William of York
- This article is about St. William, Archbishop of York, England. See also Saint William for other saints with this name.
| St. William of York | |
|---|---|
|
Archbishop of York |
|
| Birth name | William FitzHerbert |
| Enthroned | January 1141 restored October 1153 |
| Ended | deprived 1147 June 8, 1154 |
| Predecessor | Henry de Sully Henry Murdac |
| Successor | Henry Murdac Roger de Pont L'Evêque |
| Died | June 8 1154 York |
| Buried | York Minster |
| William of York | |
|---|---|
| Died | June 8 1154, York |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic |
| Canonized | June 8 1227 by Pope Honorius III |
| Major shrine | York |
| Feast | June 8 |
 |
|
Saint William of York, (died 1154) also known as William FitzHerbert, William I FitzHerbert and William of Thwayt, was an English bishop and Archbishop of York. He is unique in having been Archbishop of York twice, both before and after his rival Henry Murdac.
Life
A native of York, William was born William FitzHerbert, son of Herbert of Winchester, chancellor and treasurer of King Henry I. His mother was Emma, half-sister of King Stephen and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester.[1][2] She was an illegitimate daughter of Stephen II, Count of Blois, Stephen's father.[3]
He held the prebendary of Weighton in the diocese of Yorkshire between June 27 1109 and February 24 1114.[4] He was also archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire.[5] Soon after this he was appointed Treasurer of the Cathedral of York,[6] and in January 1141 he was elected Archbishop.[7] He was opposed by the Cistercians and the archdeacons of his diocese.[8] Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to recognize William's election due to allegations of simony, or the acquisition of church positions by bribery, and of interference by King Stephen.[9] In 1143, Pope Anastasius IV said that William would be confirmed in office if he was able to refute the allegations by oath from himself and the Dean of York. Henry of Blois, who was also papal legate, subsequently found William innocent, and he was consecrated as archbishop on September 26 1143.[2]
As archbishop, William undertook a number of significant reforms, and became quite popular with the people of York. However, he still needed a pallium which he not yet received. And the Cistercians, who adamantly opposed his being archbishop were determined to keep him from receiving it. So he traveled to Rome to obtain his pallium which he had not received earlier at his consecration. On the election of Eugenius III, a Cistercian, in 1145, William's cause took a turn for the worse.[10] He was suspended from office for an alleged irregularity in the appointment of William of St. Barbara, Bishop of Durham, his subordinate. Bernard of Clairvaux exerted all his influence to get William's suspension,[10] and William was required to obtain an in-person refutation of the old charges by William of St. Barbara, who had been Dean of York, but was now the Bishop of Durham. William took up residence with one of his friends, the King of Sicily. He was deposed by the Pope in early 1147 and the deposition was confirmed at the Council of Reims on March 21 1148. Another election to York was held, and the main candidates were Hilary who was the king's candidate and Henry Murdac, who was abbot of Fountains Abbey and a Cistercian supported by Cistercian party and the clergy of the diocese, including the Bishop of Durham. Both sides appealed to the pope, and the pope selected Murdac as the successful candidate.[2][8]
Stephen refused to accept William's deposition and the appointment of Murdac, and kept Murdac from taking up residence in York. Stephen probably wished to trade recognition of Murdac for the coronation of Stephen's son Eustace[11] Within a few years, however, both Murdac and the new Pope had died, so William traveled to Rome to plead for re-appointment from the new Anastasius IV, which happened on December 20, 1153 at Rome.[2][12] According to legend, on his return to York, while crossing the Ouse Bridge in York in triumphal procession, the bridge collapsed, yet no one was killed.[13]
However, after less than a month back in York, William died, on June 8 1154,[7] allegedly due to poison administered in the chalice at Mass.[12] He was buried in York Minster and within a few months of his death, miracles began to be attributed to his intervention and, in 1223, a sweet-smelling oil flowed from his tomb. Pope Honorius III then ordered an investigation into the miracles. On June 8th, 1227, he was canonized by Honorius III.[2]
His feast day is June 8, the day of his death, although his veneration is largely local to York. Traditional iconography and windows often depict William's crossing of the Tweed; some iconography shows him crossing in a boat. William's coat of arms traditionally depict seven mascles or lozenges.[14]
St William's College is in York, next to the Minster. The college was established between 1465 and 1467 with the permission of King Edward IV as the home for chancery priests of the Cathedral.
Notes
- ^ ’’The Shrines of St William of York: An account written by Christopher Wilson to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the canonization of Saint William’’. Yorkshire Museum
- ^ a b c d e British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ Davis King Stephen p. 172-173
- ^ British History Online Prebendary of Weighton accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ British History Online Archdeacons of East Riding accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ British History Online Treasurers of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 264
- ^ a b Barlow The English Church 1066-1154 p. 98
- ^ Poole Domesday Book to Magna Carta p. 191
- ^ a b Davis King Stephen p. 97-99
- ^ Davis King Stephen p. 103
- ^ a b Barlow The English Church 1066-1154 p. 102
- ^ Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 627-628
- ^ Heraldry of St Wilfrid accessed on September 15, 2007
References
- British History Online Archbishops of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- British History Online Archdeacons of East Riding accessed on September 15, 2007
- British History Online Prebendary of Weighton accessed on September 15, 2007
- British History Online Treasurers of York accessed on September 15, 2007
- Davis, R. H. C. King Stephen 1135-1154 Third Edition London:Longman 1990 ISBN 0-582-04000-0
- Heraldry of St Wilfrid accessed on September 15, 2007
- Poole, A. L. Domesday Book to Magna Carta 1087-1216 Second Edition Oxford:Clarendon Press reprint 1986 ISBN 0-19-821707-2
- Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
- Walsh, Michael A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West London: Burns & Oats 2007 ISBN 0-8601-2438-X
See also
External links
- Information on St. William's College, York, and iconography of William
- Information on St. William
- Information of St. William from Catholic Forum
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry de Sully, Abbot of Fecamp |
Archbishop of
York 1143–1147 |
Succeeded by Henry Murdac |
| Preceded by Henry Murdac |
Archbishop of York (2nd
Enthronement) 1153–1154 |
Succeeded by Roger de Pont L'Evêque |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | William of York, Saint |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | FitzHerbert, William |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Saint, Archbishop of York |
| DATE OF BIRTH | |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 8, 1154 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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