The front of Rouen Cathedral. The left tower (except the last storey) and the side doors (except the tympans) date from the 12th century, and already existed in Coutances' lifetime.
When Richard I,King Henry's son,became king in 1189,Coutances absolved Richard for his rebellion against his father and invested him as Duke of Normandy. He then accompanied Richard to Sicily as the king began the Third Crusade,but events in England prompted Richard to send the archbishop back to England to mediate between William Longchamp,the justiciar whom Richard had left in charge of the kingdom,and Prince John,Richard's younger brother. Coutances succeeded in securing a peace between Longchamp and John,but further actions by Longchamp led to the justiciar's expulsion from England,replaced in his role by Coutances,even though he never formally used the title. He remained in the office until late 1193,when he was summoned to Germany by the king,who was being held in captivity there. Coutances became a hostage for the final payment of Richard's ransom on the king's release in February 1194.
Coutances took no further part in English government after returning from Germany. Instead he became involved in Norman affairs,including a dispute with Richard over the ownership of Andely manor,an archiepiscopal property that Richard desired as a fortress. Eventually the archbishop surrendered it to the king in return for two other manors and the seaport of Dieppe. Richard went on to build the castle of Gaillard on the former archiepiscopal manor. After Richard's death,Coutances invested Prince John as Duke of Normandy,but was forced to pay 2,100 Angevin pounds to secure contested rights from the new king. After John lost control of Normandy in 1204,the archbishop did not resist the new government of King Philip II of France. Coutances died in November 1207 and was buried in his cathedral.
Early life
Coutances was born in Cornwall,[3] to Reinfrid and Gonilla. His brother was Roger fitzReinfrid,[4][lower-alpha 3] a layman and royal justice during the reign of King Henry II of England.[6] Although the medieval chronicler and churchman Gerald of Wales related that his friend was descended from Trojan heroes who escaped the Sack of Troy and ended up in Cornwall,that was a flattering invention on Gerald's part. Coutances' family was of the knightly class,and probably from Normandy originally.[7]
Coutances was usually given the title of magister,which signified that he had received an education in a school;most likely he attended the schools of Paris. Gerald of Wales said that Coutances was dedicated to learning,and considered him to be a talented courtier.[4]
Service to King Henry
Coutances started his career as a clerk to King Henry II of England in the royal chamber.[8] He probably owed the position to his brother,who was already in royal service.[4] Coutances may have been associated with the Beaumont family faction at court before beginning work for the king,but this is not certain.[9]
By 1169 Coutances held a canonry in Rouen Cathedral.[3] During the 1170s a group of royal clerks rose to prominence,among them Coutances,Walter Map,Ralph Diceto,John of Oxford,Richard of Ilchester,and Geoffrey Ridel.[10] Coutances was the chaplain to Henry the Young King,eldest living son of King Henry,but when the younger Henry rebelled against his father in 1173,Coutances returned to King Henry's service.[11] He became Archdeacon of Oxford,perhaps by 1173,certainly by 14 March 1176.[12] He was named vice-chancellor when Ralph de Warneville became Chancellor of England,[4] which occurred in 1173.[13] In 1176 and 1177,King Henry sent Coutances on diplomatic missions to Flanders and the French royal court.[4]Arnulf,the Bishop of Lisieux,alleged that Henry allowed Coutances to use all the administrative machinery of Normandy to drive Arnulf from his diocese,so that Coutances might become bishop there.[14] This happened in early 1178,but the only real evidence for this effort on Coutances' part comes from Arnulf's correspondence,and as Coutances was back in England by July 1178,it does not appear that the attempt was a sustained one.[15]
On his return to England,Coutances was given custody of the abbeys of Wilton and Ramsey,which were being held by King Henry pending the election of new abbots.[4] He thus acquired the right to collect the abbeys' revenues in the name of the king,who had the regalian rights to that income.[16] In 1180 Henry sent Coutances to France on another diplomatic mission.[9] In February 1182 Coutances witnessed King Henry II's will,made before the king travelled to Normandy.[17]
Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen
Coutances was elected to the see of Lincoln on 8 May 1183,[18] selected by King Henry over three other candidates.[4] He was ordained a priest on 11 June 1183[4] and consecrated bishop on 3 July 1183[18] at Angers by Richard of Dover,the Archbishop of Canterbury.[4] He was enthroned at Lincoln Cathedral on 11 December 1183.[19] While at Lincoln,Coutances took part in the election of Baldwin of Forde as the new Archbishop of Canterbury,which took place at a council held in Westminster in 1184. Writing about Coutances' time at Lincoln,Gerald of Wales accused the bishop of increasing the debt of the diocese of Lincoln and of squandering its resources.[4] Coutances helped the schools in the city of Lincoln,acting as the patron for scholars such as John of Tynemouth and Simon of Southwell.[20]
