Godfrey de Ludham

Grave of Godfrey de Ludham in York Minster

Godfrey de Ludham (also Godfrey de Kineton ) († January 12, 1265 ) was an English clergyman. From 1258 he was Archbishop of York .

Origin and education

Godfrey de Ludham was a son of Richard and Eda de Ludham , of whom nothing else is known. He had at least one brother, Thomas, who became a canon at York Minster when Godfrey was archbishop. Godfrey got his nickname either after Lowdham in Nottinghamshire , which belonged to the Diocese of York , or after Ludham in Norfolk . Why the chronicler Matthew Paris called him Godfrey de Kineton is unclear. Since Ludham was usually referred to as a Magister , he must have attended a university, possibly Oxford .

Rise to Archbishop of York

Ludham was first mentioned in 1226 when Archbishop Walter de Gray of York granted him an annual pension of 10 marks , which was paid until he received another church support. In 1229 he received his first benefice in Penistone in the West Riding of Yorkshire , where he was rector before February 1233 . Around 1250 Ludham became Precentor at York Minster. In 1255 the new Archbishop of York, Sewal de Bovill , appointed Ludham Dean of York Minster. Pope Alexander IV , however, claimed this office for the Jordan , who came from Italy , which is why he excommunicated both Archbishop Sewal and Ludham. Archbishop Sewal, however, was able to reach a compromise that allowed Ludham to retain the office of dean. After Sewal's death in May 1258, Ludham was elected the new Archbishop of York on July 12, 1258 by the Cathedral Chapter. On July 25th, King Henry III confirmed . the vote. Ludham traveled to Rome, where he was ordained archbishop on September 22nd. In Rome, on behalf of the king, he tried in vain to get a papal legate appointed for England . Back in England, the temporalities were given to him on December 1st . Around Christmas 1258 he was enthroned in York .

Archbishop of York

Although Archbishop Walter de Gray had a register of his files and documents created, such a register has not been preserved for the term of office of Ludham or his predecessor Sewal de Bovill. Therefore, only a few documents are known from Ludham's tenure, which were kept as copies in the parishes. Therefore, apart from the usual assignments and confirmations of offices and pastors as well as the occasional arbitration of church disputes, little is known about Ludham's work as archbishop. There is evidence that he carried out visitations as archbishop in Blyth and Newburgh Priory . In 1259 he issued diocesan statutes, which he created closely based on the model of the dioceses of Wells and Carlisle . Because of a break-in in the archbishop's wildlife park, he excommunicated the citizens of Beverley and because of attacks on him and the cathedral chapter, he placed the city of York under the interdict in 1261 . These deeds paint a picture of Ludham, according to which he, like his predecessors, actively took care of the administration of his diocese. In the turbulent time of the Second War of the Barons against the King, however, in contrast to numerous other English bishops, he played almost no role. In December 1264 he was named as one of three prelates who should punish attacks on clergy during the civil war. But he received this office only because of his position as Metropolitan of York.

Ludham was buried in York Minster. Although he presumably left a will and installed several executors, the papal legate Ottobono ordered Archbishop Giffard to investigate the claims of Ludham's creditors in 1267 or 1268 . During construction, his grave had to be moved in 1969, when it was opened and archaeologically examined. Apparently the grave had remained untouched for centuries. Ludham not only received the remains of his bones, but also the remains of his official clothing including a gold ring.

literature

• CBL Barr: The tombs of Archbishops Bovill and Ludham. In: Annual Report of the Friends of York Minster, 41 (1969), pp. 7-12

Web links

• David M. Smith: Ludham, Godfrey de (d. 1265). 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

predecessor	Office	successor
Sewal de Bovill	Archbishop of York 1258–1265	Walter Giffard