Richard Wendene (–1250) was a medieval Bishop of Rochester.

Identity

Richard's surname was variously spelled, and he has been confused with Richard of Wendover, a physician and medical writer. "Wendene" could refer to Wenden Lofts in Essex (or even Wendens Ambo nearby).Nicholas Karn, "Wenden, Richard of (d. 1250)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 2009. That Richard served Benedict of Sawston could strengthen this connexion, as

Sawston Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam about south of Cambridge. It has a population of 7,260. History Prehistory Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a ha ...

is only ten miles from either village.

Life

Richard was entitled magister and therefore must have attended university - and this would suggest his being from a well-heeled family. He was a clerk to Benedict of Sawston, bishop of Rochester, by 1215, and became the official to Benedict's successor

Henry Sandford Henry Sandford was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. Sandford was a royal official before becoming a canon of the diocese of Salisbury and was Archdeacon of Canterbury from about 1213 until he was chosen for Rochester.

. He was also

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

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 ...

.British History Online Bishops of Rochester
accessed on 30 October 2007 At Sandford's death, in spring 1235, the monks of Rochester elected Wendene

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. However,

Edmund of Abingdon Edmund of Abingdon (also known as Edmund Rich, St Edmund of Canterbury, Edmund of Pontigny, French: St Edme; c. 11741240) was an English-born prelate who served as Archbishop of Canterbury. He became a respected lecturer in mathematics, diale ...

challenged the election, as he claimed the archbishop of Canterbury's jurisdiction over the

diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signa ...

. It took a couple of years for the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

to find in the monks' favour, and Richard was consecrated on 21 November 1238 in

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Medway, Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church o ...

.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 267 Richard died on 12 October 1250 at the episcopal manor of Freckenham, Suffolk. He was buried in

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 Unite ...

Citations

References

*
British History Online Bishops of Rochester
accessed on 30 October 2007 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wendene, Richard 13th-century births People from Essex Bishops of Rochester 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1250 deaths