William de Beaufeu

William de Beaufeu
Bishop of Thetford
Appointed25 December 1085
Term ended1091
PredecessorHerfast
SuccessorHerbert de Losinga
Orders
Consecration1086
Personal details
Died1091
DenominationCatholic

William de Beaufeu[a][b] was a medieval Bishop of Thetford and a major landholder mentioned in the Domesday Book.[1]

Life[edit]

William's land holdings were mainly in the county of Norfolk and Suffolk.[1] He was a royal clerk before he was nominated to the see of Thetford[2] on 25 December 1085 and consecrated in 1086. He died in 1091.[3] He was probably related to Richard de Beaufou Bishop of Avranches from 1134 to 1142.[4]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Sometimes William de Beaufai, William of Bello Fargo or William of Belfou
  2. ^ The place where the name comes from is probably fr:Beaufour (Normandy, now Calvados département) : Belfou 1040 - 1066, Bellafagus 1195 "beautiful beech-tree", confused later with another place-name (Orne département) Beaufai : Belfai 1092, De Bello Fayaco ar. 1345 "beautiful beech wood"

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Domesday Book, Englands Heritage, Then and Now, Editor: Thomas Hinde, Major Domesday landholders page 338 ISBN 1-85833-440-3
  2. ^ British History Online Bishops of Norwich accessed on 29 October 2007
  3. ^ Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 223
  4. ^ Spear "The Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy" Journal of British Studies p. 5

References[edit]

  • British History Online Bishops of Norwich accessed on 29 October 2007
  • Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
  • Spear, David S. "The Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy, 1066–1204" The Journal of British Studies Volume XXI Number 2 Spring 1982 p. 1-10
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Thetford
1085-1091
Succeeded by