William Ayremyn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Ayermin (or Ayermine) (died 27 March 1336) was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.


Biography

Ayermin, was descended from a family settled at Osgodby, Lincolnshire. He was the eldest of three brothers, of whom
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 ...
obtained many ecclesiastical offices, and
Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
became archdeacon of Norfolk. In early life William was probably a clerk of the exchequer. Ayermin sat in the Edward II's
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
at
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
for St. Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury in 1306-7. He also recorded the proceedings of Edward II's parliament at Lincoln in 1316. In August of that year he became master of the rolls and he temporarily performed for many years before and after this date the duties of both the keeper of the great seal and of the chancellor. In 1317 he was made guardian of the Jewish converts' house for life, although previously the office had only been held during the king's pleasure. In 1319 Ayermin joined the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Ely, and other ecclesiastics, who with a force of 8,000 men attempted to resist an invasion of the Scots in the North during the First War of Scottish Independence. The army was defeated at the
Battle of Myton The Battle of Myton, nicknamed the Chapter of Myton or The White Battle because of the number of clergy involved, was a major engagement in the First Scottish War of Independence, fought in Yorkshire on 20 September 1319. Berwick Falls In Apr ...
near the river
Swale Swale or Swales may refer to: Topography * Swale (landform), a low tract of land ** Bioswale, landform designed to remove silt and pollution ** Swales, found in the formation of Hummocky cross-stratification Geography * River Swale, in North ...
with great slaughter. William was taken prisoner, and was not released for several months. Around about 26 May 1324 Ayermin resigned the mastership of the rolls to his brother Richard, and became keeper of the king's privy seal. In the church he meanwhile secured much preferment, although he was always manoeuvring to obtain more. He was rector of Wearmouth, and canon of St. Paul's, Lincoln
Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...
, Lincoln, York, Salisbury, and Dublin. Ayermin was elected
Bishop of Carlisle The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York. The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city of Car ...
on 7 January 1325, following the death of John de Halton but was never consecrated as his election was quashed on 13 February 1325 and John Ross was subsequently appointed in his stead.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 235 In July 1325 Ayermin is said by some authorities to have been staying at Rome, to have there received the news of the death of Salmon, bishop of Norwich, and to have straight away obtained
Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...
's nomination to the vacant see, regardless of the known intention of
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
to bestow the bishopric on his chancellor,
Robert Baldock Robert Baldock (or de Baldock; died 28 May 1327) was the Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England, during the reign of King Edward II of England. Career Baldock was archdeacon of Middlesex when he was named Controller of the Wardrobe a ...
. But there seems little doubt that William was living in France at the time, engaged in settling a dispute between the kings of England and France as to the possession of land in Aquitaine. His conduct of this business appears to have displeased Edward II, who had instructed him to offer certain concessions to France, which he failed to do. He had, however, friends at Rome, who undoubtedly obtained for him the papal nomination on 19 July 1325 to the
see of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England that forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. History It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of the Bishop of the East ...
, and he was consecrated on 6 February 1327.Sidney Lee states he was "consecrated bishop in France, 15 Sept. 1325, by the pope's agents against Edward's wish" . In the course of 1326 year Ayermin returned to England, after frequent refusals to answer the king's summons to explain his recent conduct, he appears to have been reconciled to Edward II ( in spite of the suspicions with which the Despencers and Baldock viewed him) and was acting Keeper of the Great Seal, usually known as the
Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
of England, from 1326 to 1327. He vigorously supported
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
on the abdication of Edward II, and held the office of
Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
from 1331 to 1332. Ayermin died 27 March 1336, at his house at Charing, near London, and was buried in Norwich Cathedral. In the opinion of
Sidney Lee Sir Sidney Lee (5 December 1859 – 3 March 1926) was an English biographer, writer, and critic. Biography Lee was born Solomon Lazarus Lee in 1859 at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London. He was educated at the City of London School , ...
writing in the ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' the old verdict on his career, which stigmatised him as "crafty covetous, and treasonable", seems substantially just.


Citations


References

*


Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayermin, William Bishops of Norwich Lords Privy Seal Lord chancellors of England 1336 deaths Lord High Treasurers of England Year of birth unknown