Ranulf of Wareham (died 1222) 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

Ranulf was a monk of

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedra ...

before becoming prior of that foundation by 1217.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Norwich: Priors
' Nothing else is known of his ancestry or origins except that he either came from

Wareham, Dorset Wareham ( ) is a historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles (13 km) southwest of Poole. Situation and geography The town is bu ...

Warham, Norfolk Warham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated about inland from the north Norfolk coast, south-east of the town of Wells-next-the-Sea and north-west of the city of Norwich.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Ex ...

. He is referred to as ''magister'', showing that he had a university education. He acted as Bishop

John de Gray John de Gray or de Grey (died 18 October 1214) was an English prelate who served as Bishop of Norwich, and was elected but unconfirmed Archbishop of Canterbury. He was employed in the service of Prince John even before John became king, for wh ...

of Norwich's agent during Gray's frequent absences from his see, and after Gray died in 1214, King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

appointed him the royal custodian of the diocese during the vacancy. With the election of Pandulph to Norwich in 1215, Ranulf was once more left in charge of the diocese while the bishop went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

.Hoskin "Wareham, Ranulf of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' As the agent for John de Gray, he did most of the administrative work in the diocese.Harper-Bill "John and the Church" ''King John'' p. 294 Ranulf was captured by the baronial forces in May 1216, and was not released until August 1217. He owed his capture to his service to one of the main supporters of King John. However, at some point in 1217 he was elected by the cathedral chapter of Norwich to the office of prior. It is unclear if he was ever formally installed as prior before his election as bishop of Chichester. His elevation to the episcopate was due to the influence of the papal legate Cardinal

Guala Bicchieri Guala Bicchieri ( 1150 – 1227) was an Italian diplomat, papal official and cardinal. He was the papal legate in England from 1216 to 1218, and took a prominent role in the politics of England during King John’s last years and Henry III’ ...

. Ranulf was nominated 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 ...

about 17 December 1217, and was consecrated on 7 January 1218.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 239 His election was a rare example of a monk being chosen as bishop by a non-monastic cathedral chapter.Moorman ''Church Life'' p. 161 footnote 3 He mainly occupied himself with diocesan affairs, although he did journey to Rome in 1218 to negotiate about the payment of tribute on the king's behalf. Ranulf died on 14 September or 15 September in 1222, after having been paralyzed for some time. His death was commemorated on 15 September.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Bishops
' His bones may have been found in 1829 in

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 ...

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranulf of Wareham 1222 deaths Bishops of Chichester 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown