Jocelin of Wells
Encyclopedia
Jocelin of Wells, also known as Jocelinus Thoteman or Jocelin Troteman, (died 19 November 1242) was a medieval Bishop of Bath and Wells
. He was the brother of Hugh de Wells
, who became Bishop of Lincoln
. Jocelin became a canon
of Wells Cathedral
before 1200, and was elected bishop in 1206. During King John of England
's dispute with Pope Innocent III
, Jocelin at first remained with the king, but after the excommunication of John in late 1209, Jocelin went into exile. He returned to England in 1213, and was mentioned in Magna Carta
in 1215.
Jocelin was one of the bishops that crowned John's son Henry III
, and throughout the rest of Jocelin's life was involved in royal administration. He was also active in his diocese, ordering construction on the cathedral at Wells
, and issuing rules for his diocesan clergy. During his time as bishop, he settled a dispute between his diocese and Glastonbury Abbey
that had started during the bishopric of his predecessor. The memorial brass
on his tomb in Wells Cathedral
is probably one of the earliest in England.
, and was the son of Edward of Wells, a small landowner in the city of Wells. His brother Hugh de Wells, was archdeacon of Wells and Bishop of Lincoln. Some historians say that another relative, although the exact relationship is unknown, was Simon of Wells
, who became Bishop of Chichester
in 1207, but other historians dispute this. The name Jocelin Trotman or Thotman, by which he was occasionally known by some modern historians, only dates from the Margam Annals, and is not contemporary with his life.
Jocelin was a royal justiciar in 1203, as well as the custodian of the vacant diocese of Lincoln
. He was a royal clerk as well as a canon of Wells, becoming a canon and a deacon by 1200. The previous bishop of Wells died in 1205, and on 3 February 1206, Jocelin was elected bishop. He was consecrated on 28 May 1206, at Reading
by Bishop William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
of London. It is unclear if the cathedral chapter
s of Bath and Wells took the action on their own, or if King John was the driving force behind the election.
Jocelin was one of the main advisors of King John during the dispute with the pope over Stephen Langton's appointment to the Archbishopric of Canterbury. Jocelin did not immediately leave England after Pope Innocent III placed an interdict
on England. Jocelin encouraged John to settle with Innocent in early 1209, worried that Innocent would expand the interdict into an excommunication, forcing John's advisors to choose between serving the king or obeying the pope. Nothing came of the negotiations, however. Jocelin did leave England when John was excommunicated in late 1209. Jocelin, along with Gilbert Glanvill
, the Bishop of Rochester
, was the subject of a mocking song on his conduct during the interdict.
Jocelin and Hugh were in exile together in Bordeaux in 1212, but they both returned to England in May 1213, along with the other English bishops. Jocelin was one of the bishops in August 1214 who refused to pay a scutage
to the king. In 1215, Jocelin sided with Stephen Langton
and the barons, and Magna Charta lists Jocelin as one of the king's councillors.
, the Bishop of Winchester
, anointed and crowned King Henry III, the young son of John, after John's death. Later, Jocelin was present at the battle with Eustace the Monk
in 1217, which helped to secure Henry's rule. Jocelin supported Hubert de Burgh's work of ejecting French forces from England and regaining control of royal castles seized by Falkes de Breauté
and other barons. In 1218, Jocelin was one of the itinerant justiciar
s for southwestern England.
In 1218 and 1219, Jocelin also ended the dispute between his diocese and Glastonbury Abbey. Jocelin gave up any claim to control of the abbey, and the abbey gave the bishopric a number of estates. Previously, the bishops, as part of their attempt to annex Glastonbury to their bishopric, had been known as the Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury. They also had held the office of abbot. In 1218, as part of the settlement, a new abbot was elected at Glastonbury. The papacy had never acknowledged Jocelin's claiming of the title of abbot. The historian J. A. Robinson felt that as part of the settlement, Jocelin began to use the title Bishop of Bath and Wells
, but another historian, David Knowles, disagreed.
After 1223, Jocelin was a baron of the exchequer. In 1225 he served the king as head of one of the receivers of the tax of a fifteenth. After the dismissal of Walter Mauclerk as treasurer, at first Jocelin, along with Richard Poore
, the Bishop of Durham, took over many of the treasurers functions, but this did not last long, and after 1233, Jocelin no longer was involved with financial affairs. He occasionally witnessed charters, however. After the fall of Peter des Roches in April 1234, Jocelin was given control of the Wardrobe
. After this, he appears less regularly in royal government, but he did witness the reconfirmation of Magna Carta in 1237.
