LIST 2 DEANS

DEANERY

By the 16th cent. the endowments of the deanery consisted of portions of the manors of Breinton and Withington and the manor of Allensmore, the chapel of Preston, the rectories of Allensmore and Kingstone, and portions in the churches of Hampton Bishop, St Devereux, Tupsley, Prestbury and Sevenhampton (both Glos.), Portfield, Shelwick, Sugwas, Bromyard, Whitbourne, Eastnor, Colwall, Ledbury, Barton, Bishops Frome, Bosbury, Upton Bishop, Ross and Cradley and tithe in Lugg meadow (Valor III 4a-b; all places in Herefs. except where otherwise stated). The total net value of the endowment at this point was £38 6s 1 ½ d. Of these properties, which, with the exception of Kingstone and Lugg meadow, lie on estates which had belonged to the church of Hereford since before 1066 (see DB I fos. 181c-182d), two thirds of the demesne tithes from Prestbury and Sevenhampton were shared by the dean and the cantor (precentor) by the 1160s (EEA VII no. 121), and the church of Upton Bishop was granted by bp. Robert Foliot to Hereford cath. chapter to improve its commons (ibid. no. 150). The church of Marden, to which the tithes in Lugg meadow belonged, was granted by the abbey of Cormeilles to Hereford chapter 1187 × 1198 (ibid. no. 200). Land at Breinton was in the hands of Hereford chapter by 1201 × 1200 (Capes, Charters p. 38), and was attached specifically to the deanery at least by the time of dean John of Aigueblanche (ibid. p. 188 and cf. p. 227; see also Taxatio p. 168b). The rectories of Kingstone, Allensmore and Withington also appear to have been attached to the deanery by the time of dean John's death in 1320 (Capes, Charters p. 187). Portions in the churches of Whitbourne and Ledbury belonged to the dean by c. 1291 (ibid. p. 160a-b). Preston occurs as a fundus of the dean and chapter in the time of dean Ralph in the mid 12th cent. (Capes, Charters p. 9) and its church, together with its chapel of Blackmarstone, is listed among the spiritualities of the dean and chapter c. 1291 (Taxatio p. 158a), but the point at which it was attached specifically to the deanery is unclear.

DEANS

Gerard

Commem., as dean, 13 Nov. (app. 1 fo. 45r). He is almost certainly identifiable with the Gerard, brother of bp. Robert the Lotharingian, who occ. at the head of the latter's men in 1085 (EEA VII no. 2), and he must therefore have originated in Liège or elsewhere in that dioc. Since the names at the opening of the list in EEA VII no. 2 (headed 'de hominibus episcopi') are clergy, because the laymen who follow are specified as such, and because several of their names coincide with names of cath. clergy occurring in the cath. obit book, it is likely that Gerard was made dean by bp. Robert, or at least filled a position which was regarded as equivalent to being dean. The date of his d. cannot be determined but must have been before 1107 × 1115, by which time Erchemar was dean, and, since the dignity may possibly have been filled by Leofwin between Gerard and Erchemar, Gerard may have d. by the very beginning of the 12th cent.

Leofwin

Commem., as Liwinus decanus, 6 Dec. (app. 1 fo. 49v). He is prob. to be identified with the Leuuinus who occ. in the list of episcopal clergy in 1085 (EEA VII no. 2; list 36 below), fourth in the list after Gerard. Prob. therefore he was junior to Gerard and became dean after the latter's d. If Leofwin preceded Erchemar in the deanery he must have d. or res. before 1107 × 1115, but it is possible that he succeeded him and occupied the deanery between Erchemar's d., which happened at some point between 1121 and 1127, and the appt. of dean Ralph between 1131 and 1134.

Erchemar

Occ. 1107 × 1115 as dean (cart. St Guthlac fo. 93v; cf. MB p. 267 n. 2). D., leaving his house in Hereford to his son M. Ranulf, also a can. of Hereford (list 36), during the pontificate of Richard de Capella, 16 Jan. 1121 - 15 Aug. 1127 (cf. EEA VII no. 123). Commem. as Archemar dean 15 May (app. 1 fo. 18v).

