Robert de Chesney
Encyclopedia
Robert de Chesney was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln
. He was the brother of an important royal official, William de Chesney
, and the uncle of Gilbert Foliot
, later successively Bishop of Hereford
and Bishop of London
. Educated at Oxford or Paris, Chesney was Archdeacon of Leicester before his election as bishop in December 1148.
While bishop, Chesney maintained a close relationship with his nephew Foliot, and served as a royal justice in Lincolnshire. Chesney also was an early patron of Thomas Becket
, and gave the young cleric a office in his diocese early in Becket's career. Although shown favour by King Stephen of England
, including the right to a mint
, Chesney was present at the coronation of King Henry II of England
in 1154 and went on to serve Henry as a royal justice. In about 1160 Chesney became embroiled in a dispute with St Albans Abbey in the diocese of Lincoln, over his right as bishop to supervise the abbey. The dispute was eventually settled when the abbey granted Chesney land in return for his relinquishing any right to oversee St Albans.
Chesney was active in his diocese; more than 240 documents relating to his episcopal career survive. They show him mediating disputes between religious houses and granting exemptions and rights in his diocese. Chesney bought a house in London to serve as an episcopal residence, constructed an episcopal palace in Lincoln, and founded a religious house outside the city of Lincoln. He died in December 1166, probably on the 27th, and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral
.
and his elder brother Theobald II, Count of Champagne—and Henry's surviving legitimate child Matilda
, usually known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor
, Henry V
. King Henry's only legitimate son, William
, had died in 1120. After Matilda was widowed in 1125 she returned to her father, who married her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou
. All the magnates of England and Normandy were required to declare fealty
to Matilda as Henry's heir, but after Henry I's death in 1135 Stephen rushed to England and had himself crowned, before Theobald or Matilda could react. The Norman barons accepted Stephen as Duke of Normandy, and Theobald contented himself with his possessions in France. But Matilda was less sanguine and secured the support of the Scottish king, David
, her maternal uncle, and in 1138 that of her half-brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester
, an illegitimate son of Henry I.
Initially Stephen was secure on his throne, but by 1139 stresses were appearing. King David of Scotland invaded in 1138 along with rebellions by some of the English noblemen, but both of these threats were surmounted by Stephen by April 1139. Later that year, Stephen arrested Roger
, Bishop of Salisbury
, and his nephews Nigel, the Bishop of Ely
, and Alexander
, the Bishop of Lincoln
, who were not only powerful ecclesiastics but also important royal administrators. In September 1139, Matilda landed in England to contest the throne with the support of her half brother Robert. Stephen himself was captured in February 1141 by Matilda's forces, but the capture of Robert of Gloucester by forces loyal to Stephen later in 1141 led to the exchange of Robert for Stephen in November 1141. This led to an effective stalemate, with Stephen controlling sections of the country and other sections under the control of Matilda's supporters. During the 1140s, Matilda's husband Geoffrey of Anjou secured control of Normandy from Stephen.
region of Normandy
near Bayeux
in France, but the family had settled in the Midlands of England and held lands there, particularly in Oxfordshire. His parents were Roger de Chesney and Alice de Langetot. His brother William de Chesney remained a layman, and was one of the leading landowners in Oxfordshire. Another brother, Reginald, was the abbot of Evesham Abbey
. Chesney's sister Agnes was married to Robert Foliot, steward to the Earl of Huntingdon
. Agnes and Robert were probably the parents of Gilbert Foliot, later Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Although it is a surmise that Foliot's mother was a sibling of Chesney, it is securely attested that Chesney was the uncle of Gilbert.
Chesney probably attended schools in either Oxford or Paris, as later in life he was referred to with the title of magister, signifying that he was educated. He was Archdeacon of Leicester by about 1146, and held the prebend of Stow. He was also a canon
of the chapel of St. George at Oxford Castle
.
. He was consecrated by Theobald of Bec
at Canterbury Cathedral
on 19 December, the day after his ordination as a priest.
