Walter Suffield

Walter Suffield
Bishop of Norwich
Elected	c. 9 July 1244
Term ended	19 May 1257
Predecessor	William de Raley
Successor	Simon Walton
Orders
Consecration	26 February 1245
Personal details
Died	19 May 1257
Denomination	Roman Catholic

Walter Suffield (died 19 May 1257) was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.

Life

Suffield was a canonist at Paris before his election to the see of Norwich about 9 July 1244. He was consecrated on 26 February 1245.^[1] He was an eloquent preacher, and showed generosity to the poor (during one famine, even selling some of his own goods in order to provide them with food).^[2]

Suffield's plaque in Bishopgate, Norwich, NR1 1AA

In 1249, he founded St. Giles's Hospital in Norwich (which remains in use as the Great Hospital to this day) to provide care for the poor.^[3]

He has been reported as visiting his bishop's palace at South Elmham Hall where he enjoyed the hunting.^[4]

He died on 19 May 1257,^[5] leaving bequests to both the poor and the hospital.^[6]

Citations

1. British History Online Bishops of Norwich accessed on 29 October 2007
2. Lewin, "A medieval occupational pension" (2017)
3. Lewin, "A medieval occupational pension" (2017)
4. "South Elmham Hall". Suffolk Heritage Explorer. Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
5. Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 261
6. Lewin, "A medieval occupational pension" (2017)

References

• British History Online Bishops of Norwich accessed on 29 October 2007
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
• Lewin, Chris (22 June 2017). "A medieval occupational pension". The Actuary. Institute & Faculty of Actuaries. Retrieved 6 October 2017.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by William de Raley	Bishop of Norwich 1244–1257	Succeeded by Simon Walton