William of Louth

William of Louth
Bishop of Ely
William of Louth's seal, now in the British Museum
Elected	12 May 1290
Term ended	25 or 27 March 1298
Predecessor	John Kirkby
Successor	John Salmon
Other post(s)	Archdeacon of Durham
Orders
Ordination	23 September 1290[1]
Consecration	1 October 1290 by Archbishop John Peckham, O.F.M. with co-consecrators Robert Burnell, John of Pontoise, Oliver Sutton, Ralph Walpole, William de La Corner, Peter Wyvill, and Anian Schonaw, O.P.
Personal details
Died	25 or 27 March 1298
Buried	Ely Cathedral
Denomination	Catholic

William of Louth, also known as William de Luda (died 1298) was a medieval Bishop of Ely.

Life

Monument to Bishop de Luda in Ely Cathedral

William probably was born in Louth, Lincolnshire but his parentage is unknown.^[2] William attended a university and held a university degree.^[3] He probably held an office in the chancery under King Henry III of England.^[2] Soon after the coronation of King Edward I of England, Edward appointed William cofferer of the wardrobe, on 18 October 1274.^[4] The cofferer was in charge of the money of that department of the administration.^[3] In 1278 through 1280, William was put in charge of the construction of the town and castle at Rhuddlan by the king.^[2]

William held prebends in the dioceses of Lincoln, London, Wells, and York as well as the deanery of St Martin le Grand in London before being named Archdeacon of Durham by 22 August 1284.^[5] In 1286 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to France by the king.^[3]

William was elected to the see of Ely on 12 May 1290 and consecrated on 1 October 1290. He died on 25 March 1298 or 27 March.^[1][6] He was buried in Ely Cathedral. His only known relative was a nephew William Tuchet, who was his heir.^[2] His tomb, with an elaborate canopy, still is located close to where it was originally placed near the high altar in the south choir aisle near the entrance to the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral.^[7]

Citations

1. Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
2. Martin "Louth, William of" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
3. Prestwich Edward I pp. 139–140
4. Prestwich Edward I p. 92
5. Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Archdeacons of Durham
6. Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 244
7. Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" Journal of the British Archaeological Association pp. 79–80

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. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
• Greenway, Diana E. (1971). "Durham: Archdeacons of Durham". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300. Vol. 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
• Martin, G. H. (2004). "Louth, William of (c.1240–1298)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (January 2008 revised ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60124. Retrieved 4 April 2008. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
• Prestwich, Michael (1997). Edward I. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07157-4.
• 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. S2CID 192184394.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Kirkby	Bishop of Ely 1290–1298	Succeeded by John Salmon