Gilbert Foliot's letters provide some background to Chesney's election, showing that King Stephen of England and Stephen's brother Henry of Blois
, the Bishop of Winchester
, attempted to secure Lincoln for one of their relatives: the royal candidates were the abbots of Fecamp
, Westminster
, and St Benet of Hulme. They were rejected by Pope Eugene III
, paving the way for the chapter to elect Chesney. Foliot relates that the electors from the chapter traveled to London, where they proceeded to elect Chesney in front of Foliot, Theobald, and some other bishops. That account is contradicted by Chesney's profession of obedience to Theobald, which claims that the election took place on 13 December 1148 at Westminster. Henry of Huntingdon
and Ralph Diceto, both medieval chroniclers, approved of the election and mentioned the unanimous nature of the Chesney's selection. That Chesney's brother William was a firm supporter of Stephen's probably helped reconcile Stephen and his brother to Chesney's election.
Chesney returned to Lincoln on 6 January 1149, where he received a letter from Arnulf
, the Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy, congratulating him on his appointment. Arnulf also asked Chesney to help the cause of Henry fitzEmpress
, Empress Matilda
's son and a contender for the English throne.
At the height of the civil war
during Stephen's reign, and shortly after Chesney's consecration, the bishop acted as a guarantor for the treaty between Ranulf de Gernon, the Earl of Chester
, and Robert de Beaumont
, the Earl of Leicester
, drawn up to limit the fighting between the two earls during the civil war. Chesney was present at the legatine council held by Theobald in March 1151, and was one of the judges, along with Theobald and Hilary of Chichester
, the Bishop of Chichester
, of a dispute between the monks of Belvoir Priory
and a secular clerk over the right of the clerk to a church. Chesney appointed the future Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, to a prebend in his cathedral chapter during the latter part of Stephen's reign.
Late in Stephen's reign, in mid-1154, Chesney acquired the right to operate a mint in the town of Newark, granted in perpetuity. But as there are no surviving coins it seems that the mint was not in operation for long. Chesney also acquired the right of justice in the city of Lincoln, and was involved in the commercial life of his diocese, establishing a fair in the town of Banbury
in 1154.
as Archbishop of York
on 10 October 1154. The bishop then was present at Henry II's coronation on 19 December 1154, and appears to have continued to act as a royal justice in Lincolnshire during the early part of King Henry II's reign; the 1156 Pipe Roll has the sheriff of the county accounting for 10 marks
arising from the pleas of the bishop in the county. Chesney was often with the royal court, as he attests a number of Henry II's charters during the early part of the reign, and accompanied the king to northern England in 1158 and to Normandy in 1160.
The bishop served as a judge during a dispute in 1158 between a dean from the diocese of York
and a citizen of Scarborough, with the layman alleging that the dean had extorted large sums of money from him by repeatedly charging his wife with adultery, and fining her. This action was against a royal decree, and the dean was charged in a royal court. However, the dean was let off with no secular penalties because he was a clerk, which aroused King Henry's anger. In the end, however, the death of the king's brother Geoffrey meant that the matter was dropped, although the whole affair was a precursor to the later Becket dispute.
Chesney is reported by his nephew Foliot to have had an interest in Roman law
, as Foliot wrote to Chesney that Foliot had ordered a copy made of the Digest
for his uncle. Also, some of Theobald's letters, written to Chesney and recorded in John of Salisbury
's letter collection, have the earliest record of quotations from Gratian
's Decretum
in an English source. They were part of a letter sent by Theobald to Chesney discussing difficult legal cases, and giving advice on how to resolve them.
In 1161 Chesney became embroiled in a dispute with St Albans Abbey, resulting from his efforts to enforce his diocesan rights to supervise religious houses within his diocese. Although Pope Alexander III
sent a papal bull to England ordering the case to be heard by a panel of two bishops, King Henry II of England
felt that the papal order infringed on his royal rights and had the case decided at the royal court instead. In 1155–1156 St Albans secured papal privileges from Pope Hadrian IV, who had previously been a monk there, that exempted the abbey from diocesan supervision, and it was these privileges that Chesney challenged. Chesney secured not only the papal bull but a royal commission to investigate the rights of the abbey as they were in the time of King Henry I
. The final disposition of the case took place in 1163, at a royal council at Westminster, where the abbey produced both the papal privileges and a forged charter of Offa of Mercia
in support of their case. As Chesney was unable to produce any documents in support of his own position, the king and council told the bishop that they favoured the abbey's cause. The king also ruled that the abbey was a royal proprietary church
, and thus had special exemptions. In the end, a compromise was reached, whereby the abbey compensated the bishopric with some land in return for the bishop renouncing his claims.
