__NOTOC__ Robert Warelwast (died 1155) was a medieval

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

Life

Warelwast and his successor, Robert of Chichester are often confused.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 93 Warelwast was the nephew of the previous bishop,

William Warelwast William Warelwast (died 1137) was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk for King William II. Most ...

, and was appointed archdeacon of Exeter by his uncle.Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 302 He had been educated at Laon,Chibnall ''Anglo-Norman England'' p. 128 sent there by his uncle to study under Master

Anselm of Laon Anselm of Laon ( la, Anselmus; 1117), properly Ansel ('), was a French theologian and founder of a school of scholars who helped to pioneer biblical hermeneutics. Biography Born of very humble parents at Laon before the middle of the 11th cent ...

.Barlow "Warelwast, Robert de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Warelwast was nominated on 10 April 1138 at a royal council held at Northampton.Appleby ''Troubled Reign'' p. 47 Probably, he was elected by the cathedral chapter and his election was formally accepted by King

Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 u ...

at Northampton. He was consecrated on 18 December 1138 by the papal legate Alberic, because the archbishopric of Canterbury was vacant. Warelwast went to the Lateran Council held by Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

in 1139.Appleby ''Troubled Reign'' p. 61Barlow ''English Church'' p. 112 During King Stephen's reign, he was forced to recognize Baldwin de Redvers as

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall * Condor of Cornwall ...

, but continued to date his charters by Stephen's regnal years.Matthew ''King Stephen'' pp. 121–122 He seems to have favored Stephen, but his diocese was not strategically significant in the civil war and he was little bothered by the disorders of the reign. He did excommunicate Matilda's half-brother Reginald fitz Roy whom she had made Earl of Cornwall, but this was because Richard had ravaged church lands. Warelwast failed to attend the Council of Rheims in 1148, and was suspended from his bishopric by Pope

Eugene III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He w ...

for this. Warelwast was a patron of

Baldwin of Exeter Baldwin of Forde or FordSharpe ''Handlist of Latin Writers'' pp. 66–67 ( – 19 November 1190) was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Po ...

, the future Archbishop of Canterbury, sending Baldwin to Italy to study

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. Warelwast died about 28 March 1155.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 246 He was still alive on 7 February 1155 when he oversaw the translation of relics at

Launceston Priory Launceston Priory was a priory at Newport, Launceston, Cornwall, England, UK. The priory was founded 1127 by William Warelwast, Bishop of Exeter as a house of Augustinian canons. Its charter replaced an earlier foundation of secular canons at ...

, but died soon after that. He was buried in his cathedral.

Citations

References

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External links

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Entry for Robert
in George Oliver's ''Lives of the Bishops of Exeter'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Warelwast, Robert Bishops of Exeter 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1155 deaths Burials at Exeter Cathedral Year of birth unknown