Richard of Ilchester (died 22 December 1188) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

English statesman and

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

Life

Richard was born in the diocese of Bath, where he obtained preferment. Early in the reign of Henry II, however, he is found acting as a clerk in the

King's court King's Square is an open area in the city centre of York, in England. It is popular with tourists, who are often entertained by buskers and street performers. Nikolaus Pevsner notes that "the square has trees, which distinguishes it". The Y ...

, probably under

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

, and he was one of the officials who assisted Henry in carrying out his great judicial and financial reforms. Richard was the first

King's Remembrancer The King's Remembrancer (or Queen's Remembrancer) is an ancient judicial post in the legal system of England and Wales. Since the Lord Chancellor no longer sits as a judge, the Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position in continual existence ...

, the oldest judicial office still in existence in England, in 1154. In 1162, or 1163, Richard was appointed

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

,British History Online Bishops of Winchester
accessed on 2 November 2007 but he passed most of his time in England, although in the next two or three years he visited

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a con ...

and the

Emperor Frederick I Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

in the interests of the English king. He was one of the persons whom the

Constitutions of Clarendon The Constitutions of Clarendon were a set of legislative procedures passed by Henry II of England in 1164. The Constitutions were composed of 16 articles and represent an attempt to restrict ecclesiastical privileges and curb the power of the Chu ...

were addressed, along with Geoffrey Ridel and

Richard de Luci Richard de Luci (or Lucy; 1089 – 14 July 1179) was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England. Biography His mother was Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. In the charter for Sées Ca ...

.Knowles, et al. "Henry II's Supplement" ''English Historical Review'' p. 759 For promising to support Frederick against Alexander he was excommunicated by Becket in 1166. Before this event, however, Richard had been appointed a

baron of the exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

.Clanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 63 One of Richard's duties was to oversee the making of the Pipe rolls, as well as keeping the treasurer from falling asleep. He also was responsible for an innovation in record keeping by the Exchequer, ordering a record kept of every summons made by the Exchequer. This system, however, was discontinued later. Although totally immersed in secular business Richard received several rich ecclesiastical offices including treasurer of the

diocese of Poitiers The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. ...

, and 1 May 1173 he was elected

bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, being consecrated at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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, Kent, River Stour. ...

in October 1174.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 276 Richard still continued to serve Henry II. In 1176 he was appointed justiciary and seneschal of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, and was given full control of all the royal business in the duchy. He died on 22 December 1188, and was buried in

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

. Richard owes his surname to the fact that Henry II granted him a mill at

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a nota ...

. While bishop Richard gave an endowment to a hospital in Winchester, and allowed it to double the number of poor that it fed.Turner "Religious Patronage" ''Albion'' p. 5 Richard probably was the father of the brothers

Richard Poore Richard Poore or Poor (died 15 April 1237) was a medieval English bishop best known for his role in the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral and the City of Salisbury, moved from the nearby fortress of Old Sarum. He served as Bishop of Chic ...

, who became

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

, and

Herbert Poore Herbert Poore or Poor or - the Norman did not necessarily translate the English ''poor'' but represents Latin , a "boy", and particularly one of good family, a knight. (died 1217) was a medieval English clergyman who held the post of Bisho ...

, who became

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

.British History Online Bishops of Salisbury
accessed on 30 October 2007

Notes

Citations

References

British History Online Bishops of Salisbury
accessed on 30 October 2007
British History Online Bishops of Winchester
accessed on 2 November 2007 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richard Of Ilchester English theologians Bishops of Winchester 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1188 deaths People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church People from Bath, Somerset Year of birth unknown People from Ilchester, Somerset