Ralph (fn. 19)

Ralph was made dean by bp. Robert de Béthune, according to William of Wycombe (Anglia Sacra II 312). He occ. in office 1131 × 1139 (cart. St Guthlac fo. 55v), but was prob. not made dean until 1134 or thereafter, since he does not occ. in a ch. issued in that year witnessed by the cath. treas. (EEA VII no. 17). William of Wycombe says that after Robert had appd. Ralph the latter proved disobedient and that Robert was forced to travel to the papal curia to have him deposed (Anglia Sacra II 312). This is presumably a reference to Robert de Béthune's visit to the pope in Pisa in Dec. 1136, when he obtained a papal letter enjoining obedience on his subordinates (PUE II 152, no. 15), but if Ralph was actually deposed he must have been swiftly reinstated, for he was once more in office in 1140 and by this point his relations with Robert had improved (GFL nos. 1-2); he occ. as dean in 1144 (EEA VII nos. 43, 47) and his last dated appearance as dean is 13 Dec. 1157 (Hist. Cart. Mon. Glouc. II 106). The dean Ralph who together with the chapter of Hereford cath. issued Cart. Shrewsbury II, nos. 332, 335 is, to judge from the diplomatic of these chs., not this Ralph, but Ralph of Maidstone (see below). Commem. 19 Oct. (app. 1 fo. 41v), and thus he could not have d. before 1158 (cf. Brooke and Brooke pp. 7, 182-3).

W.

W., dean, occ. in a ch. of Gilbert Foliot as bp. of Hereford which cannot be dated more closely than the dates of the pontificate, 1148 × 1163 (GFL no. 305). It is likely (cf. MB p. 267; Brooke and Brooke p. 7) that W. is a copyist's error for G., i.e. Geoffrey (see following item).

Geoffrey

Geoffrey's earliest occ. as dean is 1158 × 1163 (GFL no. 315). He occ. as dean 2 Oct. 1172 (cart. St Guthlac fo. 15v), March 1173 (Capes, Charters p. 23), 16 Oct. 1173 (M. G. Cheney, Roger, Bishop of Worcester, 1164-1179 (Oxford, 1980) pp. 293-5), Feb./March 1179 ('Gloucester Register' p. 48, where misdated: the ch. was issued while bp. Robert Foliot of Hereford was attending the Third Lateran Council), 1179 × 1181 (EEA VII no. 136) and Sept. × Dec. 1181 (H. Müller, Päpstliche Delegations gerichtsbarkeit in der Normandie (12. und frühes 13. Jahrhundert) (2 vols., Cologne, 1997) II 147-8). Commem. 31 Dec. (app. 1 fo. 54r), and d. 1181 × 1183 (cf. also Brooke and Brooke p. 182). His successor was in office by May 1184.

Jordan

Since Jordan's predecessor could not have d. before 31 Dec. 1181 at the earliest, Jordan, previously a can. of Hereford (list 36), could not have become dean before Jan. 1182 (Brooke and Brooke p. 182). He could have entered office in any of the years 1182-4. His first closely datable occ. as dean is 27 March × 28 May 1184 (PUE II 418-19). He was still in office after bp. Robert Foliot's d., occ. 10 Aug. 1186 × June 1187 (EEA VII no. 195), and since he was commem. 30 Apr. (app. 1 fo. 35r) he cannot have d. before 1187. It is likely, however, that he did not die much later than 1187, because he witnessed only one of bp. William de Vere's surviving acta. Preb. of Preston by 1180 × 9 May 1186 (list 30).

M. Richard Brito

Richard occ. as can. of Hereford 10 Aug. 1186 × June 1187 (EEA VII no. 195, and list 36). He may well be identifiable with the Richard Brito who occ. as archdcn. of Coventry, helping to administer the estates of the then vac. see of Lincoln, 1184/5 (Pipe Roll 31 Henry II pp. 124-5; cf. EEA XVI no. 114) and, as royal justice and administrator of the manors of the vac. see of London, in subsequent Pipe Rolls to 1187/8 (Pipe Roll 32 Henry II pp. 83, 93, 107, 124; Pipe Roll 33 Henry II pp. 29, 77, 87; Pipe Roll 34 Henry II pp. 11-12, 87); he is also referred to 1189/90, but this reference concerns money paid by him to a third party and he need not necessarily still have been in office (Pipe Roll 2 Richard I p. 8). He was made dean of Hereford after 30 Apr. 1187 (see preceding item) but before 30 Jan. 1189, since he witnessed, as dean, an undated agreement between the Hospitallers of Dinmore and Hereford cath. chapter (Capes, Charters p. 33), which was conf. by Garin of Nâblus, prior of the Hospitallers in England, in a ch. dated 30 Jan. 1189 (Capes, Charters p. 34). Garin's conf. may have been issued 30 Jan. 1190 if Annunciation dating was used, though, to judge from cart. St Guthlac fo. 89r-v, the Hospitallers preferred Christmas dating. If Richard is identifiable with archdcn. Richard Brito he prob. became dean of Hereford in 1188, or perhaps 1189. He may also be identifiable with the Richard Brito who occ., without title, prob. 22 Oct. × 12 Dec. 1189, receiving a gr. of the church of Lydiard Millicent from Hubert Walter, bp. of Salisbury (EEA XVIII no. 169). Admitted, as dean, to the church of Marden in the name of Hereford cath. chapter, 1195 (EEA VII no. 200). Commem. 30 Nov. (app. 1 fo. 48v); evidently d. 1201, since he witnesses several of bp. Giles de Braose's earliest chs. (EEA VII nos. 244, 254, 260). His successor was in office by 29 Sept. 1202 (see next item).

M. Hugh de Mapenore

Clk. in household of William de Braose 1189 × 1196 (CDF p. 461). Occ. as clk. of bp. Giles de Braose while Richard Brito was still dean (EEA VII no. 244). His first dated occ. as dean is 29 Sept. 1202 (Hereford ch. no. 595), and he therefore became dean between 30 Nov. 1201 and 29 Sept. 1202. On the d. of bp. Giles the cath. chapter el. Hugh, still dean, as their new bp. (3 Feb. 1216), and though John appealed to the papacy against this decision Honorius III ruled in favour of the chapter after John's d. in Oct. 1216 (CPL I 40; Ann. Worc. p. 406; Ann. Tewkes. p. 62); Hugh made his prof. obed. to Stephen Langton 27 Oct. 1216 (Cant. Profs. no. 155; EEA VII no. 292) and was cons. bp. 18 Dec. (Ann. Worc. p. 406; Ann. Tewkes. p. 62; list 1).

M. Thomas of Bosbury (fn. 20)

First occ. as dean 18 Dec. 1216 × 18 Nov. 1218 (EEA VII no. 298), after Hugh de Mapenore had become bp. Thomas had previously been a clk. of bp. Giles de Braose (EEA VII no. 278), and may also be identifiable with the T., chanc., who occ. Aug. 1216 (list 5). Thomas occ. as dean 20 Dec. 1230, when he was in London planning a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Close Rolls 1227-31 pp. 463-4), and 15 Sept. 1231 at Chepstow (Ann. Tewkes. p. 80). D. 26 Sept. 1231 (Ann. Tewkes. p. 80); commem. 29 Sept. (app. 1 fo. 38v), (fn. 21) and, since his successor was in office by 28 July 1232 (see next item), Thomas evidently d. in 1231. The obit of a dean Thomas of Hereford was commem. at 28 July at Lire abbey (Rec. Hist. Fr. XXIII 473).

M. Ralph of Maidstone

Occ. as treas. of Lichfield cath. 1215 × 1223 (Cart. Shrewsbury II no. 358) and 21 Sept. 1219 (Magnum Registrum Album no. 358; EEA XVI no. 112); archdcn. of Shropshire in the dioc. of Coventry and Lichfield by 1220 × 1221 (Magnum Registrum Album no. 445); archdcn. of Chester by 1222 (Whalley Coucher Book I 43-4) and 1221 × 1223 (Magnum Registrum Album nos. 31-2), an office which he still held in 1231 (ibid. no. 424); taught in Paris from the mid 1220s to 1229, when he left to teach in Oxford (Chron. Maj. III 168); occ. as chanc. of the univ. of Oxford 22 June 1231 (Biog. Ox. II 1203-4), and was made dean of Hereford at Canterbury on the feast of St Maurice [22 Sept.] 1231 according to Ann. Tewkes. p. 80 (BL Cotton MS Cleop. A vii fo. 25r), though in light of the fact that the d. of Ralph's predecessor is dated by this source to 26 Sept. 1231 it is likely that Ralph was appd. on some other feast in the autumn of 1231, perhaps Martinmas. He occ. as dean 28 July 1232 (Close Rolls 1231-4 p. 91) and subsequently. Still titled dean when received gr. of temps. 30 Sept. 1234 (Close Rolls 1231-4 p. 529), following bp. Hugh Foliot's d. 7 Aug. 1234; Ralph was cons. bp. 12 Nov. 1234 (Ann. Tewkes. p. 94) by abp. Edmund of Canterbury at Canterbury. See list 1.

