John of Fountains

John of Fountains
Bishop of Ely
Elected	c. 24 January 1220
Predecessor	Robert of York
Successor	Geoffrey de Burgo
Other post(s)	Abbot of Fountains
Orders
Consecration	8 March 1220 by Stephen Langton
Personal details
Died	6 May 1225
Buried	Ely Cathedral
Denomination	Catholic

John of Fountains (died 6 May 1225) was a medieval Bishop of Ely.

Life

John was abbot of Fountains Abbey by 13 December 1211, when he was blessed at Melrose^[1] by the bishop of Down. Nothing is known of his family or background before this event. While abbot, he continued the building of the abbey's church, and Pope Honorius III named him to a commission with Stephen Langton the Archbishop of Canterbury and William de Cornhill the Bishop of Coventry to investigate the possible canonization of Hugh of Lincoln.^[2]

John was elected to the see of Ely about 24 January 1220. He was consecrated bishop on 8 March 1220^[3] at London by Langton.^[2] He was enthroned at Ely Cathedral on 25 March 1220.^[4] He owed his election to the papal legate Pandulf Verraccio.^[5] While bishop, the pope once more named him to a canonization commission, this time in 1223 for William of York. He was rarely involved in political matters, but did go to France on a diplomatic mission in 1223.^[2]

John died on 6 May 1225.^[1][3] He was buried in Ely Cathedral, at first near the altar of St. Andrew, but after a rebuilding effort by Hugh of Northwold he was reinterred near the high altar.^[2] His tomb was described as "in the pavement".^[6]

Citations

1. Smith, et al. Heads of Religious Houses II p. 279
2. Owen "Fountains, John of" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
3. Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 244
4. Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops Archived 14 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
5. Vincent Peter des Roches p. 166
6. Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" Journal of the British Archaeological Association p. 77

References

• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
• Greenway, Diana E. (1971). "Ely: Bishops". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300. Vol. 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces). Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
• Owen, Dorothy M. (2004). "Fountains, John of [John de Fontibus]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/9802. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Sayers, Jane (2009). "A Once Proud Prelate: An Unidentified Episcopal Monument in Ely Cathedral". Journal of the British Archaeological Association. 162: 67–87. doi:10.1179/006812809x12448232842376.
• Smith, David M.; London, Vera C. M. (2001). The Heads of Religious Houses, England and Wales II. 1216–1377. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-80271-7.
• Vincent, Nicholas (2002). Peter des Roches: An Alien in English Politics 1205–1238 (Reprint ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-52215-3.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Robert of York	Bishop of Ely 1220–1225	Succeeded by Geoffrey de Burgo