Early in 1162 Chesney was summoned to Normandy by the king, along with Roger, the Archbishop of York, Hugh de Puiset
, the Bishop of Durham, and Hilary of Chichester, in order to lend their support to the election of Thomas Becket to the see of Canterbury. In July 1163, Chesney was present at the royal court held at Woodstock, which included the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffydd
, the prince of Northern Wales Owain Gwynedd
, and King Malcolm IV of Scotland
. The two Welsh princes and the Scots' king did homage to Henry II while at this court. In 1163, Chesney was excused from attending a papal council at Tours because of his health, but he attended the royal councils of Clarendon and Northampton in 1164, which dealt with the growing dispute between the king and Becket. At those councils, Chesney attempted to persuade Becket to compromise with the king, but was unsuccessful. Later, the king sent Chesney to northern England as an itinerant justice during 1166.
Chesney's contributions to the king's military campaigns on the continent caused him financial difficulties; at the time of his death he was in debt to a Jewish moneylender.
at least once, and it was in his court that the case of Philip de Broy, a canon in Bedfordshire accused of murdering a knight, was heard. The case was one of those that contributed to King Henry's determination that criminous clerks should be subject to royal justice, not just ecclesiastical justice.
In addition to judicial affairs, Chesney worked to ensure good relations with his cathedral chapter, and allowed them exemptions from episcopal jurisdiction. He also permitted the clergy of his diocese to remit the payment of chrism money and forwent the traditional annual payment from the archdeacons of the diocese to the bishop. He suppressed unlicensed schools in Huntingdon and employed a number of educated clerks; his acta almost always include one witness entitled magister, and often as many as six.
Chesney was a builder in his diocese, where he was involved in the construction of the episcopal palace. He also founded a Gilbertine
house of canons just outside of the city of Lincoln, the priory of St Catherine, shortly after the order was recognised by the papacy in 1148. Unusually for its time it was only founded for men, although Gilbertine monastic houses typically accommodated both men and women. He granted a fair to Banbury before 1154. In 1161 he bought the Old Temple in London as a house for himself. These expenditures contributed to his financial difficulties, along with royal demands, which led to complaints about Chesney's spending. Another cause for complaint was that he gave away some of his estates as marriage portions for his nieces.
Besides Foliot, two other nephews were the brothers Gerard, a canon of Lincoln, and Martin, treasurer of Lincoln. Another relative may have been Fulk de Chesney, another canon at Lincoln. Chesney also helped the career of Richard Barre
, who became a writer and a royal judge. Barre first appears in the record as a witness to some of Chesney's documents during 1160–1164. Geoffrey of Monmouth
's last work, the Vita Merlini, was dedicated to Chesney. Foliot owned a copy of the Digest, part of the Corpus iuris civilis
, that had originally been gloss
ed for Chesney.
Traditionally, Chesney's predecessor Alexander
has been credited with the commissioning of the baptismal font in Lincoln Cathedral, made of Tournai marble. Recent scholarship has cast doubt upon this theory and suggests that the font was instead carved on the orders of Chesney, and commissioned after 1150.
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
. He was the brother of an important royal official, William de Chesney
William de Chesney
William de Chesney was an Anglo-Norman magnate during the reign of King Stephen of England and King Henry II of England . Chesney was part of a large family; one of his brothers became Bishop of Lincoln and another Abbot of Evesham Abbey. Stephen may have named him Sheriff of Oxfordshire...
, and the uncle of Gilbert Foliot
Gilbert Foliot
Gilbert Foliot was a medieval English monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Gloucester, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty...
, later successively Bishop of Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
and Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
. Educated at Oxford or Paris, Chesney was Archdeacon of Leicester before his election as bishop in December 1148.
While bishop, Chesney maintained a close relationship with his nephew Foliot, and served as a royal justice in Lincolnshire. Chesney also was an early patron of Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
, and gave the young cleric a office in his diocese early in Becket's career. Although shown favour by King Stephen of England
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, including the right to a mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
, Chesney was present at the coronation of King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
in 1154 and went on to serve Henry as a royal justice. In about 1160 Chesney became embroiled in a dispute with St Albans Abbey in the diocese of Lincoln, over his right as bishop to supervise the abbey. The dispute was eventually settled when the abbey granted Chesney land in return for his relinquishing any right to oversee St Albans.
