Ranulf (d. 1123), was an English cleric and administrator. He became chancellor in the reign of Henry I of England

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

.

Life

He was a chaplain or clerk of Henry I, and became chancellor in 1107–8, holding that office until his death. For the last twenty years of his life he suffered much from illness; but his mind was active, and he left a bad reputation, being described as crafty, prompt to work evil of every kind, oppressing the innocent, robbing men of their lands and possessions, and glorying in his wickedness and ill-gotten gains.

In the first days of 1123 he rode with the king from Dunstable

Dunstable

Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...

, where Henry had kept Christmas, escorting him to Berkhampstead Castle, which belonged to Ranulf. As he came in sight of his castle he fell from his horse, and a monk of St. Albans Abbey, who had been despoiled of his possessions by him, rode over him. He died of his injuries a few days afterwards.

He had a son, who joined him in some benefactions to Reading Abbey

Reading Abbey

Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...

, and he also granted the manor of Tintinhull

Tintinhull

This article is about a village in England. For the Australian village, see Tintinhull, New South Wales.Tintinhull is a village and civil parish close to the A303 near Yeovil, south west of Ilchester, in Somerset, England...

, Somerset

Somerset

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...

, to Montacute Priory

Montacute Priory

Montacute Priory was a Cluniac priory of the Benedictine order in Montacute, Somerset, England, founded between 1078 and 1102 by William, Count of Mortain, in face of a threat that if he did not do so, the King would take the land from him. It was the only Somerset dependency of Cluny Abbey until...

.