On 17 November 1184 Coutances was translated to the diocese of Rouen,becoming Archbishop of Rouen.[18][19] The original election to Rouen had taken place in the summer. King Henry had initially rejected the Rouen cathedral chapter's nominees and put forward three English bishops as the royal candidates. The king also indicated his preference that Coutances be elected,a choice that was confirmed by the pope in November. Coutances hesitated about the translation to Rouen,as the see there was poorer than Lincoln,but as an archbishopric rather than a bishopric it was of a higher status. The medieval chronicler William of Newburgh wrote that eventually Coutances' ambition overcame his greed,and he agreed to the translation.[4] He was received at Rouen on 3 March 1185.[21] Coutances remained in Henry's service however,and continued attend the royal court frequently. During the final 10years of Henry's reign,only Ranulf de Glanville witnessed more royal charters,and only William de Humez,the constable,equalled the 16charters that Coutances witnessed.[22]
In the later part of 1186,after the death of King Henry's son Geoffrey—who was Duke of Brittany—King Philip II of France demanded that Geoffrey's daughters be placed in the French king's custody,and that the duchy of Brittany,which Geoffrey had ruled in right of his wife,be surrendered into French royal custody. Coutances was one of the negotiators sent by King Henry to secure a settlement,but they had to settle for a temporary truce.[23] In January 1188 Coutances took the cross when he pledged to go on Crusade along with King Henry and King Philip of France.[4]
At Whitsun in 1189,Coutances was a member of a commission appointed by the papal legate John of Anagni to arbitrate the dispute between King Henry II of England and his son,Richard,who was supported by King Philip II of France. Henry and Richard's conflict stemmed from Richard's desire to secure his inheritance to the throne of England,which he believed his father was trying to give to his youngest brother,John. The commission met near Le Mans. Richard and Philip insisted that Richard should be married to Philip's sister Alice,that Henry name Richard as Henry's heir,and that Richard's youngest brother John should go on crusade with Richard. Henry rejected those terms,and neither Philip nor Richard would negotiate,even under the legate's threat of an interdict on France.[24]
Service to King Richard
Shortly after Richard took the throne he sought absolution for his sins in rebelling against his father,from Baldwin of Forde and Coutances. The two archbishops absolved Richard in a ceremony in Sées.[25] Coutances also invested Richard as Duke of Normandy in a ceremony held in Rouen,before accompanying Richard to England,where he participated in the new king's coronation,[4] on 3 September 1189.[26]
In 1189 Coutances held an ecclesiastical synod which legislated,among other things,that the clergy should not hold secular offices,even though Coutances himself had held and continued to hold such offices.[27] On 9 November 1189 Richard appointed Coutances to a commission tasked with deciding the dispute between Baldwin of Forde and the monks of his cathedral chapter over Baldwin's plan to create a church dedicated to Thomas Becket,the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury,and to staff this church not with monks,but with canons.[28] The monks of Canterbury Cathedral objected to Baldwin's plan,fearing that it was part of a plot to transfer the right of election from the monastic cathedral chapter to the new church's canons.[29] Sitting on the commission with Coutances were Hugh de Puiset,the Bishop of Durham,Godfrey de Lucy,the Bishop of Winchester,Hubert Walter,the Bishop of Salisbury,Peter de Leia,the Bishop of St David's,Richard fitzNigel,the Bishop-elect of London,William Longchamp,the Bishop-elect of Ely,and some abbots. The commission travelled to Canterbury,and on 29 November 1189,managed to secure a compromise between the parties,which lasted until Hubert Walter,by then Archbishop of Canterbury,revived the plan. In the compromise,Baldwin agreed to give up the idea of a new monastic foundation around Canterbury and the monks agreed to submit to the archbishop's authority.[28]
When Richard left England in late 1189,the archbishop accompanied him to Normandy and then to Sicily,where Richard began the Third Crusade. In October 1190,Coutances was one of the negotiators between the city of Messina and the crusaders,and later was a guarantor of the peace treaty between King Richard and Tancred,the King of Sicily. The archbishop was also appointed one of the treasurers of the crusading army.[4]
While Richard was still in Sicily,word reached the king of the disputes between William Longchamp,whom Richard had left in England,and John,Richard's younger brother. On 2 April 1191 Richard sent Coutances back from Sicily to England. The archbishop landed in England on 27 June,after a short detour to Rome.[30] Coutances received a release from his crusading vow,and returned to England in the company of Richard's mother,Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.[4] He had a number of royal documents authorising him to settle the disputes,and on 28 July a settlement was reached that left Longchamp in control,although John still retained sufficient power to make Longchamp's grip on the government somewhat insecure. In September,however,Longchamp imprisoned Richard's bastard half-brother,Geoffrey,Archbishop of York,who was attempting to return to England after having been banished by the king. The imprisonment renewed memories of the murder of Thomas Becket almost 20years earlier,and Geoffrey was quickly released. Longchamp was brought to a council,headed by Coutances and a number of the clerical and lay lords of England,which took place on 5 October 1191 at Loddon Bridge on the River Thames. Longchamp was deposed and exiled,largely because Coutances had a royal document ordering the magnates to obey Coutances' if the archbishop's advice was resisted by Longchamp,which it had been.[30] Although the medieval chronicler Richard of Devizes accused Coutances of duplicity,and of trying to play both sides against the other,the evidence suggests that Coutances was genuinely trying to solve the dispute in the king's interest. Longchamp fled to Normandy,and he was excommunicated by Coutances.[4]
Acting Justiciar
After Longchamp's exile Coutances was named head of a council of regency,which is sometimes equated to the post of Chief Justiciar,although he never referred to himself as such nor is he titled that in any official document.[31] Most modern historians,however,name him as justiciar.[4][32][33] He held that power until about 25 December 1193,when Hubert Walter was appointed Justiciar.[31]
Coutances had long experience in the chancery,but little experience with judicial matters. Most of his efforts while in the justiciarship were centred on raising Richard's ransom. As evidence of this emphasis on raising money,Coutances sent out few itinerant justices during his time in power. Six groups of justices were sent out in 1192,but in 1193 none were sent out,and even the justices based in Westminster held few sessions.[32] Of those justices appointed,like his predecessor in the justiciarship,Coutances used justices from a wide range of backgrounds,and many of those sent out on itinerant rounds were local to the area,rather than the increasingly professional justices used under Coutances' successor Hubert Walter. The justiciarship during this period was less connected to justice and was more closely tied to the Exchequer,or treasury of England,and most of the power in the office derived from its control of the Exchequer.[34]
A new note in Coutances' administration was his custom of issuing writs not in his own name,as had previously been the practice,but in the king's name. The archbishop also stressed that his decisions were made with the advice and consent of many of the leading nobles of the realm,as well as the barons of the Exchequer. This was a reaction against Longchamp's authoritarian method of government.[35]
The archbishop supervised the election of a new Archbishop of Canterbury,as Baldwin of Forde had died while on Crusade in 1190. Although both Longchamp and Coutances were considered as possible candidates and rivals for the see,the cathedral chapter of Canterbury elected the Bishop of Bath,Reginald fitzJocelin,in November 1191. Reginald died a month later and the see remained vacant until March 1193,when the king's candidate,Hubert Walter,was elected.[4]
During 1191 the citizens of the city of London managed to acquire from Coutances and Prince John the recognition that the city was self-governing,something they had been attempting to secure for a number of years. This however,was not the grant of a complete charter of liberties,which did not occur until 1199.[36] In February 1193 Coutances summoned a council to Oxford,to address problems of administration and defence after the recently received news of Richard's captivity in Germany. The council also took oaths of fealty to Richard.[37] Prince John,however,hearing that Richard was in captivity,immediately went to France and swore homage to King Philip for Richard's lands,and then returned to England and raised a rebellion. Coutances proceeded to besiege Windsor Castle,which was held by Prince John's men. When John heard that Richard was going to be freed,he left England and went to France.[38]
In February 1194 Coutances was in Germany,at the court of the German emperor,along with Longchamp,who brought letters to Richard,still in captivity. On 4 February,Coutances became a hostage to the German emperor as surety for the payment of the outstanding portion of Richard's ransom,and the king was released.[39] The king never paid the final instalment of his ransom,and the archbishop had to pay 10,000 marks for his own release.[4] From that point onwards Coutances was no longer involved with English politics or government,and spent the rest of his career on Norman affairs.[40] His record of charter witnessing bears this out;between 1189 and 1194 Coutances was among the most prolific of the witnesses to the king's English charters,but not after 1194.[41]
Return to Normandy
Coutances returned to Normandy,and in December 1195 attempted to secure compensation for the losses his archdiocese had sustained in the warfare between King Richard and King Phillip. He sought compensation from both kings but obtained no satisfaction,and felt so ill-treated by the kings that he abandoned his see.[42] The English and the French kings had required clergymen to guarantee the January 1196 Treaty of Louviers that the two kings arranged for themselves,with Richard nominating Coutances as his surety,or guarantor that the conditions of the treaty would be fulfilled. Part of the treaty laid out that if the archbishop laid an interdict or excommunicated anyone in the lands of King Philip or any subject of King Richard in the archdiocese of Rouen,then the archiepiscopal manor of Andeli should be forfeit to either king until after a special tribunal had determined if the archbishop's punishment was valid.[43]
When Coutances returned to his diocese in July 1196,he found that the king had seized the manor of Andely independently of the treaty provisions,and when the archbishop refused to relinquish it to the king,Richard began to fortify the manor. He also built a castle there,now Château Gaillard. On 7 November 1196,Coutances set off for Rome,to protest the seizure to the pope. Richard sent a royal embassy,and eventually a settlement was reached. The archbishop was ordered to remove the interdict he had placed on the duchy,and in return for the manor received two others and the seaport of Dieppe.[42] The various lands that Coutances' received in exchange for Andely were worth £1,405 a year.[44] This episode marked the end of Coutances' service to the Angevin kings;for the rest of his life the archbishop focused on protecting and guarding the archiepiscopal properties and rights.[4]
Service to King John
When Richard died on 6 April 1199,[26] the archbishop invested Richard's youngest brother John as duke of Normandy on 25 April 1199. At the ceremony,John pledged to protect the Norman church,and soon afterwards confirmed the grant of Dieppe and the other manors to the archdiocese. John contested the right of the archbishop to some jurisdictional rights however,as well as forest rights,forcing Coutances to pay 2,100 Angevin pounds to secure most of the contested rights. In May 1200,Coutances was involved in the peace treaty of Le Goulet between King John and King Philip of France,but took no active part in the Angevin defence of Normandy.[4]
In September 1201 one of Coutances' suffragan bishops,Lisiard,the Bishop of Sées died. King John objected when the cathedral chapter attempted to elect one of their own members as his successor. Coutances refused to recognise the result of the election,and the chapter divided into two parties,one favouring the elected chapter member,the other party another choice. Both parties appealed to the papacy,who eventually approved of the election of the Archdeacon of Sées,Silvester. Coutances had the right to consecrate the bishop however,and he refused to do so,arguing that the king's choice had been disregarded. Pope Innocent III then ordered another Norman archbishop to consecrate Silvester,but the king refused to allow Silvester to take possession of his see. This led Innocent to order Normandy laid under an interdict,but eventually Silvester was allowed to take possession of Sées.[45]
In May 1202,Pope Innocent III wrote to Coutances,urging him to impose religious punishments on any rebels against King John's rule in the duchy of Normandy.[46] When John lost the duchy in 1204,Coutances did not resist the government of King Philip II,[47] although he did not make his complete peace with Philip until March 1207.[48] In 1206/07,Coutances,along with his suffragan bishops,petitioned Philip for special legal procedures relating to patronage,which Philip granted.[49]
As archbishop
Although Coutances was absent from Rouen for most of the period between 1190 and 1194,he remained an active archbishop. He secured the continued immunity of clergy from secular jurisdiction,and supervised the administration of the archdiocese. He began the custom of keeping records in registers of episcopal judgements from about 1200,and he appointed the first officials of Rouen. He also oversaw the rebuilding of Rouen Cathedral,which had begun in 1155,and restarted the work after a fire in 1200.[4] His relations with his cathedral chapter were evidently excellent,as they remembered him as "a magnificent benefactor of the church of Rouen".[50]
Death and legacy
Coutances died on 16 November 1207 and was buried at Rouen Cathedral,[4][lower-alpha 4] in the chapel of Saints Peter and Paul.[21] The inventory of his personal possessions made after his death included a large number of jewels and vestments. He also owned a large library,which contained not only religious works but also legal texts on canon law and works of classical authors such as Juvenal and Ovid.[4]
Coutances' nephew,John of Coutances,became Archdeacon of Oxford and Dean of Rouen under Walter's influence,and later Bishop of Worcester.[51][lower-alpha 5] Other nephews were William,successively a canon at Lincoln Cathedral and an archdeacon at Rouen,and Richard,also an archdeacon at Rouen.[3]
The historian John Gillingham called Coutances "one of the great fixers" of his time.[53] Two other historians have argued that it was probably Coutances' judgement and stability that persuaded the king to trust him.[54] The medieval poet John of Hauville dedicated a satirical poem in 1184 to Coutances called Architrenius.[55] It was on the tribulations of a poor scholar.[55]
↑ Also called Walter of Rouen,[2] or Walter of Coutances.
↑ It is possible that Roger was a brother-in-law instead of a brother. Roger is occasionally called Roger FitzReinfrey.[5]
↑ His death was commemorated on 14 November at Beaulieu and on 20 November at St. Evroul.[21]
↑ The election of John to Worcester in 1196 may have been an attempt by King Richard to mend his relationship with the archbishop, which had been damaged during the dispute over Andali.[52]
John was King of England from 1199 until his death. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the chancery. Walter was not noted for his holiness in life or learning, but historians have judged him one of the most outstanding government ministers in English history.
John de Gray or de Grey was an English prelate who served as Bishop of Norwich, and was elected but unconfirmed Archbishop of Canterbury. He was employed in the service of Prince John even before John became king, for which he was rewarded with a number of ecclesiastical offices, culminating in his pro forma election to Norwich in 1200. De Gray continued in royal service after his elevation to the episcopate, lending the King money and undertaking diplomatic missions on his behalf. In 1205 King John attempted to further reward de Gray with a translation to the archbishopric of Canterbury, but a disputed election process led to de Gray's selection being quashed by Pope Innocent III in 1206.
William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex was a loyal councillor of Henry II and Richard I of England.
Geoffrey Ridel was the nineteenth Lord Chancellor of England, from 1162 to 1173.
Ralph de Warneville was the twentieth Lord Chancellor of England as well as later Bishop of Lisieux in Normandy.
Geoffrey was an illegitimate son of King Henry II of England who became bishop-elect of Lincoln and archbishop of York. The identity of his mother is uncertain, but she may have been named Ykenai. Geoffrey held several minor clerical offices before becoming Bishop of Lincoln in 1173, though he was not ordained as a priest until 1189. In 1173–1174, he led a campaign in northern England to help put down a rebellion by his legitimate half-brothers; this campaign led to the capture of William, King of Scots. By 1182, Pope Lucius III had ordered that Geoffrey either resign Lincoln or be consecrated as bishop; he chose to resign and became chancellor instead. He was the only one of Henry II's sons present at the king's death.
William de Longchamp was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's father of being the son of a peasant, he held land as a knight. Longchamp first served Henry II's illegitimate son Geoffrey, but quickly transferred to the service of Richard I, Henry's heir. When Richard became king in 1189, Longchamp paid £3,000 for the office of Chancellor, and was soon named to the see, or bishopric, of Ely and appointed legate by the pope.
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career. He held the office of treasurer of York for a number of years, which led him into conflict with Henry Murdac, Archbishop of York. In 1153, Hugh was elected bishop of Durham despite the opposition of Murdac.
Philip of Poitou was Bishop of Durham from 1197 to 1208, and prior to this Archdeacon of Canterbury.
Baldwin of Forde or Ford was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pope Eugene III's nephew before returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter. After becoming a Cistercian monk he was named abbot of his monastery at Forde and subsequently elected to the episcopate at Worcester. Before becoming a bishop, he wrote theological works and sermons, some of which have survived.
Reginald Fitz Jocelin was a medieval Bishop of Bath and an Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in England. A member of an Anglo-Norman noble family, he was the son of a bishop, and was educated in Italy. He was a household clerk for Thomas Becket, but by 1167 he was serving King Henry II of England. He was also a favourite of King Louis VII of France, who had him appointed abbot of the Abbey of Corbeil. After Reginald angered Becket while attempting to help negotiate a settlement between Becket and the king, Becket called him "that offspring of fornication, that enemy to the peace of the Church, that traitor." When he was elected as a bishop, the election was challenged by King Henry's eldest son, Henry the Young King, and Reginald was forced to go to Rome to be confirmed by Pope Alexander III. He attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179, and spent much of his time administering his diocese. He was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1191, but died before he could be installed.