Chesney was active in his diocese; more than 240 documents relating to his episcopal career survive. They show him mediating disputes between religious houses and granting exemptions and rights in his diocese. Chesney bought a house in London to serve as an episcopal residence, constructed an episcopal palace in Lincoln, and founded a religious house outside the city of Lincoln. He died in December 1166, probably on the 27th, and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
.
Historical background
After Henry's death in 1135 the succession was disputed between the king's nephews—StephenStephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
and his elder brother Theobald II, Count of Champagne—and Henry's surviving legitimate child Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, usually known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, Henry V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
. King Henry's only legitimate son, William
William Adelin
William , surnamed Adelin , was the son of Henry I of England by his wife Matilda of Scotland, and was thus heir-apparent to the throne. His early death without issue caused a succession crisis.William was born in Winchester...
, had died in 1120. After Matilda was widowed in 1125 she returned to her father, who married her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey V , called the Handsome and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144...
. All the magnates of England and Normandy were required to declare fealty
Fealty
An oath of fealty, from the Latin fidelitas , is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible or saint's relic, often contained within an altar, thus binding the oath-taker before God.In medieval Europe, fealty was sworn between...
to Matilda as Henry's heir, but after Henry I's death in 1135 Stephen rushed to England and had himself crowned, before Theobald or Matilda could react. The Norman barons accepted Stephen as Duke of Normandy, and Theobald contented himself with his possessions in France. But Matilda was less sanguine and secured the support of the Scottish king, David
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
, her maternal uncle, and in 1138 that of her half-brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
, an illegitimate son of Henry I.
Initially Stephen was secure on his throne, but by 1139 stresses were appearing. King David of Scotland invaded in 1138 along with rebellions by some of the English noblemen, but both of these threats were surmounted by Stephen by April 1139. Later that year, Stephen arrested Roger
Roger of Salisbury
Roger was a Norman medieval Bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.-Life:...
, Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, and his nephews Nigel, the Bishop of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
, and Alexander
Alexander of Lincoln
Alexander of Lincoln was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England under King Henry I, and he was also related to Nigel, Bishop of Ely...
, the Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, who were not only powerful ecclesiastics but also important royal administrators. In September 1139, Matilda landed in England to contest the throne with the support of her half brother Robert. Stephen himself was captured in February 1141 by Matilda's forces, but the capture of Robert of Gloucester by forces loyal to Stephen later in 1141 led to the exchange of Robert for Stephen in November 1141. This led to an effective stalemate, with Stephen controlling sections of the country and other sections under the control of Matilda's supporters. During the 1140s, Matilda's husband Geoffrey of Anjou secured control of Normandy from Stephen.
Early life
Chesney's family was from Quesnay-Guesnon in the CalvadosCalvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
region of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
near Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
in France, but the family had settled in the Midlands of England and held lands there, particularly in Oxfordshire. His parents were Roger de Chesney and Alice de Langetot. His brother William de Chesney remained a layman, and was one of the leading landowners in Oxfordshire. Another brother, Reginald, was the abbot of Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
. Chesney's sister Agnes was married to Robert Foliot, steward to the Earl of Huntingdon
Earl of Huntingdon
Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The title is associated with the ruling house of Scotland, and latterly with the Hastings family.-Early history:...
. Agnes and Robert were probably the parents of Gilbert Foliot, later Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Although it is a surmise that Foliot's mother was a sibling of Chesney, it is securely attested that Chesney was the uncle of Gilbert.
Chesney probably attended schools in either Oxford or Paris, as later in life he was referred to with the title of magister, signifying that he was educated. He was Archdeacon of Leicester by about 1146, and held the prebend of Stow. He was also a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the chapel of St. George at Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
.
Election
Chesney was elected to the See of Lincoln on 13 December 1148, apparently freely by his cathedral chapterCathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
. He was consecrated by Theobald of Bec
Theobald of Bec
Theobald was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1139 to 1161. He was a Norman; his exact birth date is unknown. Some time in the late 11th or early 12th century Theobald became a monk at the Abbey of Bec, rising to the position of abbot in 1137. King Stephen of England chose him to be Archbishop of...
at Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
on 19 December, the day after his ordination as a priest.
Gilbert Foliot's letters provide some background to Chesney's election, showing that King Stephen of England and Stephen's brother Henry of Blois
Henry of Blois
Henry of Blois , often known as Henry of Winchester, was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.-Early life and education:...
, the Bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
, attempted to secure Lincoln for one of their relatives: the royal candidates were the abbots of Fecamp
Fécamp Abbey
Fécamp Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Normandy, northern France.The abbey was the first producer of Bénédictine, a herbal liqueur, based on brandy.-First foundation:...
, Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, and St Benet of Hulme. They were rejected by Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
, paving the way for the chapter to elect Chesney. Foliot relates that the electors from the chapter traveled to London, where they proceeded to elect Chesney in front of Foliot, Theobald, and some other bishops. That account is contradicted by Chesney's profession of obedience to Theobald, which claims that the election took place on 13 December 1148 at Westminster. Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
and Ralph Diceto, both medieval chroniclers, approved of the election and mentioned the unanimous nature of the Chesney's selection. That Chesney's brother William was a firm supporter of Stephen's probably helped reconcile Stephen and his brother to Chesney's election.
Chesney returned to Lincoln on 6 January 1149, where he received a letter from Arnulf
Arnulf of Lisieux
"Arnoul" redirects here. For the Cyborg 009 character, Francoise Arnoul, see more info in Cyborg 009.Arnulf of Lisieux was a medieval French bishop.He was educated by his brother, the Bishop of Sées, and studied canon law at Rome...
, the Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy, congratulating him on his appointment. Arnulf also asked Chesney to help the cause of Henry fitzEmpress
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
's son and a contender for the English throne.
Bishop under Stephen
Correspondence between Chesney and his nephew Gilbert Foliot suggests their relationship was quite close. Foliot strongly supported his uncle's candidacy for Lincoln, writing to Pope Eugene III to encourage papal approval of the election. Shortly after his consecration, Chesney was presented with a copy of the newly updated version of Henry of Huntingdon's Historia Anglorum; Huntingdon had been a fellow archdeacon. Chesney was present at several of King Stephen's courts, and the king named the bishop as the local justice for Lincolnshire.At the height of the civil war
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
during Stephen's reign, and shortly after Chesney's consecration, the bishop acted as a guarantor for the treaty between Ranulf de Gernon, the Earl of Chester
Earl of Chester
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...
, and Robert de Beaumont
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester was Justiciar of England 1155–1168.The surname "de Beaumont" is given him by genealogists. The only known contemporary surname applied to him is "Robert son of Count Robert"...
, the Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
, drawn up to limit the fighting between the two earls during the civil war. Chesney was present at the legatine council held by Theobald in March 1151, and was one of the judges, along with Theobald and Hilary of Chichester
Hilary of Chichester
Hilary was a medieval Bishop of Chichester in England. English by birth, he studied canon law and worked in Rome as a papal clerk. During his time there, he became acquainted with a number of ecclesiastics, including the future Pope Adrian IV, and the medieval writer John of Salisbury...
, the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, of a dispute between the monks of Belvoir Priory
Belvoir Priory
Belvoir Priory was a Benedictine priory adjacent to Belvoir Castle. Although once described as in Lincolnshire, England it is within the modern Boundaries of Leicestershire, near the present Belvoir lodge....
and a secular clerk over the right of the clerk to a church. Chesney appointed the future Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, to a prebend in his cathedral chapter during the latter part of Stephen's reign.
Late in Stephen's reign, in mid-1154, Chesney acquired the right to operate a mint in the town of Newark, granted in perpetuity. But as there are no surviving coins it seems that the mint was not in operation for long. Chesney also acquired the right of justice in the city of Lincoln, and was involved in the commercial life of his diocese, establishing a fair in the town of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
in 1154.
Bishop under Henry II
Chesney witnessed a charter of Henry fitzEmpress' before his succession to the throne, and was present at the consecration of Roger de Pont L'EvêqueRoger de Pont L'Evêque
Roger de Pont L'Évêque was a contemporary of Thomas Becket and later Archbishop of York. Born in Normandy, he preceded Becket as Archdeacon of Canterbury, and together with Becket served Theobald of Bec while Theobald was Archbishop of Canterbury...
as Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
on 10 October 1154. The bishop then was present at Henry II's coronation on 19 December 1154, and appears to have continued to act as a royal justice in Lincolnshire during the early part of King Henry II's reign; the 1156 Pipe Roll has the sheriff of the county accounting for 10 marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
arising from the pleas of the bishop in the county. Chesney was often with the royal court, as he attests a number of Henry II's charters during the early part of the reign, and accompanied the king to northern England in 1158 and to Normandy in 1160.
The bishop served as a judge during a dispute in 1158 between a dean from the diocese of York
Diocese of York
The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire....
and a citizen of Scarborough, with the layman alleging that the dean had extorted large sums of money from him by repeatedly charging his wife with adultery, and fining her. This action was against a royal decree, and the dean was charged in a royal court. However, the dean was let off with no secular penalties because he was a clerk, which aroused King Henry's anger. In the end, however, the death of the king's brother Geoffrey meant that the matter was dropped, although the whole affair was a precursor to the later Becket dispute.
Chesney is reported by his nephew Foliot to have had an interest in Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
, as Foliot wrote to Chesney that Foliot had ordered a copy made of the Digest
Pandects
The Digest, also known as the Pandects , is a name given to a compendium or digest of Roman law compiled by order of the emperor Justinian I in the 6th century .The Digest was one part of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the body of civil law issued under Justinian I...
for his uncle. Also, some of Theobald's letters, written to Chesney and recorded in John of Salisbury
John of Salisbury
John of Salisbury , who described himself as Johannes Parvus , was an English author, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres, and was born at Salisbury.-Early life and education:...
's letter collection, have the earliest record of quotations from Gratian
Gratian (jurist)
Gratian, was a 12th century canon lawyer from Bologna. He is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Franciscus Gratianus, Johannes Gratianus, or Giovanni Graziano. The dates of his birth and death are unknown....
's Decretum
Decretum Gratiani
The Decretum Gratiani or Concordia discordantium canonum is a collection of Canon law compiled and written in the 12th century as a legal textbook by the jurist known as Gratian. It forms the first part of the collection of six legal texts, which together became known as the Corpus Juris Canonici...
in an English source. They were part of a letter sent by Theobald to Chesney discussing difficult legal cases, and giving advice on how to resolve them.
In 1161 Chesney became embroiled in a dispute with St Albans Abbey, resulting from his efforts to enforce his diocesan rights to supervise religious houses within his diocese. Although Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
sent a papal bull to England ordering the case to be heard by a panel of two bishops, King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
felt that the papal order infringed on his royal rights and had the case decided at the royal court instead. In 1155–1156 St Albans secured papal privileges from Pope Hadrian IV, who had previously been a monk there, that exempted the abbey from diocesan supervision, and it was these privileges that Chesney challenged. Chesney secured not only the papal bull but a royal commission to investigate the rights of the abbey as they were in the time of King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. The final disposition of the case took place in 1163, at a royal council at Westminster, where the abbey produced both the papal privileges and a forged charter of Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
in support of their case. As Chesney was unable to produce any documents in support of his own position, the king and council told the bishop that they favoured the abbey's cause. The king also ruled that the abbey was a royal proprietary church
Proprietary church
During the Middle Ages, the proprietary church was a church, abbey or cloister built on private ground by a feudal lord, over which he retained proprietary interests, especially the right of what in English law is "advowson", that of nominating the ecclesiastic personnel...
, and thus had special exemptions. In the end, a compromise was reached, whereby the abbey compensated the bishopric with some land in return for the bishop renouncing his claims.
Early in 1162 Chesney was summoned to Normandy by the king, along with Roger, the Archbishop of York, Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career...
, the Bishop of Durham, and Hilary of Chichester, in order to lend their support to the election of Thomas Becket to the see of Canterbury. In July 1163, Chesney was present at the royal court held at Woodstock, which included the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffydd
Rhys ap Gruffydd
Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales. He is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys, but this title may not have been used in his lifetime...
, the prince of Northern Wales Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...
, and King Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
. The two Welsh princes and the Scots' king did homage to Henry II while at this court. In 1163, Chesney was excused from attending a papal council at Tours because of his health, but he attended the royal councils of Clarendon and Northampton in 1164, which dealt with the growing dispute between the king and Becket. At those councils, Chesney attempted to persuade Becket to compromise with the king, but was unsuccessful. Later, the king sent Chesney to northern England as an itinerant justice during 1166.
