Geoffrey de Burgh (; ; ; 1180 – 8 December 1228) was a medieval English cleric who was

Archdeacon of Norwich The Archdeacon of Norwich is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Norwich, who exercises supervision of clergy and responsibility for church buildings within the geographical area of her or his archdeaconry. History ...

(1200–1225), Bishop of Ely (1215–1219, 1225–1228) and the brother of

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. I ...

and

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

Life

Geoffrey de Burgh was the son of Walter de Burgh of

Burgh Castle Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the east bank of the River Waveney, some west of Great Yarmouth and within the Norfolk Broads National Park. The parish was part of Suffolk until ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and his wife Alice, and the younger brother of

and

Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

.Karn "Burgh, Geoffrey de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was born no later than 1180 or so (based on his appointment as archdeacon in 1200). The name of his father is not known, but his mother's name was Alice and the family was from Norfolk and was of knightly status. Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop Grounds c

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop Grounds c

Geoffrey was

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Salisbury Cathedral and Treasurer of the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's '' current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government revenu ...

before being named

(1200).Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Norwich: Archdeacons of Norwich
' He was elected to the

see of Ely See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

(1215), but the election was quashed by Pope

Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

before May 1219 due to a competing election with Robert of York.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
'' The pope quashed both elections, and ordered a new election: the monks chose the Cistercian

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...

Geoffrey was once more elected to Ely (June 1225). He owed his election to his brother,

Hubert Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers ...

(who was Justiciar of England at the time). He was consecrated Bishop of Ely (29 June 1225) and died three years later (between 8 December and 17 December 1228).Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 244 He was buried in Ely Cathedral in the north choir, though there is no surviving tomb or monument.Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" ''Journal of the British Archaeological Association'' p. 77 Besides his brothers, he also had a nephew, Thomas Blunville, who Hubert had elected to the see of Norwich in 1226.

Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century. At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell o ...

told the story of a Geoffrey, Archdeacon of Norwich, who was a victim of King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

's cruelty: Geoffrey was thrown into prison and fitted with a lead cloak and starved to death. However, this cannot be Geoffrey de Burgh since the bishop died many years after John's death. The historian

Sidney Painter Sidney Painter (September 23, 1902 – January 12, 1960) was an American medievalist and historian. He was a fellow of the Mediaeval Academy and professor of history and chairman of the department of history at Johns Hopkins University. Painte ...

suggested that the real victim may have been another Geoffrey of Norwich, known to be a justice of the Jews.Poole ''Domesday Book to Magna Carta'' p. 427 footnote 1

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgo, Geoffrey de Bishops of Ely 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Archdeacons of Norwich 1180s births 1228 deaths Year of birth uncertain Geoffrey English Roman Catholic clergy

Life

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