Richard Marsh (died 1 May 1226), also called Richard de Marisco, served as

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

of England and

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

Early career

Marsh attended a university, as he was styled ''magister'', but which university it was is unknown. His ancestry and upbringing likewise are unknown.Stacey "Marsh, Richard" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was a royal clerk and

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 can ...

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...

before becoming

Archdeacon of Northumberland The Archdeacon of Northumberland is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Newcastle. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the geographical area of the archdeaconry. History The firs ...

by 1 November 1211. He was also

Archdeacon of Richmond The Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven is an archdiaconal post in the Church of England. It was created in about 1088 within the See of York and was moved in 1541 to the See of Chester, in 1836 to the See of Ripon and after 2014 to the See of ...

.Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Archdeacons of Northumberland'' During that time he was also serving in the financial administration. In 1210 he earned a mention as one of the king's "evil counsellors."

Royal service

During 1212 Marsh held the office of

Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...

and

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

Stephen Langton Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228. The dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III over his ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, threatened Marsh with excommunication over Marsh's exactions from the Church during the interdict of John's reign. Marsh went to Rome in 1213, to negotiate on both his own behalf and on his king's behalf, and succeeded in getting much more lenient terms from the pope than had originally been given. He served as Chancellor from 29 October 1214 until his death in 1226.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' pp. 84–85 However, his title was mostly honorary after his election as a bishop in 1217, for he no longer attended court all the time, and

Ralph Neville Ralph Neville (or Ralf NevillClanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 90 or Ralph de Neville; died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor of England. Neville first appears in t ...

, who had custody of the king's seal, did most of the actual work of the office of chancellor.

Bishop

Marsh was elected Bishop of Durham about 27 June 1217Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 and consecrated probably on 2 July 1217.Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Bishops'' His election had been promoted by the papal legate,

Guala Bicchieri Guala Bicchieri ( 1150 – 1227) was an Italian diplomat, papal official and cardinal. He was the papal legate in England from 1216 to 1218, and took a prominent role in the politics of England during King John’s last years and Henry III’ ...

, and his consecration was performed by Archbishop

Walter de Gray Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255) was an English prelate and statesman who was Archbishop of York from 1215 to 1255 and Lord Chancellor from 1205 to 1214. His uncle was John de Gray, who was a bishop and royal servant to King John of England. Af ...

of York at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. In 1224, when

Fawkes de Breauté Fawkes is a surname of Norman-French origin, first appearing in the British Isles after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The surname may be a corruption of the Norman surname Vaux, which means valley. Notably, Guy Fawkes was sometimes reco ...

kidnapped a royal justice and held him in

Bedford Castle Bedford Castle was a large medieval castle in Bedford, England. Built after 1100 by Henry I, the castle played a prominent part in both the civil war of the Anarchy and the First Barons' War. The castle was significantly extended in stone, alt ...

, Marsh voluntarily contributed to the

carucage Carucage, from ''carrūca'', "wheeled plough"Mantella and Rigg ''Medieval Latin'' p. 220 was a medieval English land tax enacted by King Richard I in 1194, based on the size—variously calculated—of the taxpayer's estate. It was a replacement ...

that had been voted by the clergy of the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury, even though he was a member of the province of York. This carucage was voted to help with the expenses of the siege and taking of Bedford Castle.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 141 Marsh continued the quarrel between the cathedral chapter and the bishops over the revenues and rights of the monks.

Death and legacy

Marsh died on 1 May 1226, quite suddenly at

Peterborough Abbey Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pau ...

while on his way to London for a hearing in the lawsuit between the monks and himself. His nephew,

Adam Marsh Adam Marsh (Adam de Marisco; c. 120018 November 1259) was an English Franciscan, scholar and theologian. Marsh became, after Robert Grosseteste, "...the most eminent master of England." Biography He was born about 1200 in the diocese of Bath, a ...

, was his heir, and received his large library as a bequest.

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Richard Year of birth unknown 1226 deaths Lord chancellors of England Bishops of Durham Archdeacons of Northumberland Archdeacons of Richmond 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops High Sheriffs of Somerset High Sheriffs of Dorset