Chesney's contributions to the king's military campaigns on the continent caused him financial difficulties; at the time of his death he was in debt to a Jewish moneylender.
Diocesan affairs
Chesney's acta, or documents, contain many examples of him settling judicial disputes, demonstrating how active he was in his diocese. More than 240 of his acta have survived, many of them concerning the religious houses within his jurisdiction. Chesney was appointed a papal judge-delegatePapal judge-delegate
A papal judge delegate was a type of judicial appointment created during the 12th century by the medieval papacy where the pope would designate a local judge, often an ecclesiastic, to decide a case that had been appealed to the papal court....
at least once, and it was in his court that the case of Philip de Broy, a canon in Bedfordshire accused of murdering a knight, was heard. The case was one of those that contributed to King Henry's determination that criminous clerks should be subject to royal justice, not just ecclesiastical justice.
In addition to judicial affairs, Chesney worked to ensure good relations with his cathedral chapter, and allowed them exemptions from episcopal jurisdiction. He also permitted the clergy of his diocese to remit the payment of chrism money and forwent the traditional annual payment from the archdeacons of the diocese to the bishop. He suppressed unlicensed schools in Huntingdon and employed a number of educated clerks; his acta almost always include one witness entitled magister, and often as many as six.
Chesney was a builder in his diocese, where he was involved in the construction of the episcopal palace. He also founded a Gilbertine
Gilbertine Order
The Gilbertine Order of Canons Regular was founded around 1130 by Saint Gilbert in Sempringham, Lincolnshire, where Gilbert was the parish priest...
house of canons just outside of the city of Lincoln, the priory of St Catherine, shortly after the order was recognised by the papacy in 1148. Unusually for its time it was only founded for men, although Gilbertine monastic houses typically accommodated both men and women. He granted a fair to Banbury before 1154. In 1161 he bought the Old Temple in London as a house for himself. These expenditures contributed to his financial difficulties, along with royal demands, which led to complaints about Chesney's spending. Another cause for complaint was that he gave away some of his estates as marriage portions for his nieces.
Death and legacy
Chesney may have died on 27 December 1166, although the event is commemorated on both 26 and 27 December. He was buried in the eastern cross aisle of Lincoln Cathedral, along the north side. Chesney left a number of books to Lincoln Cathedral. at least ten, of which seven survive. Five of the seven surviving books show uniformity of handwriting and this has led to speculation that perhaps there was a scriptorium at Lincoln Cathedral during Chesney's tenure. However, other surviving books that were in the cathedral library at the same time do not share any handwriting or other characteristics, therefore it may have been that Chesney commissioned the books at the same time from the same scribes instead of there being a scriptorium at Lincoln. The modern historian David Knowles wrote that Chesney was "not a man of strong character or decided opinions".Besides Foliot, two other nephews were the brothers Gerard, a canon of Lincoln, and Martin, treasurer of Lincoln. Another relative may have been Fulk de Chesney, another canon at Lincoln. Chesney also helped the career of Richard Barre
Richard Barre
Richard Barre was a medieval English justice, clergyman, and scholar. He was educated at the law school of Bologna, and entered royal service under King Henry II of England, later working for Henry's son and successor Richard I. He was also briefly in the household of Henry's son Henry the Young...
, who became a writer and a royal judge. Barre first appears in the record as a witness to some of Chesney's documents during 1160–1164. Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's last work, the Vita Merlini, was dedicated to Chesney. Foliot owned a copy of the Digest, part of the Corpus iuris civilis
Corpus Juris Civilis
The Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor...
, that had originally been gloss
Gloss
A gloss is a brief notation of the meaning of a word or wording in a text. It may be in the language of the text, or in the reader's language if that is different....
ed for Chesney.
Traditionally, Chesney's predecessor Alexander
Alexander of Lincoln
Alexander of Lincoln was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England under King Henry I, and he was also related to Nigel, Bishop of Ely...
has been credited with the commissioning of the baptismal font in Lincoln Cathedral, made of Tournai marble. Recent scholarship has cast doubt upon this theory and suggests that the font was instead carved on the orders of Chesney, and commissioned after 1150.