William of Louth, also known as William de Luda (died 1298) was a medieval

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...

Life

William probably was born in

Louth, Lincolnshire Louth () is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor ...

but his parentage is unknown.Martin "Louth, William of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' William attended a university and held a university degree. He probably held an office in the chancery under King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

. Soon after the coronation of King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

, Edward appointed William cofferer of the wardrobe, on 18 October 1274.Prestwich ''Edward I'' p. 92 The cofferer was in charge of the money of that department of the administration.Prestwich ''Edward I'' pp. 139–140 In 1278 through 1280, William was put in charge of the construction of the town and castle at

Rhuddlan Rhuddlan () is a town, community, and electoral ward in the county of Denbighshire, Wales, in the historic county of Flintshire. Its associated urban zone is mainly on the right bank of the Clwyd; it is directly south of seafront town Rhyl. I ...

by the king. William held

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

s in the dioceses of Lincoln, London, Wells, and York as well as the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

of St Martin le Grand in London before being named

Archdeacon of Durham The Archdeacon of Durham is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the diocese of Durham (Church of England). They have, within the geographical area the ''archdeaconry of Durham'', pastoral oversight of clergy and care of church buildings (among other ...

by 22 August 1284.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Archdeacons of Durham
' In 1286 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to France by the king. William 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 * ...

on 12 May 1290 and consecrated on 1 October 1290. He died on 25 March 1298 or 27 March.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 244 He was buried in

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

. His only known relative was a nephew William Tuchet, who was his heir. His tomb, with an elaborate canopy, still is located close to where it was originally placed near the high altar in the south choir aisle near the entrance to the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral.Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" ''Journal of the British Archaeological Association'' pp. 79–80

Citations

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William of Louth Bishops of Ely Archdeacons of Durham 1298 deaths People from Louth, Lincolnshire Year of birth unknown 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops