Gilbert Seagrave (Bishop)

Gilbert Seagrave (also Segrave ) (* before 1258; † December 18, 1316 ) was a bishop of the English diocese of London . He was one of the relatively few members of the nobility who were ordained bishop in England in the Middle Ages.

Origin and education

Gilbert Seagrave was a younger son of Nicholas Seagrave, 1st Baron Seagrave and his wife Matilda. As the younger son of a nobleman, his parents envisaged a spiritual career for him. He was probably born before 1258, because in 1279 he received a first benefice through the influence of his father as a subdeacon and became rector of Kegworth , Leicestershire , for which he had to be of legal age under canon law . He had previously studied at a university, possibly Cambridge , where he was believed to be the university's chancellor from 1292 to 1293 .

Career as a clergyman

From 1293 to 1296 Seagrave was rector of Aylestone , which is like Kegworth in Leicestershire. After 1300 he received further benefices, including at St Paul's Cathedral in London and at the cathedrals of Hereford and Lincoln , in addition he became provost of Portpool in London in 1301 , and on August 12, 1302 provost of St Martin's in Durnstall in Lincolnshire and after 1304 Provost of Hunderton in Herefordshire . Before June 2, 1306 he was Precentor of St Paul's Cathedral in London and the Rectorate of Fenstanton in Huntingdonshire. On June 4, 1306, he received a papal dispensation for his office as Precentor, plus permission to keep his previous benefices.

Bishop of London

On August 16 or 17, 1313, Seagrave was elected Bishop of London , perhaps through the influence of his brother John Seagrave, 2nd Baron Seagrave . King Edward II confirmed the election on August 22nd, and on September 28th, the Temporalia were given to Seagrave . Since the office of Archbishop of Canterbury was vacant at the time, Seagrave was sustained by the Cathedral Chapter of Canterbury on September 17th and was laid on November 25th by Bishop Henry Woodlock of Winchester at the laying of the cornerstone of the new shrine for St. Bishop Erkenwald consecrated bishop. Although he is said to have been a dutiful bishop, he had a bad relationship with Walter Reynolds , the new Archbishop of Canterbury. On April 18, 1314 he made a visit to his cathedral. Although he had a list of his documents and letters drawn up, only fragments have been preserved. After a short term in office he died in December 1316 and was buried on December 30th in a place that has not been handed down.

Web links

Philippa Hoskin: Seagrave, Gilbert (b. Before 1258, d. 1316). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Individual evidence

^ K. Edwards: The social origins and provenance of the English bishops during the reign of Edward II . In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , 9 (1959), p. 57.

predecessor	Office	successor
Ralph Baldock	Bishop of London 1313-1316	Richard Newport

personal data
SURNAME	Gilbert Seagrave
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Gilbert Segrave
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English clergyman, Bishop of London
DATE OF BIRTH	before 1258
DATE OF DEATH	December 18, 1316

[1] K. Edwards: The social origins and provenance of the English bishops during the reign of Edward II . In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , 9 (1959), p. 57.