With his brother Hugh, Jocelin founded St. John's Hospital at Wells. Jocelin promulgated a set of constitutions for the diocese, ordered that his diocesan clergy reside in their benefices, and gave land and income to the cathedral school. Glastonbury Abbey complained of Jocelin that he plundered lands of the abbey. Jocelin was also involved in mediating between William de Blois
, the Bishop of Worcester
, and Tewkesbury Abbey
over William's rights over the abbey. Jocelin finally settled the dispute in 1232.
Jocelin funded the rebuilding of Wells Cathedral, an Early English-style building with a Norman
-style choir. Jocelin ordered the construction of the nave
and choir, which still exist. Also included in his construction were west front and the lower part of the three towers. The new cathedral was consecrated on 23 October 1239 by Jocelin. Other construction work undertaken by Jocelin included the cloisters and bishop's palace at Wells, and a manor house at Wookey
.
as a household official.
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
. He was the brother of Hugh de Wells
Hugh de Wells
Hugh of Wells was a medieval Bishop of Lincoln. He began his career in the diocese of Bath, where he served two successive bishops, before joining royal service under King John of England...
, who became Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The 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...
. Jocelin became a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
before 1200, and was elected bishop in 1206. During King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
's dispute with Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
, Jocelin at first remained with the king, but after the excommunication of John in late 1209, Jocelin went into exile. He returned to England in 1213, and was mentioned in Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
in 1215.
Jocelin was one of the bishops that crowned John's son Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, and throughout the rest of Jocelin's life was involved in royal administration. He was also active in his diocese, ordering construction on the cathedral at Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
, and issuing rules for his diocesan clergy. During his time as bishop, he settled a dispute between his diocese and Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury 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....
that had started during the bishopric of his predecessor. The memorial brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
on his tomb in Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
is probably one of the earliest in England.
Early life
Jocelin born in Wells in SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and was the son of Edward of Wells, a small landowner in the city of Wells. His brother Hugh de Wells, was archdeacon of Wells and Bishop of Lincoln. Some historians say that another relative, although the exact relationship is unknown, was Simon of Wells
Simon of Wells
Simon of Wells was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.-Life:...
, who became Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The 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...
in 1207, but other historians dispute this. The name Jocelin Trotman or Thotman, by which he was occasionally known by some modern historians, only dates from the Margam Annals, and is not contemporary with his life.
Jocelin was a royal justiciar in 1203, as well as the custodian of the vacant diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
. He was a royal clerk as well as a canon of Wells, becoming a canon and a deacon by 1200. The previous bishop of Wells died in 1205, and on 3 February 1206, Jocelin was elected bishop. He was consecrated on 28 May 1206, at Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
by Bishop William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise was a medieval Bishop of London.-Life:...
of London. It is unclear if the cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
s of Bath and Wells took the action on their own, or if King John was the driving force behind the election.
Advisor to King John
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
on England. Jocelin encouraged John to settle with Innocent in early 1209, worried that Innocent would expand the interdict into an excommunication, forcing John's advisors to choose between serving the king or obeying the pope. Nothing came of the negotiations, however. Jocelin did leave England when John was excommunicated in late 1209. Jocelin, along with Gilbert Glanvill
Gilbert Glanvill
-Life:Glanvill was a clerk of Baldwin of Forde, the Archbishop of Canterbury and also archdeacon of the diocese of Lisieux.Glanvill was elected to the see of Rochester on 16 July 1185 and ordained a priest on 21 September 1185. He was consecrated on 29 September 1185. He died on 24 June...
, the Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The 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...
, was the subject of a mocking song on his conduct during the interdict.
Jocelin and Hugh were in exile together in Bordeaux in 1212, but they both returned to England in May 1213, along with the other English bishops. Jocelin was one of the bishops in August 1214 who refused to pay a scutage
Scutage
The form of taxation known as scutage, in the law of England under the feudal system, allowed a knight to "buy out" of the military service due to the Crown as a holder of a knight's fee held under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Its name derived from shield...
to the king. In 1215, Jocelin sided with Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228 and was a central figure in the dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III, which ultimately led to the issuing of Magna Carta in 1215...
and the barons, and Magna Charta lists Jocelin as one of the king's councillors.
