William of St. Barbara or William of Ste Barbe (died 1152) was a medieval

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 ...

Life

From William's name, it is presumed that he was a native of Sainte-Barbe-en-Auge in

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

(

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks. Neustria included the land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, approximately the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. It late ...

).Offler "Ste Barbe, William de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was 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 ...

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

in 1128.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6: York: Prebends: Unidentified Prebends
' He was

Dean of York Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

by December 1138.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6: York: Deans of York
' William was elected to the

see of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Church of England, 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 (bishop), Pau ...

on 14 March 1143 and consecrated on 20 June 1143.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 He was elected in opposition to

William Cumin William Cumin (or de Comyn or de Commines) (died ) was a bishop of Durham, and Justiciar of Scotland. Life Several Cumins were clerks in the chanceries of King Henry I of England and King Henry II of England, as well as in the dioceses of R ...

who had been intruded into the see by King

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Mal ...

in 1141. Cumin was never consecrated and by 1143 had been excommunicated by Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

who also ordered a new election to be held at York Minster. It was this election which selected William of St. Barbara.Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 310 However, the new bishop was not able to enter Durham right away,Barlow ''English Church'' p. 97 and he was enthroned either on 18 October 1144 or shortly thereafter.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Bishops
' Troubles continued in Durham, and the bishop was unable to attend the

Council of Rheims Reims, located in the north-east of modern France, hosted several councils or synods in the Roman Catholic Church. These councils did not universally represent the church and are not counted among the official ecumenical councils. Early synodal cou ...

in 1148, which led to a suspension by the pope for inattendance. William supported

Henry Murdac Henry Murdac (died 1153) was abbot of Fountains Abbey and Archbishop of York in medieval England. Early life Murdac was a native of Yorkshire.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 239 He was friendly with Archbishop Thurstan of York, who secured hi ...

in the disputed election to the

archbishopric of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

, and it was probably Murdac who arranged for the suspension to be lifted. William also supported the Cistercians and 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 ...

s, which perturbed his cathedral chapter which was made up of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks. He died 13 November 1152. A grave identified as his was excavated in the 19th century in the chapter house of Durham Cathedral.Carver "Early Medieval Durham" ''Medieval Art and Architecture'' p. 13

Citations

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William of St. Barbara 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Durham Deans of York Anglo-Normans 1152 deaths Year of birth unknown