Accord of Winchester
Encyclopedia
Primacy of Canterbury
Within the Church of England, the primacy of Canterbury or primacy of England is the supremacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York.-1071:...
of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
over the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
.
It originated in a dispute over primacy between Thomas
Thomas I of York
Thomas of Bayeux was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. A native of Bayeux, he was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king nominated Thomas to succeed Ealdred as Archbishop...
, the archbishop of York, and Lanfranc
Lanfranc
Lanfranc was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombard by birth.-Early life:Lanfranc was born in the early years of the 11th century at Pavia, where later tradition held that his father, Hanbald, held a rank broadly equivalent to magistrate...
, the new Norman archbishop of Canterbury, soon after the latter had taken office. The case was first heard by King William
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
at the old Saxon royal capital of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
at Easter (8 April) 1072, in the royal chapel in the castle
Winchester Castle
Winchester Castle is a medieval building in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1067. Only the Great Hall exists now; it houses a museum of the history of Winchester.-Great Hall:...
. It was then heard at Windsor
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
at Pentecost (27 May), where the final settlement was made, with William deciding in Lanfranc's favour, and formalized in this document.
This did not end the Canterbury-York dispute
Canterbury-York dispute
The Canterbury–York dispute was a long-running conflict between the archdioceses of Canterbury and York in medieval England. It began shortly after the Norman Conquest of England and dragged on for many years. The main point of the dispute was over whether Canterbury would have jurisdiction, or...
over the primacy, as it continued for a number of years after this.
Signatories
When William and his queenMatilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.-Marriage:...
signed the document with crosses, it did not necessarily mean they were unused to writing, infirm or even illiterate. They and all the bishops signed with crosses, as illiterate people would later do, but they did so in accordance with current legal practice, not because they or the bishops could not write their own names.
It (in the CCA-DCc-ChAnt/A/2 version) was also signed by
- the Archbishop of Canterbury
- the Archbishop of York, who signed 'concedo' (I concede), unlike all the other signatories, who signed 'subscripso' (I subscribe)
- WulfstanWulfstan, Bishop of WorcesterWulfstan , Bishop of Worcester, was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop and the only English-born bishop after 1075. Wulfstan is a Christian saint.-Denomination:His denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester...
, bishop of WorcesterBishop of WorcesterThe Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury... - WalkelinWalkelinWalkelin was the first Norman bishop of Winchester .-Life:Walkelin was of noble birth and related to William the Conqueror, whom he served as a royal chaplain. Prior to the Norman Conquest he had probably been a canon at Rouen Cathedral...
, bishop of WinchesterBishop of WinchesterThe Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and... - Remigius de FécampRemigius de FécampRemigius de Fécamp was a Benedictine monk who was a supporter of William the Conqueror.-Early life:...
, bishop of LincolnBishop of LincolnThe Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, who had moved his seat to that city earlier that year - HerfastHerfastHerfast was a medieval Lord Chancellor of England, Bishop of Elmham and Bishop of Thetford.-Life:Born in Normandy, he joined William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, and was appointed head of the royal writing office after the Battle of Hastings. He was Lord Chancellor of...
, bishop of ThetfordBishop of ThetfordThe Bishop of Thetford is an episcopal title which takes its name after the market town of Thetford in Norfolk, England. The title was originally used by the Normans in the 11th century, and is presently used by a Church of England suffragan bishop.... - Hubert, 'lectorLectorLector is a Latin term for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages the word has come to take various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as , , and . It has various specialized uses:...
' of the Roman Church and papal legatePapal legateA papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
of Pope Alexander IIPope Alexander IIPope Alexander II , born Anselmo da Baggio, was Pope from 1061 to 1073.He was born in Milan. As bishop of Lucca he had been an energetic coadjutor with Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony, and to enforce the celibacy of the clergy...
(the pope who had backed King William's invasion of England and had backed Lanfranc in the dispute)
and additionally, in the CCA-DCc-ChAnt/A/1 version, :
- William, bishop of LondonBishop of LondonThe Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
- HeremanHerman (bishop)Herman was a medieval Bishop of Ramsbury and Bishop of Sherborne.-Life:Herman was a native of Flanders. As chaplain of Edward the Confessor he was named to the see of Ramsbury shortly after 22 April 1045. He visited Rome in 1050, where he attended a papal council, along with his fellow English...
