Life

Little is known of Seffrid's ancestry, but given the unusual name he shared with Seffrid I

Seffrid I

Seffrid I, sometimes known as Seffrid Pelochin, was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.-Life:Seffrid was the son of Seffrid d'Escures and Guimordis, and was a half brother to Ralph d'Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1114 to 1122. He was a native of Escures, near Sées, and his father was a...

, bishop of Chichester from 1125 to 1145, the two were probably related. He probably studied law at Bologna

Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

, for there was a Seffrid the Englishman at Bologna at the proper time, and Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III

Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...

 called Bishop Seffrid "learned in the law". He was a royal clerk before being named Archdeacon of Chichester

Archdeacon of Chichester

The post of Archdeacon of Chichester was created in the 12th Century, although the Diocese of Sussex was founded by St Wilfrid the exiled Bishop of York in AD 681. The original location of the See was in Selsey. The See was...

 by 1173. He also served as a royal justice in 1172 and 1173. By December 1178 he was Dean of Chichester.

Seffrid was consecrated as bishop on 16 November 1180. There is no record of Seffrid serving the royal administration while he was bishop. Nor does he appear in wider public affairs except in formal ceremonial affairs like coronations or councils. Instead he devoted himself to work in his diocese, where he worked to assure that vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

s were provided for, that hospitals were well endowed, and that the system of prebends that supported his cathedral clergy was well regulated. He also rebuilt his cathedral after a fire in 1187, and dedicated the new building in 1199. The hall and chapel of the episcopal palace in Chichester were also constructed in his episcopate. Work was also done on the castle of Amberley

Amberley, West Sussex

Amberley is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.Amberley is situated at the foot of the South Downs. Its neighbours are Storrington, West Chiltington and Arundel. The village is noted for its many thatched cottages...

 and the bishop's manor of Bishopstone

Bishopstone

-Places:England*Bishopstone, Buckinghamshire*Bishopstone, East Sussex*Bishopstone, Herefordshire*Bishopstone, Salisbury, Wiltshire*Bishopstone, Swindon, Wiltshire...

under his direction.

Seffrid died 17 March 1204. 72 genuine documents survive from his time as archbishop. One of these documents is his profession of obedience to the archbishop of Cantebury, but the rest are a mix of grants, confirmations of grants, clerical statutes, clerical licenses, judgements, and letters.