William de Blois was a medieval Bishop of Worcester.

Life

William was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of the diocese of Lincoln and held the office of

Archdeacon of Buckingham The Archdeacon of Buckingham is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the Church of England in Buckinghamshire. The archdeacon has statutory oversight over the ancient Archdeaconry of Buckingham, which has existed since (at latest) the 11 ...

in that diocese by 10 May 1206. Presumably he was related to William de Blois,

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

, but the exact relationship is unknown.British History Online Archdeacons of Buckingham
accessed on 3 November 2007 William was elected to the

see of Worcester The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Church of England (Anglican) Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese was founded around 679 by St Theodore of Canterbury at Worcester to minister to the kingdom of the Hwicce, one of the many ...

sometime around 25 August 1218 and his election was confirmed by the papal legate to England Guala.British History Online Bishops of Worcester
accessed on 3 November 2007 He was consecrated on 7 October 1218. He died on 17 or 18 August 1236Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 279 or on 17 August. In 1224 William was appointed

Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

and

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. While Bishop of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, William imposed particularly strict rules on Jews within the diocese in 1219. As elsewhere in England, Jews were officially compelled to wear square white badges, supposedly representing tabula. Blois attempted to impose additional restrictions on usury, and wrote to Pope Gregory in 1229 to ask for further, harsher measures, and complaining about lack of enforcement of measures in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a 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. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

. In response, the papacy demanded that Christians be prevented from working in Jewish homes, and for enforcement of the wearing of badges.Vincent "Two Papal Letters" p. 219

Citations

References

British History Online Archdeacons of Buckingham
accessed on 3 November 2007
British History Online Bishops of Worcester
accessed on 3 November 2007 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blois, William De 1236 deaths Bishops of Worcester Archdeacons of Buckingham 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops High Sheriffs of Staffordshire High Sheriffs of Shropshire Year of birth unknown