William Giffard

2025-09-04T11:31:51Z

2A0A:EF40:19B:9901:3163:97F4:8CE9:2AC9:

{{short description|11th- and 12th-century Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor (died 1129)}}
{{For|those of a similar name|William Gifford (disambiguation)}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}

{{Infobox Christian leader
| name = William Giffard
| title = [[Bishop of Winchester]]
| image = Williamgiffardwinchestergreathallwindows.jpg
| caption = Victorian-era reconstruction of the coat of arms of William Giffard, from the [[Winchester Great Hall]]
| religion = Catholic
| appointed = 3 August 1100
| term_end = 23 January 1129
| predecessor = [[Walkelin]]
| successor = [[Henry of Blois]]
| consecration = 11 August 1107
| consecrated_by = [[Anselm of Canterbury]]
| death_date = 23 January 1129
| module = {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes
| office = [[Lord Chancellor]]
| term_start = 1093
| term_end = 1101
| monarch = {{ubl|[[William II of England|William II]]|[[Henry I of England|Henry I]]}}
| predecessor = [[Robert Bloet]]
| successor = [[Roger of Salisbury]]
}}
| buried = [[Winchester Cathedral]]
}}

'''William Giffard''' ({{Died in|1129}}), was the [[Lord Chancellor#History|Lord Chancellor]] of [[William II of England|William II]] and [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], from 1093 to 1101, and [[Bishop of Winchester]] (1100–1129).

== Family and early life ==
Giffard was the son of [[Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville|Walter]] and Ermengarde, daughter of [[Gerard Flaitel]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Keats-Rohan |first=Katharine Stephanie Benedicta |title=Domesday people: a prosopography of persons occurring in English documents, 1066-1166 |date=1999 |publisher=the Boydell press |isbn=978-0-85115-722-1 |location=Woodbridge |pages=456}}</ref> Giffard was the brother of [[Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham|Walter]] and the brother of [[Rohese Giffard|Rohese]], wife of [[Richard fitz Gilbert]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Hollister |first=C. Warren |date=1973 |title=The Strange Death of William Rufus |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2856221 |journal=Speculum |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=637–653 |doi=10.2307/2856221 |jstor=2856221 |issn=0038-7134|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

He held the office of Dean of Rouen.<ref name="Spear7">{{Cite journal |last=Spear |first=David S. |date=1982 |title=The Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy, 1066-1204 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0021937100026630/type/journal_article |journal=Journal of British Studies |language=en |volume=21 |issue=2 |page=7 |doi=10.1086/385787 |s2cid=153511298 |issn=0021-9371|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Lord Chancellor ==
Giffard was [[Lord Chancellor]] under [[William II of England|William II]] and [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] from 1093 to 1101.<ref name="Handbook83">{{Cite book |title=Handbook of British chronology |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-56350-5 |editor-last=Fryde |editor-first=E. B. |edition=3rd |series= |location=Cambridge |pages=83}}</ref>

== Bishop of Winchester ==
On 3 August 1100 he became [[bishop of Winchester]]<ref name="Handbook276">{{Cite book |title=Handbook of British chronology |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-56350-5 |editor-last=Fryde |editor-first=E. B. |edition=3rd |series= |location=Cambridge |pages=276}}</ref> by nomination of Henry I.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="ODNB-WGiffard">{{Cite ODNB|last=Franklin|first=M. J.|date=2004-09-23|title=Giffard, William (d. 1129), bishop of Winchester|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10655|access-date=2024-02-13|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10655}}</ref> Henry nominated him probably in an attempt to win the support of the clergy in Henry's bid to claim the throne directly after the death of [[William Rufus]].<ref name="Teunis138">{{Cite journal |last=Teunis |first=Henry B. |date=1978 |title=The coronation charter of 1100: a postponement of decision. What did not happen in Henry I's reign |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/0304-4181%2878%2990003-9 |journal=Journal of Medieval History |language=en |volume=4 |issue=2 |page=138 |doi=10.1016/0304-4181(78)90003-9 |issn=0304-4181}}</ref> He was one of the bishops elect whom Archbishop [[Anselm of Canterbury]] refused to consecrate in 1101 as having been nominated and invested by the lay power.<ref name="EB1911">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Giffard, William|volume=12|page=4}}</ref>

During the [[investitures dispute]] Giffard was on friendly terms with Anselm and was banished for declining to accept consecration from [[Gerard, Archbishop of York|Gerard]] [[Archbishop of York]] in 1103. He was, however, one of the bishops who pressed Anselm, in 1106, to give way to the king. He was finally consecrated after the settlement of 1107 on 11 August,<ref name="Handbook276" /> and became a close friend of Archbishop Anselm.<ref name="EB1911"/> As bishop, William aided the first [[Cistercians]] to settle in England, when in 1128 he brought monks from [[L'Aumône Abbey]] in France to settle at [[Waverley Abbey]].<ref name="Burton69">{{Cite book |last=Burton |first=Janet |title=Monastic and religious orders in Britain: 1000 - 1300 |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-37797-3 |edition= |series=Cambridge medieval textbooks |location=Cambridge |page=69}}</ref> He also restored [[Winchester Cathedral]] with great magnificence.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Among Giffard's actions as bishop was the refounding of a religious house at [[Taunton]] and the staffing of it with [[Augustinians|Austin]] canons. The canons were drawn from [[Merton Priory]].<ref name="Burton47">{{Cite book |last=Burton |first=Janet |title=Monastic and religious orders in Britain: 1000 - 1300 |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-37797-3 |edition= |series=Cambridge medieval textbooks |location=Cambridge |page=47}}</ref> He was known for the close and good relations that he had with the monks of his [[cathedral chapter]], sharing their meals and sleeping with them instead of in his own room.<ref name="Bethell682">{{Cite journal |last=Bethell |first=D. L. |date=1969 |title=English black monks and episcopal elections in the II20s |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ehr/LXXXIV.CCCXXXIII.673 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=LXXXIV |issue=CCCXXXIII |page=682 |doi=10.1093/ehr/LXXXIV.CCCXXXIII.673 |issn=0013-8266|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Death ==
Giffard died shortly before 25 January 1129, the date he was buried.<ref name="BHOWinc">{{Cite web |title=WINCHESTER: Bishops {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/fasti-ecclesiae/1066-1300/vol2/pp85-87 |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Robert Bloet]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Lord Chancellor]] | years=1093–1101}}
{{s-aft| after=[[Roger of Salisbury]]}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Walkelin]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Bishop of Winchester]] | years=1100–1129 }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Henry of Blois]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{House of Normandy Lord Chancellors}}
{{Bishops of Winchester}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giffard, William}}
[[Category:11th-century births]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1129 deaths]]
[[Category:Anglo-Normans]]
[[Category:Lord chancellors of England]]
[[Category:Bishops of Winchester]]
[[Category:12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops]]
[[Category:Burials at Winchester Cathedral]]

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William Giffard