__NOTOC__ Osbern FitzOsbern (–1103) was a Norman churchman. He was a relative of King

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æt ...

as well as being a royal chaplain.Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 164 During Edward's reign he received the church at

Bosham Bosham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England, centred about west of Chichester with its clustered developed part west of this. Its land forms a broad peninsula projecting into natural Chic ...

, near

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ...

. He was one of those present at the consecration of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

at Christmas 1065.Kinsford "Osbern" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was a steward for King

William I of England William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

during his reign, as well as being a friend of the king.Barlow ''William Rufus'' pp. 178–179 The story that he became William's chancellor is based entirely on a charter that modern historians have declared mostly spurious. He became

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

in 1072, and was consecrated at St. Paul's in London on 27 May 1072 by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and the ...

. Osbern was present at the church councils held in 1072 and 1075. Osbern was present at the first Christmas court held by King

William II of England William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...

after his accession.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 66 Osbern did not attend the church council held by Anselm, the new Archbishop of Canterbury in 1102, as he was ill.Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec'' pp. 246–247 and footnote 165 He became embroiled in a dispute with the monks of

Battle Abbey Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours. It is a Scheduled Monument. The Grade I listed site is now ...

, who had established a priory in Exeter. The cathedral chapter of Exeter objected to the priory establishing a graveyard or ringing their bells, and both sides appealed to Anselm, who ruled in Battle's favour on the bell issue. The dispute over the graveyard was still ongoing in 1102, when Pope Paschal II wrote to Osbern ordering him to allow the priory to establish a graveyard for their benefactors.Brett ''English Church'' pp. 93–94 Osbern FitzOsbern died in 1103,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 246 having gone blind before his death.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 80 Frank Barlow, a medieval historian, described Osbern as "unsociable".Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 326 William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford was his brother. Their father was

Osbern de Crépon Osbern the Steward, known in French as ''Osbern de Crépon'' († about 1040), was the Steward of two Dukes of Normandy and the father of William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, one of William the Conqueror's closest counsellors. Biography Osbern ...

, a guardian and

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

to the young Duke William.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 166–167

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Entry for Osbern
in George Oliver's ''Lives of the Bishops of Exeter'' {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzOsbern, Osbern 1103 deaths 11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Exeter Year of birth uncertain Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief Norman clerics given benefices in England 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops