Robert of Shrewsbury

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For the prior and abbot of Shrewsbury who wrote a life of St Winifred, see Robert of Shrewsbury (died 1168).

Robert of Shrewsbury (died 1212) was an English

cleric, administrator, and judge of the Angevin period. His career culminated in his appointment as Bishop of Bangor
.

Origins

Robert seems to have had strong local connections with

toponymic byname suggests. He had a brother called Richard, who was archdeacon of Shrewsbury,[3]
suggesting that they formed part of a local landowning family. In view of their later careers, both must have followed a course of study including literature and law, typically provided by a cathedral school.

Career

Royal official

Robert was a

Longford.[6]

Ecclesiastical appointments

Robert was made Dean of

Henry of London
, another royal clerk and justice who held the deanery in the early 13th century.

Robert was also a

Virgin Mary but now St Peter's Collegiate Church. This was another royal free chapel, where appointments were in the gift of the king.[10] This royal favour seems to have persisted into the reign of Richard I
.

The network of alliances

As both a justice and a cleric, as well as a local landed grandee, Robert was greatly in demand as a witness in property transactions, especially those involving transfers of land and privileges to the Church. These cluster around the interests of the powerful

William Fitz Alan and his heirs rented land at Henley and advowson of Tasley chapel, both parts of Morville, near Bridgnorth, from Shrewsbury Abbey.[11] At about the same time Fitz Alan also gave the advowson of Oswestry church to Shrewsbury Abbey.[12] Between 1204 and 1210 Robert was witness to a charter of Reiner, Bishop of St Asaph, confirming the grant.[13]

Several times he helped in donations to

frankalmoin at Harrington in Sutton Maddock.[3]

To this web of alliance with local and regional magnates, Robert seems to have added some influence with the most powerful of allies:

mint.[2]
As he was literally making money, Robert must have prospered greatly in this period, with access to numerous emoluments and perquisites.

Bishop

Robert was appointed Bishop of Bangor by Hubert Walter, apparently without being elected.

Cistercian subprior of Aberconwy Abbey, to be recognised as the true bishop-elect of Bangor.[23] As Robert refused to resign his earlier appointments, he was attacked by Peter of Blois, the Dean of Wolverhampton, another close supporter of Henry II, who was now out of favour. Peter wrote to Robert,[9] denouncing his pluralism in strong terms and commending the virtues of apostolic poverty,[24]
although Peter himself had a long record of holding benefice in plurality – a practice increasingly regarded as unacceptable by the Church.

It is not known whether Robert actually was shamed into resigning his earlier benefices, but he does seem to fade out of the picture at St Mary's, Shrewsbury, about the turn of the century. Thereafter, William Lestrange appears as dean, although his dates are uncertain, and in 1203 Henry of London was appointed to the post.

John conferred the prebends on him in 1203 in order that he could endow a new Cistercian abbey on the site.[10] The whole venture ultimately came to nothing, but it seems likely Robert lost his prebend in the process, if he did not resign it earlier. However, he was not an energetic bishop at Bangor, being non-resident for most of his episcopate.[22]

Last years and death

Robert had been inserted into the diocese of Bangor by an archbishop of Canterbury, backed by a king of England. However, his episcopate coincided with the renascence of the Principality of

archdiocese of Canterbury that led to the imposition of an interdict on the whole country and excommunication of King John personally. William Fitz Alan, Robert's chief regional supporter, died in 1210, leaving his lands to eldest son, also William, a minor, from whom King John demanded a huge fine before he could enter into his inheritance.[26] This pushed the Fitz Alans decisively into the emerging baronial opposition to John and they became allies of Llywelyn, who had initiated hostilities against John earlier in the year.[27]

In 1211, John of England summoned the Welsh leaders to meet him at Chester,[28] demanding expressions of loyalty. Most acceded. It was possibly on this occasion that Robert refused to meet him, giving John's excommunication as an excuse. In May John invaded north Wales, driving Llywelyn's forces back into Gwynedd.[29] Overstretched supply lines forced John to withdraw, but in July he returned with his army. John retaliated against the recalcitrant Robert by sending a troop of soldiers from Brabant to Bangor. They burnt the city and on this occasion Bishop Robert was present in his cathedral. They abducted him from the high altar.[30] Robert had to pay a fine of two hundred hawks, then an important Welsh export, to recover his liberty. Lloyd comments: "it is hardly fanciful to suppose that it was the result of this outrage that Robert died in the following year."

Robert certainly died in 1212, although some older sources say 1213.[21] He was buried at Shrewsbury.[22]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Gaydon and Pugh, Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury, footnote 166
  2. ^ a b Gaydon and Pugh, Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury, footnote 222
  3. ^ a b Eyton, Volume 2, p.133, footnote 98.
  4. ^ a b Gaydon and Pugh, Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury, section 4
  5. ^ Eyton, Volume 6, p.368
  6. ^ Eyton, Volume 8, p.107
  7. ^ a b Gaydon and Pugh, Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury, section 5
  8. ^ Owen and Blakeway, p.325
  9. ^ a b Greenslade and Pugh, footnote 35.
  10. ^ a b Greenslade and Pugh, section 1
  11. ^ Eyton, Volume 1, p.98
  12. ^ Eyton, Volume 10, p.335
  13. ^ Eyton, Volume 10, p.336
  14. ^ Gaydon and Pugh, Priory of Wombridge, section 1
  15. ^ Eyton, Volume 2, p.112
  16. ^ Eyton, Volume 9, p.79
  17. ^ Eyton, Volume 7, p.341
  18. ^ Eyton, Volume 10, p.358
  19. ^ Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 9, Bishops of Bangor, note anchor 7.
  20. ^ Brewer, Volume 1, p.114
  21. ^ a b Le Neve, p. p.97
  22. ^ a b c Pearson
  23. ^ Brewer, Volume 3, p. 193
  24. ^ Giles, p.74
  25. ^ Giles, p.87
  26. ^ Lloyd, p.652
  27. ^ Lloyd, p.631
  28. ^ Lloyd, p.634
  29. ^ Williams, Annales Cambriae, p.67. See note 4 on Robert's abduction.
  30. ^ Lloyd, p.635

References

Volume 1 (1861)
Volume 3 (1863)
  • Eyton, Robert William (1854-). The Antiquities of Shropshire, John Russell Smith, Retrieved 17 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
Volume 1 (1854)
Volume 2 (1855)
Volume 6 (1858)
Volume 7 (1858)
Volume 8 (1859)
Volume 9 (1859)
Volume 10 (1860)
  • A T Gaydon, R B Pugh (Editors), M J Angold, G C Baugh,
    Marjorie M Chibnall, D C Cox, Revd D T W Price, Margaret Tomlinson, B S Trinder (1973). "Houses of Augustinian canons: Priory of Wombridge". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 17 November 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  • A T Gaydon, R B Pugh (Editors), M J Angold, G C Baugh,
    Marjorie M Chibnall, D C Cox, Revd D T W Price, Margaret Tomlinson, B S Trinder (1973). "Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 November 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  • Giles, I.A. (1847). Petri Blesensis Bathoniensis archidiaconi opera omnia, Volume 2, J.H. Parker, Oxford, Retrieved 14 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
  • M W Greenslade, R B Pugh (Editors), G C Baugh, Revd L W Cowie, Revd J C Dickinson, A P Duggan, A K B Evans, R H Evans, Una C Hannam, P Heath, D A Johnston, Professor Hilda Johnstone, Ann J Kettle, J L Kirby, Revd R Mansfield, Professor A Saltman (1970). "Colleges: Wolverhampton, St Peter". A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 November 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Le Neve, John, corrected and continued by Hardy, Thomas Duffus (1854). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae, Volume 1, Oxford university Press, Retrieved 14 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
  • Lloyd, John Edward (1912). The history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest, Volume 2, Longmans, Green & Co., Retrieved 14 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
  • Owen, Hugh, and Blakeway, John Brickdale, (1825). A History of Shrewsbury, Volume 2, Harding and Lepard, London, Retrieved 16 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
  • M.J. Pearson (2003). "BANGOR: Bishops". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: volume 9: The Welsh cathedrals (Bangor, Llandaff, St Asaph, St Davids). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  • Williams, John (1860). Annales Cambriae, Longman, Green et al., Retrieved 14 November 2014 at Internet Archive.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Richard
 Dean of St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury
c.1186–c.1200 		Succeeded by
William Lestrange or
Henry of London
Preceded by
Alan or Alban, former
Prior of St John of Jerusalem
 Bishop of Bangor
1197–1212 		Succeeded by
Cadwgan of Llandyfai, also known as Martin
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