Henry III's reign
Jocelin and Peter des RochesPeter des Roches
Peter des Roches was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin.-Life:...
, the Bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The 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...
, anointed and crowned King Henry III, the young son of John, after John's death. Later, Jocelin was present at the battle with Eustace the Monk
Eustace the Monk
Eustace the Monk was a mercenary and pirate, in the tradition of medieval outlaws.-Early life:Eustace was born a younger son of Baudoin Busket, a lord of the county of Boulogne...
in 1217, which helped to secure Henry's rule. Jocelin supported Hubert de Burgh's work of ejecting French forces from England and regaining control of royal castles seized by Falkes de Breauté
Falkes de Breauté
Sir Falkes de Breauté was an Anglo-Norman soldier who earned high office by loyally serving first King John and later King Henry III in First Barons' War. He played a key role in the Battle of Lincoln Fair in 1217. He attempted to rival Hubert de Burgh, and as a result fell from power in 1224...
and other barons. In 1218, Jocelin was one of the itinerant justiciar
Justiciar
In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...
s for southwestern England.
In 1218 and 1219, Jocelin also ended the dispute between his diocese and Glastonbury Abbey. Jocelin gave up any claim to control of the abbey, and the abbey gave the bishopric a number of estates. Previously, the bishops, as part of their attempt to annex Glastonbury to their bishopric, had been known as the Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury. They also had held the office of abbot. In 1218, as part of the settlement, a new abbot was elected at Glastonbury. The papacy had never acknowledged Jocelin's claiming of the title of abbot. The historian J. A. Robinson felt that as part of the settlement, Jocelin began to use the title Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
, but another historian, David Knowles, disagreed.
After 1223, Jocelin was a baron of the exchequer. In 1225 he served the king as head of one of the receivers of the tax of a fifteenth. After the dismissal of Walter Mauclerk as treasurer, at first Jocelin, along with Richard Poore
Richard Poore
Richard Poore was a medieval English clergyman best known for his role in the construction of Salisbury Cathedral.-Early life:...
, the Bishop of Durham, took over many of the treasurers functions, but this did not last long, and after 1233, Jocelin no longer was involved with financial affairs. He occasionally witnessed charters, however. After the fall of Peter des Roches in April 1234, Jocelin was given control of the Wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
. After this, he appears less regularly in royal government, but he did witness the reconfirmation of Magna Carta in 1237.
Diocesan affairs
William de Blois, Bishop of Worcester
William de Blois was a medieval Bishop of Worcester.-Life:He was a canon of the diocese of Lincoln and held the office of Archdeacon of Buckingham in that diocese by 10 May 1206...
, the Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The 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...
, and Tewkesbury Abbey
Tewkesbury Abbey
The Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Tewkesbury in the English county of Gloucestershire is the second largest parish church in the country and a former Benedictine monastery.-History:...
over William's rights over the abbey. Jocelin finally settled the dispute in 1232.
Jocelin funded the rebuilding of Wells Cathedral, an Early English-style building with a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
-style choir. Jocelin ordered the construction of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and choir, which still exist. Also included in his construction were west front and the lower part of the three towers. The new cathedral was consecrated on 23 October 1239 by Jocelin. Other construction work undertaken by Jocelin included the cloisters and bishop's palace at Wells, and a manor house at Wookey
Wookey
Wookey is a village and civil parish west of Wells, on the River Axe in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. Wookey is often confused with its sister village Wookey Hole which is perhaps best known today for the Wookey Hole Caves...
.
Death
Jocelin died on 19 November 1242 at Wells and was buried in the choir of Wells Cathedral. He may have been the father of Nicholas of Wells. The memorial brass on his tomb is allegedly one of the earliest brasses in England. He employed the medieval architect Elias of DerehamElias of Dereham
Elias of Dereham was a master stonemason designer, closely associated with Bishop Jocelin of Wells.Elias became a Canon of Salisbury, and oversaw the construction of Salisbury Cathedral. He was also responsible for building work at Clarendon Palace.The chapter house at Salisbury Cathedral displays...
as a household official.