William of Bitton (died 1274) was a medieval

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...

Life

William was a son of Sir Adam of Bitton in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and the brother of Thomas Bitton who was

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

archdeacon of Wells The Archdeacon of Wells has been a senior clergy position in the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells sin the English reformation, before which it was part of the Roman Catholic Church. The post, having oversight over the archdeaconry of We ...

Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 7: Bath and Wells: Bishops
' and

Dean of Wells The Dean of Wells is the head of the Chapter of Wells Cathedral in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The dean's residence is The Dean's Lodging, 25 The Liberty, Wells. List of deans High Medieval *1140–1164: Ivo *1164–1189: Ric ...

and Bishop of Exeter.Shaw "Button, William" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' His uncle was William of Bitton I,

. 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 Buckland from 1257 and rector of

Congresbury Congresbury is a village and civil parish on the northwestern slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset, England, which in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370 between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, south of Bri ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

from 1252.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 7: Bath and Wells: Unidentified Prebendaries
' Before 13 December 1262 he 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 Bath and Wells, and was archdeacon of Wells as well as rector of Middlezoy in Somerset by 20 April 1263.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 7: Bath and Wells: Archdeacons: Wells
' William was elected as bishop on 10 February 1267 and consecrated after 17 April 1267.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 228 He was not active in political or governmental events, although he did go to a council in 1269 that objected to ecclesiastical taxation. He, like his uncle, mainly worked in his diocese, and regulated the liturgical life of his cathedral and endowed the cathedral with some property. William died 4 December 1274 and was buried in Bath Cathedral. Some veneration was given to him after his death, but no formal canonization ever occurred. He should not be confused with his uncle the first William of Bitton who was also Bishop of Bath and Wells, but who died in 1264.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William of Bitton (nephew) Bishops of Bath and Wells Archdeacons of Wells 1274 deaths Year of birth unknown People from Bitton 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops