Elias of Dereham

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Elias of Dereham († after April 1245 ) was an English clergyman. As a manager he was probably busy with several building projects, so he probably played a major role in the development of the Early English Style .

Origin and early activity

Elias of Dereham was from West Dereham in Norfolk . Presumably as early as 1188, as Master Elias , he attested the founding document of the Premonstratensian Abbey of Dereham , which was founded by the later Archbishop Hubert Walter , who also came from the town . Possibly he was also the Master Elias, who served from 1193 to 1201 at the latest as administrator of Gilbert de Glanville , Bishop of Rochester. Bishop Glanville was a relative and close friend of Hubert Walter. It is less likely, but not impossible, that Elias of Dereham is identical to the Master Elias the Engineer (also Elias of Oxford ), who before 1201 was responsible as a builder for the construction of a house for the king in Oxford and also at various castles in Was active in southern England.

The great hall of Winchester Castle built under Dereham

Advancement in the service of various prelates

Before 1201 Elias of Dereham moved as administrator in the household of Archbishop Hubert Walter in Canterbury . At that time he was receiving income from the parishes at Brightwalton in Berkshire and Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire from Battle Abbey and Lewes Priory . After the death of Archbishop Hubert Walter in 1205, Dereham entered the service of Jocelin of Wells , Bishop of Bath, as administrator . When Pope Innocent III. because of the dispute with King John Ohneland over the election of a new archbishop imposed the interdict over England in 1208 , Dereham went into exile in France with Bishop Jocelin and his brother Bishop Hugh von Lincoln. Bishop Hugh promised Dereham a position as canon at Lincoln Cathedral and named him an executor in his will of November 1212, but the bishop did not die until 1235. In exile, Dereham also met Stephen Langton , the new Archbishop appointed by the Pope Canterbury. Dereham traveled twice back to England for Langton as envoy. When the interdict was lifted in 1213 and the exiled clergy could return, Dereham was again administrator of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1214 he became administrator of Rochester Castle , and when King John Ohneland had to recognize the Magna Carta in June 1215 , Dereham helped ensure that copies of the deed were sent to the individual counties. In the following First War of the Barons Dereham openly showed his support for the aristocratic opposition, for example when he preached in favor of the rebellion in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London . However, when the royal party won the Civil War in 1217, Dereham lost his benefices as a rebel . Under pressure from the papal legate Guala Bicchieri , he was excluded from the Peace of Lambeth and had to go into exile again in France. Before 1220 he was pardoned and allowed to return to the service of Archbishop Langton. A little later he was involved in the creation of the new shrine for Thomas Becket .

Has worked in Salisbury and elsewhere

Richard Poore , Bishop of Salisbury and a former pupil of Langton, procured Dereham a benefice at Salisbury Cathedral before 1222 , in whose rebuilding he was involved until his death. Before 1234 he built an apartment for himself within the cathedral freedom . He also got back in touch with Bishop Jocelin of Wells, who was rebuilding Wells Cathedral at the time . After the death of Archbishop Langton in 1228, he also served his successors Richard Grant and Edmund of Abingdon . When Bishop Poore moved from Salisbury to Durham in 1228 , Dereham subsequently also testified documents of the Diocese of Durham . Archbishop Edmund of Abingdon gave him a benefice at Harrow , Middlesex , where in 1242 he repaired the church's choir. After the death of Bishop Poore in 1237, he served as his executor. Dereham also worked for Peter des Roches , Bishop of Winchester, although he was a political rival of Langton and Poore. He helped des Roches found the monasteries at Selborne and Titchfield in Hampshire . After Roches' death in 1238, he also served as executor of his will. In addition to his service for numerous clergymen, Dereham was also for King Henry III. active. Between 1233 and 1238 he was responsible for the construction of the great hall of Winchester Castle , in addition he supervised the installation of new windows and a new floor in Clarendon Palace . After 1238 he was involved in the production of a funerary monument for Queen Joan of Scotland , a sister of Henry III., In Tarrant in Dorset .

Dereham died shortly after April 1245. In his will he donated the proceeds from the sale of his apartment in Salisbury for the construction of the cathedral. His benefices were intended to provide for a papal nuncio .

The part that Dereham had in the construction of Salisbury Cathedral is unclear

Aftermath

Even the contemporary chronicler Matthew Paris described Dereham as an incomparable artist because he held him responsible for the production of Thomas Becket's new shrine. This thesis is still supported in recent research. In addition, Matthew Paris also passed on Dereham's drawing of a compass rose in his chronicle . Since the 19th century, Elias of Dereham has often been described as one of the most important master builders who developed the Early English Gothic style in England. Attempts were made to portray him as the architect of Salisbury Cathedral. This thesis is most likely wrong, because Dereham was probably involved in the construction, but due to his various other duties as administrator he could not possibly have managed the construction of such a large cathedral on his own. Most of Dereham's numerous employers were known to be patrons of cathedral or monastery buildings, and since they employed him to manage their construction, he undoubtedly had artistic talent. But he was probably more of a skilled manager and organizer with artistic taste than a builder or architect.

literature

  • AH Thompson: Marter Elias of Dereham and the king's works. In: Archaeological Journal , 98 (1941), pp. 1-35
  • John Hooper Harvey, A. Oswald: English mediaeval architects: a biographical dictionary down to 1550: including master masons, carpenters, carvers, building contractors and others responsible for design. Pinhorns, Isle of Wight 1987, ISBN 0-901262-24-2 , pp. 81-82

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Carpenter: The minority of Henry III . University of California Press, Berkeley 1990. ISBN 0-520-07239-1 , p. 19
  2. ^ David Carpenter: The minority of Henry III . University of California Press, Berkeley 1990. ISBN 0-520-07239-1 , p. 42
  3. ↑ Nicholas Vincent: Peter des Roches. An alien in English politics, 1205 - 1238 . Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge 2002. ISBN 0-521-52215-3 , p. 196
  4. ^ Adrian Hastings: Elias of Dereham: architect of Salisbury Cathedral . RJL Smith & Associates, Much Wenlock 1997, ISBN 1-872665-02-0
personal data
SURNAME Elias of Dereham
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English clergyman and administrator
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
PLACE OF BIRTH West Dereham
DATE OF DEATH after April 1245