William of Kilkenny (died 21 September 1256) was a

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 and

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...

Life

William may be the same William of Kilkenny who was elected

Bishop of Ossory The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remain ...

in 1231, but resigned the office in 1232 before being consecrated. Whether or not that was the case, the man who later became bishop of Ely was a king's clerk by 1234. He was sent to Rome on royal business twice, once in 1234–1235 and again in 1237. In 1238 he left royal service, and was employed by two successive bishops of Durham,

Nicholas of Farnham Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

and

Richard Poore Richard Poore or Poor (died 15 April 1237) was a medieval English bishop best known for his role in the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral and the City of Salisbury, moved from the nearby fortress of Old Sarum. He served as Bishop of Chic ...

. By May 1247 he was back in royal service, for in that month King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

sent him overseas.Stacey "Kilkenny, William of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' William was

Archdeacon of Coventry The Archdeacon of Coventry is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Coventry. The post has been called the ''Archdeacon Pastor'' since 2012. History The post was historically within the Diocese of Lichfield beginning ...

,Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
' from November 1247, as well as controller of the wardrobe from 1249 to 1252, and chancellor from 1250 to 1255.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 85 William was elected to the

see of Ely See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

about 29 September 1254 and consecrated on 15 August 1255 at Bellay in Savoy by 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 ...

, Boniface of Savoy. William died on 21 September 1256,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 244 in Spain where he had gone on a diplomatic mission for the king. His heart was sent to Ely for burial in

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

. His only known relative was a nephew who held land in Waterford and was knighted in 1254. He had constructed an elaborate tomb that remained empty, and is now located near the high altar in the north choir aisle of Ely Cathedral. His heart was buried near the altar of Saint Etheldreda.Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" ''Journal of the British Archaeological Association'' pp. 77–78

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William of Kilkenny Lord chancellors of England Bishops of Ely 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Archdeacons of Coventry 1256 deaths Normans in Ireland Burials at Ely Cathedral Burials in Spain Year of birth unknown