CID 192184394.
* Stacey, Robert C. (2004). "Kilkenny, William of". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15527. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Political offices

Preceded by

John Lexington

|  Lord Chancellor
1250–1255  | Succeeded by

Henry Wingham

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by

Hugh of Northwold

|  Bishop of Ely
1254–1256  | Succeeded by

Hugh of Balsham

* v
* t
* e

Pre-Reformation Bishops of Ossory

* St Carthage
* St Medran
* St Sedna
* St Muccine
* St Modomnoc
* St Aengus Lamoidan
* St Lachtin
* St Colman Ua Eirc
* St Cuillen
* St Bochonna
* St Finnech Duirn
* St Eochan
* St Killene Mac Lubne
* Laidhgnen Mac Doinlanach
* Tnuthgall
* Mocoach
* Cucathrach
* Cothach
* Fereoach
* Conchobhar
* Conmhach Ua Loichene
* Inchalach
* Anluan
* Cormac Mac Eladhach
* Ceran Departed
* Sloidhedhach
* Cormac
* Fearchal
* Fochartach
* Colman
* Confoelad
* Donchadh
* Fochartach
* Donchad Ua Celieachair
* Comhoran
* Ceallack Reamhar
* Ceallack Ua Caonhoran
* Domnall Ua Fogartaig
* Felix Ua Duib Sláin
* Hugo de Rous
* Peter Mauveisin
* William of Kilkenny
* Walter de Brackley
* Geoffrey de Turville
* Hugh de Mapilton
* Geoffrey St Leger
* Roger of Wexford
* Michael d'Exeter
* William FitzJohn
* Richard de Ledrede
* John de Tatenhale
* William
* John of Oxford
* Alexander de Balscot
* Richard Northalis
* Thomas Peverel
* John Waltham
* John Griffin
* Roger Appleby
* John Waltham
* Thomas Snell
* Patrick Foxe
* Dionysius Ó Deadhaidh
* Thomas Barry
* David Hackett
* Seán Ó hÉidigheáin
* Oliver Cantwell

* v
* t
* e

English lord chancellors under the House of Plantagenet (1216–1399)

Henry III
(1216–1272)|

* Richard Marsh (1216–1226)
* Ralph Neville (1226–1240)
* Richard le Gras (1240–1242)
* Ralph Neville (1242–1244)
* Silvester de Everdon (1244–1246)
* John Maunsell (1246–1247)
* John Lexington (1247–1248)
* John Maunsell (1248–1249)
* John Lexington (1249–1250)
* William of Kilkenny (1250–1255)
* Henry Wingham (1255–1260)
* Nicholas of Ely (1260–1261)
* Walter de Merton (1261–1263)
* Nicholas of Ely (1263)
* John Chishull (1263–1264)
* Thomas de Cantilupe (1264–1265)
* Ralph Sandwich (1265)
* Walter Giffard (1265–1266)
* Godfrey Giffard (1266–1268)
* John Chishull (1268–1269)
* Richard Middleton (1269–1272)

Edward I
(1272–1307)|

* Walter de Merton (1272–1274)
* Robert Burnell (1274–1292)
* John Langton (1292–1302)
* William Greenfield (1302–1305)
* William Hamilton (1305–1307)
* Ralph Baldock (1307)

Edward II
(1307–1327)|

* Ralph Baldock (1307)
* John Langton (1307–1310)
* Walter Reynolds (1310–1314)
* John Sandale (1314–1318)
* John Hotham (1318–1320)
* John Salmon (1320–1323)
* Robert Baldock (1323–1326)
* William Ayermin (1326–1327)

Edward III
(1327–1377)|

* John Hotham (1327–1328)
* Henry Burghersh (1328–1330)
* John de Stratford (1330–1334)
* Richard de Bury (1334–1335)
* John de Stratford (1335–1337)
* Robert de Stratford (1337–1338)
* Richard de Wentworth (1338–1339)
* John de Stratford (1340)
* Robert de Stratford (1340)
* 1st Baron Bourchier (1340–1341)
* Robert Parning (1341–1343)
* Robert Sadington (1343–1345)
* John de Ufford (1345–1349)
* John of Thoresby (1349–1356)
* William Edington (1356–1363)
* Simon Langham (1363–1367)
* William of Wykeham (1367–1371)
* Robert Thorpe (1371–1372)
* John Knyvet (1372–1377)

Richard II
(1377–1399)|

* Adam Houghton (1377–1378)
* 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton (1378–1380)
* Simon Sudbury (1380–1381)
* Hugh Segrave (1381)
* William Courtenay (1381)
* 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton (1381–1382)
* Robert Braybrooke (1382–1383)
* 1st Earl of Suffolk (1383–1386)
* Thomas Arundel (1391–1396)
* Edmund Stafford (1396–1399)

* v
* t
* e

Bishops of Ely

High Medieval|

* Hervey le Breton
* Nigel
* Geoffrey Ridel
* William de Longchamp
* Eustace
* Robert of York
* John of Fountains
* Geoffrey de Burgh
* Hugh of Northwold
* William of Kilkenny
* Hugh de Balsham
* John Kirkby
* William of Louth
* John Salmon/John Langton
* Ralph Walpole

Late Medieval|

* Robert Orford
* John Ketton
* John Hotham
* Simon Montacute
* Thomas de Lisle
* Simon Langham
* John Barnet
* Thomas Arundel
* John Fordham
* Philip Morgan
* Lewis of Luxembourg
* Thomas Bourchier
* William Grey
* John Morton
* John Alcock

Early modern|

* Richard Redman
* James Stanley
* Nicholas West
* Thomas Goodrich
* Thomas Thirlby
* Richard Cox
* Martin Heton
* Lancelot Andrewes
* Nicholas Felton
* John Buckeridge
* Francis White
* Matthew Wren
* Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth)
* Matthew Wren
* Benjamin Lany
* Peter Gunning
* Francis Turner
* Simon Patrick
* John Moore
* William Fleetwood
* Thomas Green
* Robert Butts
* Thomas Gooch
* Matthias Mawson
* Edmund Keene
* James Yorke

Late modern|

* Thomas Dampier
* Bowyer Sparke
* Joseph Allen
* Thomas Turton
* Harold Browne
* James Woodford
* Lord Alwyne Compton
* Frederic Chase
* Leonard White-Thomson
* Bernard Heywood
* Edward Wynn
* Noel Hudson
* Edward Roberts
* Peter Walker
* Stephen Sykes
* Anthony Russell
* Stephen Conway

13th-century Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England
*[c.]: circa
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