Gilbert de St Leonard (or Gilbert de St. Leofard; died 1305) was a medieval

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's sea ...

Life

Gilbert was probably a native of France, deriving his name from the college of St Liphard at

Meung-sur-Loire Meung-sur-Loire () is a commune in the Loiret department, north-central France. It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429. Geography Meung-sur-Loire lies 15 km to the west of Orléans on the north bank of the river Loire ...

near

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and canon lawyer Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...

and first appears in England in 1254, perhaps having come to England because of the suspension of the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

in 1253. He taught at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

until 1256, when he probably started working for the bishop of Ely.Whittick "St Leofard, Gilbert 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 ...

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of ...

by 28 December 1264.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Unidentified Prebends
' He shared the views of his bishop, Stephen Bersted, in the baronial party that was led by

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

. He served the papal legate Ottobon in 1266. In 1268,

Walter Giffard Walter Giffard (April 1279) was Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York. Family Giffard was a son of Hugh Giffard of Boyton in Wiltshire,Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 6: York: Archbishops' a royal justice, ...

Archbishop 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 th ...

, was employing him as an official, but in the late 1270s he returned to Chichester, probably before Walter Giffard's death in 1279. By 5 April 1279 he was Treasurer of Chichester.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Treasurers
' He was elected to the

see of Chichester 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 30 January 1288, and consecrated on 5 September 1288Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 239 at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Bishops
'' While he was bishop, Gilbert spent lavishly on expanding his cathedral and on gifts to 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 vas ...

. It was Gilbert that baptised Edward's youngest son Edmund in 1301 at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

. He died on 12 February 1305 at Amberley. He was buried in the

lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as ...

, where his tomb was destroyed in 1538.

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert of St Leonard 1305 deaths Bishops of Chichester 13th-century French Roman Catholic bishops 14th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown