John of Climping

John of Climping (also John of Arundel , John Bishop or John Clipping ) (* before 1200, † around May 18, 1262 ) was an English clergyman. From 1253 he was Bishop of Chichester .

Origin and promotion to bishop

The origin of John of Climping is unknown. He probably got his nickname Climping after the place Climping , which is about 16 km east of Chichester . In Climping he was rector from April 1222 at the latest . As rector, besides the church tower, he is said to have financed the construction of the church of Clymping. If this claim is true, he must have been wealthy as a young man.

St Mary's Church in Climping, where John of Climping was principal. He is said to have financed the construction of the church.

Since Climping was labeled a Masters , he likely went to college, possibly at Oxford University . In 1219 he is first mentioned as Master John of Arundel at the ordination of Bishop Ranulf of Wareham . The following year he was in the service of Wareham. As an educated clergyman Climping rose to before November 1231 canon at the cathedral of Chichester and Offizial by Bishop Ralph de Neville on. Before December 1242, he was Archdeacon of Chichester, and in July 1247 appointed him Bishop Richard Wyche the Chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester . After the death of Bishop Wyche, the experienced Climping was elected as the new bishop in May 1253. King Henry III already gave his approval for the election of Climpings on May 23rd, to whom the temporalities were handed over on May 27th .

Bishop of Chichester

Political activity

In May 1254, Climping was named one of the three prelates who were to tithe the spiritual possessions that Pope Innocent IV had granted for the king's planned crusade. Climping was responsible for collecting the tax in the dioceses of Canterbury , Rochester , Chichester and Winchester for three years . He seems to have exercised this office conscientiously , for which he said it cost him 200 marks per year. Otherwise Climping was politically cautious. In 1255 he was invited by the king to his court, and on September 30, 1258 he participated in the consecration of the new Salisbury Cathedral . When there was a conflict between the king and a noble opposition from the spring of 1258, Climping played no role. Matthew Paris ' claim that Climping and three other bishops attended a meeting of the king and his magnates at Oxford in 1258 is not supported by any other source.

Act as a bishop

Instead, Climping proved to be a conscientious steward who obviously worked for the welfare of his diocese. Most of his documents were witnessed by members of the cathedral chapter, indicating a close collaboration. Along with the cathedral chapter, he also promoted the canonization of his predecessor Richard Wyche, which was also supported by the king and the nobility. Climping saw Wyche canonized only nine years after his death in early 1262. In addition, Climping regularly made sure that the pastoral posts in his diocese were filled and that the owners were adequately supplied. The Hospital of St Edmund founded by his predecessor in Wyndham near Shermanbury , he equipped with further properties that he is considered a co-founder of the facility for old priests. In addition, Climping acquired extensive further lands for the benefit of his diocese, but also for monasteries. The most important acquisition was the estate of Drungewick near Loxwood , which was expanded by his successors to an important bishop's residence. With Battle Abbey , with whose abbots several of his predecessors had violent disputes, he concluded an agreement in 1255 that regulated the right of visitation and the legal sovereignty of the bishops of Chichester. After his death in 1262 he was buried in front of the high altar of Chichester Cathedral. His executors included Simon of Climping , who was Archdeacon of Lewes and perhaps related to him. Even Thomas de Climping , which before 1248 Rector of Poling had become, was perhaps related to him and was promoted by Bishop Climping.

Web links

• Michael Ray: Climping, John of (d.1262). 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
Richard of Chichester	Bishop of Chichester 1253-1262	Stephen Bersted