Roger Walden (died 1406) was an English treasurer and Bishop of London.

Life

Little is now known of Walden's birth nor of his early years. He had some connection with the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

, and resided for some time in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

where he was

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 ...

of the Parish Church of St Helier from 1371 to 1378. He then held livings 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 ...

and in Leicestershire before he became

Archdeacon of Winchester The Archdeacon of Winchester is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Winchester. History Originally created as the archdeaconry of Basingstoke on 26 July 1927 within the Diocese of Winchester and from the old Archdeaconry of Wi ...

in 1387. His days, however, were by no means fully occupied with his ecclesiastical duties, and in 1387 also he was appointed

Treasurer of Calais The town of Calais, France, was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. During this historical period the task of the treasurer, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais, was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison ...

, holding about the same time other positions in this neighbourhood. In 1395, after having served Richard II as secretary, Walden became

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of England,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 106 adding the deanery of York to his numerous other benefices. On 8 November 1397 he was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury in succession to

Thomas Arundel Thomas Arundel (1353 – 19 February 1414) was an English clergyman who served as Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of York during the reign of Richard II, as well as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken op ...

,Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 who had just been banished from the realm, but he lost this position when the new king Henry IV restored Arundel in 1399, and after a short imprisonment he passed into retirement, being, as he himself says, "in the dust and under feet of men." On 10 December 1405, through Arundel's influence, Walden was elected

Bishop of London 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 ca ...

, and he died at

Much Hadham Much Hadham, formerly known as Great Hadham, is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. The parish of Much Hadham contains the hamlets of Perry Green and Green Tye, as well as the village of Muc ...

in Hertfordshire on 6 January 1406.Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 258 He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. DNB: Roger Walden An ''Historia Mundi'', the manuscript of which is in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, is sometimes regarded as the work of Walden; but this was doubtless written by an earlier writer.

Citations

References

Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walden, Roger 1406 deaths 14th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Archbishops of Canterbury Bishops of London Archdeacons of Winchester (ancient) 15th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Lord High Treasurers of England Treasurers of Calais Year of birth unknown Jersey clergy Burials at St Paul's Cathedral