St Asaph 1066-1300
LIST 20 BISHOPS OF ST ASAPH
?
Melanus
Said to have been ord. bp. of St Asaph by Bleuddydd, bp. of St Davids, so
presum. 1063 x 73 (De Invectionibus p. 140; below, list 34).
Richard
First Norman bp. of re-created bpric. of St Asaph, cons. by abp. 2 Feb. x 1
Nov. 1141 (De Invectionibus p. 141; Gerv. Cant. II 385; see D. M. Smith, 'The
episcopate of Richard, bishop of St Asaph: a problem of twelfth-century
chronology', Journal of Hist. Soc. of Church in Wales xxix (1974) 9-12, and
Pearson, 'St Asaph chapter' pp. 36-9). Prof. obed. n.d. (Cant. Profs. no. 98). Issued
two chs. for Daventry (Northants) (Cart. Daventry, ed. M. Franklin (Northants
Rec. Soc. xxxv, 1988) nos. 503-4). D. or res. by 1143 (see next entry).
Gilbert
Cons. by abp. at Lambeth 1143 and prof. obed. same day (Gerv. Cant. I 126;
Cant. Profs. no. 93). Presum. d. some time before 23 March 1152 (below).
M. Geoffrey of Monmouth
(fn. 71)
Prob. can. of St George's (secular coll.), Oxford (see Biog. Ox. II 1294). Cons.
by abp. 23 March 1152 at Lambeth and prof. obed. same day (Gerv. Cant. I 142;
Cant. Profs. no. 95, where wrongly dated by editor). D. 1155 (Brut Peniarth Text
p. 101b; Brut Peniarth Transl. p. 58; Brut Red Book pp. 132-3, 291: all wrongly
making him bp. of Llandaff). Writer of legendary Historia regum Britanniae
(Sharpe, Handlist no. 334).
Godfrey
Monk of Coventry (Ben., Warws.) from before 1135 (cart. Kenilworth, BL
Harley MS 3650 fo. 43v; see A. Saltman, Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury
(1956) p. 129). Cons. by abp. Theobald prob. 1160, certainly before Apr. 1161
(Gerv. Cant. II 385). Prof. obed. n.d. (Cant. Profs. no. 100). Participated in
coronation of young kg. Henry 14 June 1170 (Corresp. of Becket II no. 256 (at
pp. 1104-5)). Susp. by abp. 18 May 1175 on complaint of non-residence by clergy
of St Asaph, and res. bpric. (Gesta Hen. II I 90-1). Had royal gr. of Abingdon
abbey, which he held in commendam for 9½ years, from 1165, vacant 8 July 1175
(Chronicon Monasterii de Abingdon, ed. J. Stevenson (2 vols., RS ii, 1858) II
234-5, 293; Diceto I 401; and see Heads I 25). Date of d. unknown.
M. Adam
(fn. 72)
Can. of Paris (Diceto I 402). Perhaps el. soon after 18 May 1175 (Gesta Hen.
II I 91). Cons. by abp. [12] Oct. 1175 at Westminster (Diceto I 402, giving '3 Id.
Oct.', i.e. 13 Oct., a Monday; cf. Gir. Cambr. I 34-5). Prof. obed. n.d. (Cant. Profs.
no. 110). D. 1181 at Oxford, buried at Osney (Brut Peniarth Text p. 129b; Brut
Peniarth Transl. p. 72; Brut Red Book pp. 168-9; Ann. Oseney p. 39).
John I
A pr.; became bp. 1183 (Ann. Waverley p. 243; Ann. Tewkes. p. 53; Annales
Cestrienses, ed. R. C. Christie (Lancs. and Cheshire Rec. Soc. xiv, 1887) pp. 28-
9); date of cons. unknown. (fn. 73) Evidently susp. before d. (Chron. Maj. VI 41-3). D.
1186, before 10 Aug. (Ann. Waverley p. 244; cf. next entry).
Reiner
(fn. 74)
Can. of Haughmond (Aug., Shrops.) (Ann. Waverley p. 244). (fn. 75) Cons. by abp.
10 Aug. 1186 at Lambeth (Diceto II 41). Prof. obed. n.d. (Cant. Profs. no. 123).
Prob. instituted cath. chapter (see Pearson, 'St Asaph chapter' pp. 41-4). D. 1224/
5 (Ann. Tewkes. p. 67).
Abraham
Cons. by abp. prob. 29 June 1225 at Westminster (Ann. Worc. p. 417 seems to
imply same day as Geoffrey de Burgh, bp. of Ely, for whose cons. see Ann. Waverley
p. 301 and ann. Southwark, BL Cotton MS Faust. A. viii fo. 144r). No surviving
prof. obed. D. 1232/3, before 4 Feb. 1233 (Brut Peniarth Text p. 192a; Brut
Peniarth Transl. p. 102; Brut Red Book pp. 230-1; CPR 1232-47 p. 10).
