William of Wycombe (died after 1148) was an English cleric and biographer who became head of the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

of Llanthony and wrote a eulogistic life of his friend and patron

Robert de Bethune Robert de Bethune (died 1148) was a medieval bishop of Hereford. From a knightly family, he became a teacher before becoming a canon by 1115. He was elected prior of Llanthony Priory in the middle 1120s, and was named bishop by King Henry I o ...

Life

Probably born in Buckinghamshire, from an early age William knew Robert de Béthune. By 1127 he was acting as chaplain to Robert, then prior of

Llanthony Llanthony (, cy, Llanddewi Nant Honddu ) is a village in the community of Crucorney on the northern edge of Monmouthshire, South East Wales, United Kingdom. Location Llanthony is located in the Vale of Ewyas, a deep and long valley with ...

, and himself became a

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 that house. When Robert became Bishop of Hereford in 1131, he was often in his company. In 1137 William became prior of

in its new premises 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 ...

. Allegedly displeased over his strict discipline, the canons deposed him in 1147, but their action was almost certainly due to pressure from their lay patron Roger FitzMiles, Earl of Hereford, who was angry over things William had written about his father Miles. William retired to a

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

of Llanthony at

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

and wrote his surviving work ''Vita Domini Roberti de Betune Herefordiensis Episcopi'' (''The Life of Lord Robert of Béthune, Bishop of Hereford''), which exists in two versions. A hagiography, it presents Robert as an ideal canon, prior and bishop but did not secure his

sainthood In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

References

External links

Toronto, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, MS 4404
William of Wycombe, ''Life of Robert de Béthune'': English manuscript from the 1190s–1200s, one of three surviving copies of the work {{DEFAULTSORT:Wycumbe, William de English biographers Augustinian canons English priors 12th-century English Roman Catholic priests Clergy from Buckinghamshire Writers from Buckinghamshire Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown