William of Ely
Encyclopedia
William of Ely was an English churchman and the fifth Lord High Treasurer
of England
. He was a relative of Richard FitzNeal
and supposed descendant of Nigel, Bishop of Ely
, both previous Lord High Treasurers. He was appointed a Canon of St. Paul's just before being nmade Lord High Treasurer in 1196. He added the position of Archdeacon of Cleveland
in 1201 and Prebendary of Leighton Buzzard in 1207.
A story about William of Ely tells of his attempted escape from England during a time when he had fallen from favour with the King; he was disguised as a commoner but was stopped when he proved unable to respond to a simple question posed to him in English (illustrating the dominance of the French language among nobles and clergymen at the time).
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was a relative of Richard FitzNeal
Richard FitzNeal
Richard FitzNeal Richard FitzNeal Richard FitzNeal (or FitzNigel; circa (c. 1130 – 10 September 1198), sometimes called Richard of Ely, was a churchman and bureaucrat in the service of Henry II of England.-Life:...
and supposed descendant of Nigel, Bishop of Ely
Nigel, Bishop of Ely
Nigel was an Anglo-Norman Bishop of Ely. He came from an ecclesiastical family; his uncle Roger of Salisbury was a bishop and government minister for King Henry I, and other relatives also held offices in the English Church and government...
, both previous Lord High Treasurers. He was appointed a Canon of St. Paul's just before being nmade Lord High Treasurer in 1196. He added the position of Archdeacon of Cleveland
Archdeaconry of Cleveland
The Archdeaconry of Cleveland is an archdeaconry, or subdivision, of the Church of England Diocese of York in the Province of York. It stretches west from Thirsk, north to Middlesbrough, east to Whitby and south to Pickering...
in 1201 and Prebendary of Leighton Buzzard in 1207.
A story about William of Ely tells of his attempted escape from England during a time when he had fallen from favour with the King; he was disguised as a commoner but was stopped when he proved unable to respond to a simple question posed to him in English (illustrating the dominance of the French language among nobles and clergymen at the time).