"THE EPISCOPATE OF WALTER LANGTON, BISHOP OF COVENTRY AND LICHFIELD, 1296-1321, WITH IA CALENDAR OF HIS REGISTER" by Jill Blackwell Hughes, BA Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, October, 1992. CONTENTS. ABSTRACT vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS viii NOTE ON EDITORIAL METHOD x LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS I. Words xii II. Publications, repositories and manuscripts xiv INTRODUCTION 1. The Register 1 I. The First Lichfield Episcopal Register 1 II. The Condition of the Register 8 III. The Structure of the Register 10 i. The First Four Folios 10 ii. The Arrangement of the Remainder of the Register 32 IV. The Marginalia 42 V. The Ordination Lists 44 VI. Licences for Non-Residence 73 2. The Diocese 84 I. The Extent of the Diocese 84 II. The Administration of the Diocese 88 i. The Local Administration 88 a. The Archdeaconries and Archdeacons 88 The Archdeaconry of Chester 91 The Archdeaconry of Coventry 101 ii The Archdeaconry of Derby 108 The Archdeaconry of Shrewsbury 115 The Archdeaconry of Stafford 119 b. The Rural Deans 122 C. Exempt Jurisdictions 127 ii. The Central Administration 134 a. The Vicars-General 134 b. The Chancellor 163 c. The Official 167 d. The Commissary-General and Sequestrator-General 172 III. The Administration of the Diocese during the Sequestration of the See, 30 March 1302 -8 June 1303 186 3. Walter Langton 198 I. Langton's Family Background 198 II. Langton's Early Career 213 III. Langton's Election as Bishop 224 IV. Langton, the Diplomat and Politician 229 V. Langton, the Bishop 268 VI. Langton's Use of his Episcopal Patronage 310 VII. Langton's Relationship with the Lovetots and the Connection of this with his Suspension in 1302 - 1303 328 VIII. Epilogue 336 111 THE REGISTER OF WALTER LANGTON, 337 BISHOP OF COVENTRY AND LICHFIELD, 1296-1321 THE ORDINATION LISTS 803 APPENDIXES A. List of letters on fos. 1- 4v subsequently duplicated in the register 1156 B. Illustration of reg. nos. 32-4, 42,43 on fos. 1-4v with their corresponding duplicated entries, reg. nos. 97-9,230, 231 1157-8 C. Illustration of the six cancelled institutions on fo. 116, reg. no. 1308, which duplicate reg. nos. 588-593 1159 D. Illustration from the York vacancy register 1315-1317 of the working and definitive sections 1160 E. Table of the Ordination Lists 1161 F. List of Ordination services 1162 G. The Sequestrator's Account Roll, 6 January 1301 - 29 September 1301 1163 H. Langton's Itinerary 1187 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1206 iv SELECTIVE INDEX OF PERSONS 1230 SELECTIVE INDEX OF SUBJECTS 1233 MAP OF THE DIOCESE OF COVENTRY AND LICHFIELD This map is contained in the pocket inside the rear mill board. V ABSTRACT. This thesis produces for the first time a calendar of the episcopal register of Walter Langton, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield 1296- 1321. The whole of the register is produced with the entries calendared in the order in which they appear and numbered serially. Latin transcripts of at least one example of each type of entry have been given. This thesis studies the administration of the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield by a bishop who rose through Edward I's service to become treasurer in 1295 and was thus the most important and influential government minister until the end of the reign. His career reached its zenith after his elevation to the episcopate in 1296, which can be seen as the ultimate reward for his loyal service to the crown. Although Langton's position changed dramatically with the accession of Edward II, he remained politically active until his death. Langton's episcopate thus illustrates the inter- relationship between the medieval church and central government. Langton's register is the earliest extant register for the diocese and its study has thrown light upon the administration of the diocese, the recruitment of clergy, patronage and the state of religious life at this time. Moreover, the register contains important information concerning vi the bishop himself. Because of his political involvement and personal vicisý situdes, Langton has been criticised for neglecting his diocesan duties. His register, however, shows that this was not the case and that he was a conscientious bishop. The thesis discusses Langton's episcopal register, the diocesan administration and bishop Langton in turn. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I wish to acknowledge the assistance and encouragement given to me during the four years I have worked on this thesis and record my thanks for this help: to the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield for permission to transcribe the sequestrator's account roll for the year 1301; to the University of Oxford for permission to refer to the B. Litt. thesis of Miss H. Jenkins; to Research Publications of Reading for permission to reproduce sections of their microfilms of episcopal registers; to Mrs J. Hampartumian, archivist at Lichfield Joint Record Office, and her staff for their assistance on my many visits; to Dr. R. N. Swanson of the University of Birmingham for kindly supplying a reference verifying Langton's paternity; to Dr. D. M. Smith, Director of the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, University of York, for his advice regarding letters in the register; and to Professor M. C. Jones of the University of Nottingham for his clarification of French place- names. I am deeply indebted to my supervisors in the Department of History at the University of Nottingham for their help and encouragement: initially Professor R. L. Storey, until his retirement as head of the Department, whose enthusiasm for medieval church history inspired my viii own as an Undergraduate and who introduced me to the study of Latin; and, latterly, Dr. A. K. McHardy for her invaluable support and for being, despite her commitments, always available for consultation and advice. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Peter, without whose support and computer knowledge this thesis would never have been completed. Any errors and weaknesses that remain, whether in substance or in typing, are entirely my own responsibility. ix NOTE ON EDITORIAL METHOD. This edition of the register of Walter Langton gives, in as concise a form as is consistent with clarity, all the essential information from the register, including all personal and place-names. The whole of the register has been reproduced and the entries calendared in the order in which they appear in the original, without omission or re-arrangement, and all are numbered serially. The year has been taken as commencing on 1 January, whereas in the original it begins on 25 March. Latin transcripts with English summaries of at least one example of each type of entry have been given. In transcripts uncertain Latin words are signified by single inverted commas; abbreviations and contractions are expanded, with the exception of place-names, 'etc'' and 'Dat "; the gemipunctus '.. ', used before the title of a high dignitary or office-holder, is omitted; 'c' and 't' are interchangeable in the register, for example, 'negotium' is usually given as 'negocium' and 'administrationem' as 'administracionem', and the original spelling of such words is given without comment. In calendared entries the honorific or knightly title 'Dominus' or 'Sir' is omitted; first-names are modernised; surnames are given in their original form and uncertain surnames are X signified by single inverted commas; place-names are given in modern form and, where these differ from the original, the original spelling is given in parenthesis, with the exception of the common place-names of Coventry (Coventr', Coven'), Lichfield (Lich', Licch', Lych'), Derby (Derb', Derbei), Chester (Cestr'), Shrewsbury (Salop'), Stafford (Staff'), York (Ebor') and London (Lond', London'); unidentified place-names are signified by single inverted commas; additional marginal information is underlined and given in parenthesis at the end of the calendared entries; a note that the archdeacon or his official was mandated to induct incumbents instituted to benefices, although only recorded with any regularity after folio 34, is shown by 'Ind.: archd. '; the columns of names in the ordination lists are identified as 'Col. a, b or c'. xi ABBREVIATIONS. I. Words. abp. archbishop appx. appendix archd. archdeacon bp. bishop Br., Brs. Brother, Brothers Cal. Calendar cath. cathedral ch. church col., cols. column, columns coll. collegiate cony. convent D. C. L. Doctor of Civil Law D. Cn. L. Doctor of Canon Law dioc. diocese ed. edited edn. edition Fo., fos. Folio, folios Ind. Induct knt. knight lett. dim. letters dimissory M. Master m., mm. membrane, membranes ms., mss. manuscript, manuscripts n., nn., note, notes no., nos. number, numbers O. F. M. Order of Friars Minor O. F. P. Order of Friars Preachers xii port. portionary preb. prebend, prebendary pres. presented, presentation r. rector reg. register subd. subdeacon t. title t. pat. title of patrimony v. vicar vac. vacant vol., vols. volume, volumes xiii II. Publications, repositories and manuscripts. Beardwood, Records Records of the Trial of Walter Langeton, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, 1307-1312, ed. A. Beardwood (Camden, 4th series, 6,1969). Beardwood, Trial of Langton Beardwood, A., 'The Trial of Walter Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, 1307-1312, Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 54, part 3 (1964), pp. 5-45. BL British Library. Cal. Ing. P. M. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem. CCR Calendar of Close Rolls. CChW Calendar of Chancery Warrants. CFR Calendar of Fine Rolls. Churchill, Canterbury Admin., Churchill, I. J., Canterbury Administration: the Administrative Machinarv of the Archbishopric of Canterbury Illustrated from Original Records, 2 vols. (London, 1933). xiv Councils and Synods Councils and Synods with other Documents Relating to the English Church, II, i, 1205- 65, II, ii, 1265-1313, ed. F. M. Powicke, C. R. Cheney (Oxford, 1964). CPL Calendar of Papal Letters.