, bishop of Sherborne - WalterWalter of LorraineWalter of Lorraine was a medieval Bishop of Hereford.-Life:Walter was a native of Lorraine, although some sources state he was a Norman. He was chaplain to Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor sometime before his appointment as bishop. He was appointed to the see of Hereford about...
, bishop of HerefordBishop of HerefordThe Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is... - Giso, bishop of Wells
- StigandStigand of SelseyStigand was the last Bishop of Selsey, and first Bishop of Chichester.-Life:Shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066, there was a purge of the English episcopate, Archbishop Stigand was deposed in 1070 along with four other bishops, including Æthelric II of Selsey, probably because of his...
, bishop of ChichesterBishop of ChichesterThe Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity... - SiwardSiward, Bishop of RochesterSiward was a medieval Bishop of Rochester.-Life:Siward was abbot of Chertsey Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in Surrey before he was selected for the see of Rochester. He was consecrated in 1058. He died in 1075. His death was commemorated on 30 October, so he probably died on that date in 1075...
, bishop of RochesterBishop of RochesterThe Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin... - Osbern FitzOsbernOsbern FitzOsbern- Life :FitzOsbern was a relative of King Edward the Confessor as well as being a royal chaplain. During Edward's reign he received the church at Bosham, near Chichester. He was one of those present at the consecration of Westminster Abbey at Christmas 1065. He was a steward for King William I of...
, bishop of ExeterBishop of ExeterThe Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature.... - Odo, bishop of Bayeux, earl of KentEarl of KentThe peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.See also Kingdom of Kent, Duke of Kent.-Earls of Kent, first creation :*Godwin, Earl of Wessex...
- GeoffreyGeoffrey de MontbrayGeoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator at need....
, bishop of Coutances, one of the nobles ('primates') of the English - Scotland ('Scolland'), abbot of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury
- Aelfwine, abbot of Ramsey AbbeyRamsey AbbeyRamsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
- Aethelnoth ('Elnodus'), abbot of Glastonbury AbbeyGlastonbury AbbeyGlastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
- Thurstan, abbotAbbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Ely AbbeyEly CathedralEly Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon... - Wulfwold, abbot of Chertsey AbbeyChertsey AbbeyChertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.It was founded by Saint Erkenwald, later Bishop of London, in 666 AD and he became the first abbot. In the 9th century it was sacked by the Danes and refounded from Abingdon Abbey...
- ElwinÆthelwigÆthelwig was an Abbot of Evesham before and during the Norman Conquest of England. Born sometime around 1010 or 1015, he was elected abbot in 1058. Known for his legal expertise, he administered estates for Ealdred, the Bishop of Worcester prior to his election as abbot...
('Eluuius' [also known as Æthelwig]), abbot of EveshamEvesham AbbeyEvesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
('hevesand) - Frederick, abbot of St Albans
- Geoffrey, abbot of St Peter's, WestminsterWestminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
- Baldwin, abbot of Bury St EdmundsBury St. Edmunds AbbeyThe Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was once among the richest Benedictine monasteries in England. Its ruins lie in Bury St Edmunds, a town in the county of Suffolk, England.-History:...
- Turold, abbot of Peterborough
- Adelelm, abbot of AbingdonAbingdon AbbeyAbingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
- Riwallon ('Rualodus'), abbot of Winchester New MinsterWinchester CathedralWinchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
Both versions are endorsed with descriptions and marks in 13th century hands.
Copies
The main copies are held at the Canterbury CathedralCanterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
archives.(Catalogue entries for the CCA-DCc-ChAnt/A/1 version and the CCA-DCc-ChAnt/A/2 version) There is also one at the British Library
Versions
In the Canterbury Cathedral Archives:- CCA-DCc-Register E, f46r and CCA-DCc-Register I, ff60v-61r (sections of royal charters for liberties of the Church)
- CCA-DCc-ChAnt/A/2 (some significant variations)
In the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
- BL Cotton Appendix 56, ff57r-58r