M. Stephen of Thornbury (fn. 22)

Occ. first as can. (list 36). Was made dean about 28 Oct. 1234 ('circa festum Symonis et Iudae': Ann. Tewkes. p. 94, where referred to as M. S[tephen] de Thorne), and is presumably the unnamed dean of Hereford who occ. 22 Jan. 1236 and 6 March 1236 (Close Rolls 1234-7 pp. 337, 342); occ. as dean 11 July 1236 (ibid. p. 365); last dated occ. as dean 7 Apr. 1241 (Close Rolls 1237-42 p. 352); occ. as dean in a ch. which cannot be dated more closely than 1240 × 1247 (Hereford ch. no. 786). Commem. 18 March at Hereford (app. 1 fo. 10v) and 19 March at Lire abbey (Rec. Hist. Fr. XXIII 471). He d. no later than 1247, though prob. in that year (see next item).

M. Giles of Avenbury

Occ. first prob. as can. (list 36). Dean by 20 Oct. 1247, when he received a mand. from the king referring to him as dean and vicegerent of the bp. (Close Rolls 1242-7 p. 541); still dean when occ. 22 Feb. 1252 (Hereford ch. no. 1406); res. from the deanery in 1253, though the circumstances of his res. are unclear (Yates, 'Bishop Peter' p. 312); subsequently became treas. (list 4; see also below).

Anselm of Clermont

Possibly identifiable with can. Anselm of Conflans, who last occ. as can. c.1253 (list 36). First occ. as dean 1247 (The Register of Charles Bothe, Bishop of Hereford (1516-1535), ed. A. T. Bannister (Cantilupe Soc. xii, 1921) p. 63 (also Canterbury and York Soc. xxviii, 1928)), but this is prob. an error for 1257; occ. as dean 1253 (Hereford ch. no. 2069) and 17 Aug. 1253 (cart. II fo. 121 v); occ. as dean 24 May 1254 (Hereford ch. no. 1338); last occ. as dean Oct. 1261 (ibid. no. 1303) and in a document perhaps of 1262 (ibid. no. 2932B). Became bp. of St Jean de Maurienne by 21 Sept. 1262, and d. 4 March 1269 (Gallia Christiana XVI 635).

John of Aigueblanche (fn. 23)

Occ. as dean 27 Jan. 1269 (Close Rolls 1268-72 pp. 18-19), 18 Feb. 1271 (CPR 1266-72 p. 519), 24 June 1271 (cart. II fo. 164r-v); sentence given against him in the dispute over the deanery between him and M. Giles of Avenbury in the court at Canterbury 29 Jan. 1272 (Reg. Swinfield pp. 318-21); occ. as dean 6 March 1272 (CPR 1266-72 p. 688); still disputing deanery with Giles 19 Nov. 1276 (Reg. Cantilupe p. 112); occ. without title 22 Apr. 1278, 4 May 1279 and July/Aug. 1279, on the last of which occasions he is referred to as still claiming to be dean (Reg. Cantilupe pp. 198-9, 210, 214). Preb. of Bullinghope (list 9; see also below).

M. Giles of Avenbury

Presumably identifiable with the Giles who occ. without surname or dignity as absent can. 24 June 1273 and as resident can. 15 Aug. and 8 Sept. 1273 (Capes, Charters p. 138); occ. as M. Giles of Avenbury, no dignity specified, 30 Sept. 1273 (ibid. p. 139). Occ. accused of retaining treasury after winning his case to regain the deanery, 20 Jan. 1276 (Reg. Cantilupe pp. 32-3; list 4); occ. without title 19 Nov. 1276 (ibid. p. 112); occ. without title 15 Jan. 1277 in a dispute with the chanc. over the deanery (ibid. p. 118); his preb. and the houses he held as can. given to others 8 Nov. 1277 (ibid. p. 151). D. by 31 May 1278 (Rot. Gravesend p. 186). Referred to, 1 Aug. 1282, after his d., as having been rector of Merthyr (dioc. of St Davids) (Reg. Pecham I 176) and 31 Jan. 1284 as having been rector of Cheam (Surrey) (ibid. II 221-2). Commem. 20 Oct. (app. 1 fo. 41 v), and perhaps d. 1277.

[M. Adam de Fileby

Bp. Thomas de Cantilupe tried to coll. him conditionally to the deanery 1280, but this was unsuccessful because the papacy judged in favour of John of Aigueblanche (see entry for Adam in list 36).]

John of Aigueblanche

Sentence awarded by the papal curia in his favour in the deanery dispute, 4 July 1282 (Reg. Swinfield pp. 318-26); retained office until his d. in 1320, between 13 Feb. and 20 March (2 Fasti II 3-4; and see also above).

Footnotes