Hywel I (Hugh)
A Dom. friar (CPR 1232-47 p. 42). Lic. to el. gr. 4 Feb. 1233 (CPR 1232-47
p. 10). Royal assent 11 Apr. 1234 (ibid. p. 42). Cons. by abp. at Reading (cautio
protecting right of Canterbury in Canterbury Reg. A fo. 82r, noted Councils and
Eccles. Docs. I 466), presum. same day as Robert Grosseteste, bp. of Lincoln, 17
June 1235 (similar cautio, C. H. Lawrence, St. Edmund of Abingdon (Oxford, 1960)
p. 304; for date, see 1 Fasti III 3). Prof. obed. n.d. (Cant. Profs. no. 172). Presum.
d. some time before Aug. 1240 (below).
Hywel II (ab Ednyfed) (fn. 76)
Cons. by abp. Edmund at Boxgrove (Councils and Eccles. Docs. I 465 = Willis,
St Asaph II 22); abp. went abroad late July or Aug. 1240 and d. 16 Nov. (Lawrence,
St. Edmund p. 176). No surviving prof. obed. D. and buried at Oxford 1247, before
25 March (Brut Peniarth Text pp. 202b-203a; Brut Peniarth Transl. p. 107; Brut
Red Book pp. 240-1; Ann. Worc. p. 438; CPR 1232-47 p. 499, see vacant 25 March
1247).
Anian I
(fn. 77)
Dean of St Asaph (below, list 21). El. before 20 Feb. 1248, when pope ordered
abp. to confirm, notwithstanding kg.'s objection that lic. to el. had not been sought
(CPL I 242). Occ. as bp.-el., acknowledging, with chapter, duty for the future to
seek lic. to el. and royal assent after el., 2 May 1248 (Close Rolls 1247-51 p. 222;
cf. CPR 1247-58 p. 48, and Willis, St Asaph II 23). Homage and temps. 27 Sept.
(Close Rolls 1247-51 p. 203). Cons. by bps. of Worcester, Bangor and Meath,
1249 (Ann. Worc. p. 439). No surviving prof. obed. D. prob. shortly before 29
Sept. 1266, when see vacant (Councils and Eccles. Docs. I 495).
John II
Cons. by abp. 1267 at Canterbury and prof. obed. (Cant. Profs. no. 209). D.
prob. by 1 Sept. 1267 (CPR 1266-72 p. 102).
Anian II
(fn. 78)
Prior of Rhuddlan (Dom.). Royal assent to his el. 24 Sept. 1268 (CPR 1266-72
p. 260). Cons. by abp. 21 Oct. at Southwark (LCA I 54, II 85 n.6). Prof. obed. n.d.
(Cant. Profs. no. 214). His will made 21 Feb. 1288 (Fisher, 'Three Welsh wills'
pp. 181-7). D. 5 Feb. 1293 (Churchill, Cant. Admin. II 265; cf. Brut Peniarth
Text p. 229b and Brut Peniarth Transl. p. 121, giving 1292/3). Will proved 1 May
(Fisher, 'Three Welsh wills' p. 187). Had a nephew Ithel, can. of St Asaph, to whom
he bequeathed all his books on canon law (ibid. p. 186): unknown if Ithel is to be
identified with one of three cans. of the name who all occ. 1291 (Ithel Fychan,
below, list 29; Ithel ab Iorwerth and Ithel ap Dafydd, below, list 33).
M. Llywelyn de Bromfield
(fn. 79)
Can. of St Asaph (below, list 33). Lic. to el. gr. 23 Feb. 1293 (CPR 1292-1301
p. 5). El. 9 March (Canterbury cath. Reg. Q fo. 313r). Royal assent sought 18 Apr.
(PRO C 84/11/14), gr. 6 May (CPR 1292-1301 p. 12). Conf. by prior of Canterbury,
s.v. Canterbury, 9 May (Cant. Profs. no. 240). Temps. 13 May (CPR 1292-1301
pp. 13, 15). Cons. by bp. of London and others 17 May at Canterbury (Cant. Profs.
no. 240). Enthr. 29 Nov. (Canterbury abpric. reg., CULMS Ee.v.31 fo. 52v). Issued
statute for cath. 12 Apr. 1295 (Willis, St Asaph II 74-6). D. 1314, before 25 Jan.
(Brut Peniarth Text p. 231b; Brut Peniarth Transl. p. 123; CPR 1313-17 p. 160).