William March (Bishop)

William March (also de Marchia ) († around June 11, 1302 ) was an English clergyman and minister. From 1293 he was Bishop of Bath and Wells , and from 1290 to 1295 he served as royal treasurer .

Promotion as a royal official

The origin of William March is unknown. He is first mentioned in 1277 as Rector of Thorpe in Nottinghamshire . Regularly referred to as a Magister , he was believed to have graduated from Oxford University before entering the service of the Crown. He served in the royal wardrobe , whose officials were not only responsible for the royal apartments, but under Edward I also for the king's finances. From 1280 to 1284 he was responsible as a cofferer for the salaries of the servants and for the procurement of cash, from August 15, 1283 to May 1, 1290 he held the office of controller and thus the supervision of the wardrobe's finances. Because of this office he served briefly in February 1290 as keeper of the great seal . As a skilled financial manager, he was likely to be more important to the administration than his superior, William of Louth , the Keeper of the Wardrobe . March apparently enjoyed the full confidence of the king, because on October 13, 1289, after his return from a multi-year stay in Gascony , the king appointed him a member of a seven-member commission that dealt with complaints about abuse of office by the ministers during the king's absence should receive.

Treasurer service

As the successor to John Kirkby , March was appointed Treasurer of the Exchequer on April 6, 1290 . As treasurer, he oversaw the tax administration, where important reforms were carried out during his tenure. The treasury was now responsible for the receipt, booking and distribution of tax receipts, with the exception of taxes levied by the clergy. The officials of the treasury were involved more closely in the tax collection and the tax receipts were proven by their own evidence. The wardrobe's income was also recorded by the treasury, which significantly restricted the wardrobe's financial independence.

As treasurer, March was also significantly involved in the measures that bordered on blackmail by the king, who was in constant financial need mainly due to his wars. On July 4, 1294, royal officials were allowed to check the cash holdings of churches and monasteries. Especially because of these exams, March became extremely unpopular with numerous clergymen. A chronicler accused him of not protecting the Church, although he was a bishop himself, but attacking it. March also had conflicts with the citizens of the City of London . The city had been under the direct administration of the crown since 1285, so that March, as treasurer, had considerable influence on the administration. The financial burdens he put on the city made him extremely unpopular with the citizens. The citizens finally submitted a long list of complaints about March to the king and the Privy Council . These went unanswered, but finally the king decided to make March the scapegoat of his politics. On August 16, 1295 he was replaced as treasurer. This made him the only Great Officer of State who was dismissed for political reasons under Edward I.

Advancement as a clergyman

Edward I had rewarded March's services by providing him with eight benefices in four dioceses by 1291 , including the office of dean of the royal own church of St Martin's-le-Grand in London and canons at the cathedrals of Salisbury , Chichester and Wells . So far March had only been ordained as a subdeacon . Due to this accumulation of offices, the king procured him a papal dispensation in 1291 . March resigned from the office of Rector von Thorpe and was also prepared to forego two more Rector positions if he was allowed to keep his other benefices. However, this became obsolete when he was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Bath and Wells on January 28, 1293 . The king approved the election on March 1st and gave him the diocesan temporalities on March 19th . Since no new Archbishop of Canterbury had been installed after the death of Archbishop Pecham , March was ordained bishop in Canterbury on May 17 by the Bishops of London , Rochester and Ely and by the Archbishop of Dublin .

Wells Cathedral chapter house, probably built during March's tenure as bishop

Activity as bishop

March had taken on January 19, 1295 a loan from Bishops Oliver Sutton of Lincoln and John de Pontoise of Winchester. These two bishops administered the money originally raised by the Pope in 1291 to finance a crusade. The loan provided substantial financial relief for Bath Cathedral Priory and Wells Cathedral Chapter. March was also otherwise known as a skilful financial administrator, with moral integrity and a generous almsgiver. Until his death he did not acquire any real estate of his own within his diocese. It is believed that the chapter house of Wells Cathedral was built during his tenure as bishop . After his discharge as treasurer, he devoted himself increasingly to his office as bishop.

Death and inheritance

March is said to have died on June 11, 1302, but this cannot be proven. He was buried in Wells Cathedral on June 17th. His legacy was controversial as an initial investigation showed no relatives could be found. After a long dispute over the distribution of his property, it was declared in 1313 that two relatives could be found, namely his brother John March and his nephew Robert Urry . They should receive 100 marks so that they can take part in a crusade to the Holy Land . The money had been deposited with the Cathedral Chapter of Wells in September 1311. However, since there was no longer a crusade to the Holy Land, the use of the money was fought for over 30 years.

Aftermath

March's administration as treasurer was criticized by numerous chroniclers, mostly clergy. The Osney chronicler , however, praised him as a forward-looking, trustworthy and circumspect minister. In contrast to his controversial office as treasurer, his office as bishop was positively remembered, which was probably mainly due to his skills as a financial administrator. After his death, miracles are said to have occurred at his grave. Thereupon the dean and the cathedral chapter of Wells commissioned their representatives at the papal curia in June 1324 to apply for the canonization of March. This concern was addressed on December 4, 1325 by a letter from Archbishop Reynolds and eight other English bishops to Pope John XXII. supported. King Edward II and his successor Edward III. campaigned for a canonization of March. The clergy of the Diocese of Bath and Wells granted a tithe to fund the campaign . Ultimately, however, the efforts were unsuccessful.

Web links

• Helen M. Jewell: March [de Marchia], William (d.1302). 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

1. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 139.
2. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 340.
3. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 343.
4. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 139.

predecessor	Office	successor
Robert Burnell	Bishop of Bath and Wells 1293-1302	Walter Haselshaw
John Kirkby	Lord High Treasurer 1290-1295	Walter Langton