Savaric fitzGeldewin was an Englishman who became Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury in England. Related to his predecessor as well as to Emperor Henry VI, he was elected bishop on the insistence of his predecessor, who urged his election on the cathedral chapter of Bath. While bishop, Savaric spent many years attempting to annexe Glastonbury Abbey as part of his bishopric. Savaric also worked to secure the release of King Richard I of England from captivity, when the king was held by Emperor Henry VI.
Hugh Nonant was a medieval Bishop of Coventry in England. A great-nephew and nephew of two Bishops of Lisieux, he held the office of archdeacon in that diocese before serving successively Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury and King Henry II of England. Diplomatic successes earned him the nomination to Coventry, but diplomatic missions after his elevation led to a long delay before he was consecrated. After King Henry's death, Nonant served Henry's son, King Richard I, who rewarded him with the office of sheriff in three counties. Nonant replaced his monastic cathedral chapter with secular clergy, and attempted to persuade his fellow bishops to do the same, but was unsuccessful. When King Richard was captured and held for ransom, Nonant supported Prince John's efforts to seize power in England, but had to purchase Richard's favour when the king returned.
Events from the 1180s in England.
Richard Barre was a medieval English justice, clergyman and scholar. He was educated at the law school of Bologna and entered royal service under King Henry II of England, later working for Henry's son and successor Richard I. He was also briefly in the household of Henry's son Henry the Young King. Barre served the elder Henry as a diplomat and was involved in a minor way with the king's quarrel with Thomas Becket, which earned Barre a condemnation from Becket. After King Henry's death, Barre became a royal justice during Richard's reign and was one of the main judges in the period from 1194 to 1199. After disagreeing with him earlier in his career, Barre was discharged from his judgeship during John's reign as king. Barre was also archdeacon of Ely and the author of a work of biblical extracts dedicated to one of his patrons, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England.
Hugh Bardulf or Hugh Bardolf was a medieval English administrator and royal justice. Known for his legal expertise, he also served as a financial administrator. He served three kings of England before his death.
Roger fitzReinfrid was a medieval English sheriff and royal justice. Probably born into a knightly family, Roger first was in the household of a nobleman before beginning royal service. His brother, Walter de Coutances, was a bishop and archbishop and likely helped advance Roger's career. Besides holding two sheriffdoms, Roger was entrusted with the control of a number of royal castles.
Osbert fitzHervey was an Anglo-Norman royal judge. Brother of Hubert Walter and Theobald Walter, Osbert served three kings of England and may have contributed to the legal treatise attributed to his uncle, Ranulf de Glanvill. Ralph of Coggeshall, a medieval writer, praised Osbert's knowledge of law, but condemned his acceptance of gifts from plaintiffs and defendants in legal cases. Osbert was one of a group of men who are considered the first signs of a professional judiciary in England.
Burchard du Puiset was a medieval Anglo-Norman clergyman and treasurer of the diocese of York. Either the nephew or son of Hugh du Puiset, the Bishop of Durham, Burchard held a number of offices in the dioceses of York and Durham before being appointed treasurer by King Richard I of England in 1189. His appointment was opposed by the newly appointed Archbishop Geoffrey, which led to a long dispute between Geoffrey and Burchard that was not resolved until the mid 1190s. After the death of Hugh du Puiset, Burchard was a candidate for the Hugh's old bishopric, but lost out in the end to another candidate. Burchard died in 1196.
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Turner, Ralph V. (1994). "Clerical Judges in English Secular Courts: The Ideal versus the Reality". Judges, Administrators and the Common Law in Angevin England. London: Hambledon Press. pp.159–179. ISBN1-85285-104-X.
Turner, Ralph V. (2008). The English Judiciary in the Age of Glanvill and Bracton, c. 1176–1239 (Reprinted.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-07242-7.
Turner, Ralph V. (2005). King John: England's Evil King?. Stroud, UK: Tempus. ISBN0-7524-3385-7.
Turner, Ralph V. (1994). "Richard Barre and Michael Belet: Two Angevin Civil Servants". Judges, Administrators and the Common Law in Angevin England. London: Hambledon Press. pp.181–198. ISBN1-85285-104-X.
Turner, Ralph V.; Heiser, Richard R. (2000). The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire 1189–1199. The Medieval World. Harlow, UK: Longman. ISBN0-582-25660-7.
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