Thomas (12th century bishop)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Thomas II (died 24 February 1114) was a medieval archbishop of York.


Early life and career

Thomas was the nephew of Thomas of Bayeux, archbishop of York,Greenway ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6: York: Archbishops'' and the son of the elder Thomas' brother
Samson, Bishop of Worcester Samson (died 5 May 1112) was a medieval English clergyman who was Bishop of Worcester from 1096 to 1112. Life Samson was a Royal Chaplain and a canon and Treasurer of the diocese of Bayeux.Provost of Beverley Minster Beverley Minster The Provost of St John's, Beverley (Beverley Minster) is a position said to have been created by Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux (1070–1100). The provost had responsibility for the administration of the lands owned by the minster an ...
in 1092, both appointments he owed to his uncle.Burton "Thomas" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography He was raised in the
cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
at York, and the clergy of York trusted him,Vaughn ''Anselm of Bec and Robert of Meulan'' pp. 336-357 and he proved himself devoted to York's cause against the primacy of Canterbury.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 43 Thomas' brother Richard became
Bishop of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...
in about 1108, holding the post till his death in 1133.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 58 Thomas and Richard's sister, Isabelle of Douvres, was the mistress of Robert of Gloucester, and their son
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
was Bishop of Bayeux from 1135 to 1142.Spear "Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 5


Archbishop

Thomas became Archbishop of York in May 1108Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 281 at the request of the dean and cathedral chapter of York. On account of his refusal to profess obedience to 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 Justi ...
, his consecration was delayed and formed part of the Canterbury-York dispute. Thomas said that the chapter would not allow him to make a written profession, and the chapter wrote as a body to Archbishop
Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of th ...
confirming this. Meanwhile, the dean of York went to Rome to procure the pallium for Thomas, which was sent with a papal legate. Anselm died in April 1109 without any resolution to the dispute between the two archbishops. He had told the bishops before his death that he felt that Thomas must make a profession of obedience, and obediently the bishops appealed to the king's court to oblige Thomas to do so. Henry I and his bishops finally decided against Thomas, who capitulatedCantor ''Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture'' pp. 300-301 and was consecrated in London on 27 June 1109 by Richard de Beaumis, Bishop of London. He received his pallium from Cardinal Ulrich, the legate, on 1 August 1109. Thomas worked to extend York's
metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
authority over Scotland, and consecrated
Michael of Glasgow Michael of Glasgow is the earliest known bishop of Glasgow of the 12th century. Records of his episcopate do not survive from the records of the Kingdom of Scotland, however a bishop and a bishop with the name Michael is recorded in foreign record ...
as Bishop of Glasgow. Michael made a written profession of obedience to York before his consecration. Thomas also consecrated
Thurgot Thorgaut or Turgot (c. 1050–1115) (sometimes, Thurgot) was Archdeacon and Prior of Durham, and Bishop of Saint Andrews. Turgot came from the Kingdom of Lindsey in Lincolnshire. After the Norman conquest he was held as a hostage, but escap ...
as
Bishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
, although Thurgot seems to have managed to insert a reservation of his rights into his oath.Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 94 Other Scottish bishops he consecrated were
Radulf Novell Radulf Novell was a 12th-century Anglo-Norman prelate. He was a native of York, and according to writings produced by the Archbishopric of York, was elected as Bishop of Orkney at St Peter's church in York by some representatives of the community ...
as Bishop of Orkney and
Wimund Wimund was a bishop who became a seafaring warlord adventurer in the years after 1147. His story is passed down to us by 12th-century English historian William of Newburgh in his ''Historia rerum anglicarum'', Book I, Chapter 24 entitled "Of bisho ...
to as Bishop of Man and the Isles. In the diocese of York, Thomas founded the Hospital of
St. John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
at Ripon.Page (ed.) ''History of the County of York: Volume 3: Hospitals: Rerecross, Richmond and Ripon'' He also created more
prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
s in his diocese, extending the work of his two predecessors in introducing the Norman system of ecclesiastical government. He is said to have been stopped from appropriating the relics of Saint Eata only by a vision of the saint. He also endowed Hexham Priory, a house of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, with lands and books. He himself helped found the priory at Hexham when he expelled the hereditary priest from the church and settled there a group of canons from Huntingdon Priory.Burton ''Monastic and Religious Orders'' p. 48


Death and legacy

Thomas died at Beverley on 24 February 1114. He was noted for his chastity, but equally noted for his gluttony, and died of overeating.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 82 Thomas was buried in York Minster near his uncle. Hugh the Chantor relates the story that Thomas one time when ill was told by his doctors that he would only be cured by sexual intercourse with a young girl. Some of Thomas' friends then attempted to introduce a young woman into his household, but Thomas instead prayed to a saint, John of Beverley, and recovered.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas 1114 deaths Archbishops of York 12th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Year of birth unknown Burials at York Minster