Nicholas de Sigillo was a medieval

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

administrator and clergyman in England. Perhaps beginning his career as a royal official during the reign of King

Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 ...

, he had certainly entered royal service by 1157 when he was serving Stephen's successor King Henry II, and was a witness on a number of

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

s from 1157 to 1159. Sometime before 1166 Nicholas was appointed to the archdeaconry of Huntingdon. While in office there, he attempted to reform both the administrative and religious practices of his archdeaconry. In 1173 Nicholas once more served Henry, this time assessing royal taxes. He last appears alive in 1187 when he is still named as an archdeacon. He may be the Nicholas who gave a still extant first volume of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

to Lincoln Cathedral.

Early career

Nicholas derived his name from his office, as he was ''clericus de sigillo'', the next highest office in the royal chancery after the chancellor. It is unknown when he first held royal office, but it is possible it was during the reign of King

(reigned 1135–1154).Kingsford and Hudson "Sigillo, Nicholas de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' One document of Stephen's reign states that he was master of Stephen's writing chamber.Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 3: Lincoln: Archdeacons of Huntingdon'' He held a prebend in the diocese of Lincoln by the middle of the 1150s.Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 3: Lincoln: Dignitaries and Canons whose Prebends are Unidentified: (i) Canons holding a dignity but unidentified prebends'' Sometime between 1148 and 1160

Robert de Chesney Robert de Chesney (died December 1166) was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln. He was the brother of an important royal official, William de Chesney, and the uncle of Gilbert Foliot, successively Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Educat ...

, the

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

granted a church to Nicholas to hold for life, on the condition that he would lose possession of the church if he either became a monk or if he was elevated to a bishopric.Stenton "Acta Episcoporum" ''Cambridge Historical Journal'' p. 7 In 1157 Nicholas was a royal administrator as he was involved with King Henry II's invasion of Wales. In the years 1157 through 1159 he was a witness to the king's charters.

Archdeacon

Sometime between 1164 and 1166 he was appointed

Archdeacon of Huntingdon The Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Ely. The archdeacon is responsible for some clergy discipline and pastoral care in the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon and Wisbech. History The Archdeaconry ...

, in succession to the medieval

chronicler A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

Henry of Huntingdon Henry of Huntingdon ( la, Henricus Huntindoniensis; 1088 – AD 1157), the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th-century English historian and the author of ''Historia Anglorum'' (Medieval Latin for "History of the English"), ...

. The most likely date of his appointment is 1164 or early 1165. After his appointment,

John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. Early life and education Born at Salisbury, E ...

wrote to him, congratulating Nicholas on his new office. John also commented that Nicholas would need to change his opinion of the chances that archdeacons had of reaching

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

now that he held that office. Nicholas, as part of his duties as archdeacon, heard disputes between clergy over church property. One such dispute was heard sometime between 1164 and 1185 by Nicholas, along with the synod of his archdeaconry, over land in Woodstone parish that was disputed between the parish and the

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Kees ...

monastic house of

Thorney Abbey Thorney Abbey, now the Church of St Mary and St Botolph, was a medieval monastic house established on the island of Thorney in The Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. History The earliest documentary sources refer to a mid-7th century hermita ...

.Kemp "Archdeacons and Parish Churches" ''Law and Government'' p. 349 Between 1164 and 1166 Nicholas put canons from Malton Priory in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

as the clergy of the church at

King's Walden King's Walden is a civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. The name includes an apostrophe, but this is often omitted. The main settlement is now Breachwood Green, and there are also the hamlets of King's Walden, Ley Green, Darleyh ...

in Hertfordshire.Kemp "Archdeacons and Parish Churches" ''Law and Government'' p. 357 Nicholas also instituted a set of "constitutions" or regulations for the clergy of his archdeaconry. This was part of Nicholas' efforts to reform the administrative and ecclesiastical affairs of his office.Kemp "Archdeacons and Parish Churches" ''Law and Government'' pp. 362-363

Later years

In 1173 Nicholas was once again working for the king, when he, along with Richard fitz Nigel and Reginald de Warenne, assessed a land tax on the royal demesne. These three men assessed the tax in the counties of Buckinghamshire,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

, Oxfordshire,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and Sussex.Richardson "Richard fitz Neal" ''English Historical Review'' p. 169 footnote 1 Nicholas is last mentioned in the historical record in 1187, as an archdeacon without territorial title. During the reign of King

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, a legal case documents that Nicholas gave a

messuage In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts ...

to his niece (or possibly a granddaughter) Emma. Nicholas may be the same Nicholas whose death was commemorated on 13 March at Lincoln Cathedral and gave a gift of the first volume of the

Great Bible The Great Bible of 1539 was the first authorised edition of the Bible in English, authorised by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of the Church of England. The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, worki ...

to the cathedral, where it remains as Lincoln, MS 1; the second volume is now at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

Citations

References

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