Grimkjell

Grimketel (died 1047) was an English clergyman who went to Norway as a missionary and was partly responsible for the conversion of Norway to Christianity. He initiated the beatification of Saint Olaf. On his return to England he became Bishop of Selsey and also for a time Bishop of Elmham. He was accused, by some, of being guilty of simony.

Life Little is known of Grimketel's background.

According to Icelandic sagas, the Norwegian King Olaf Haraldson spent a year in England supporting Æthelred the Unready in driving out the Danish King Cnut. While in England Olaf was in contact with many Christians who seemed to have influenced him into converting to Christianity. Olaf was baptised at Notre-Dame, Rouen in 1012. When Olaf returned to Norway, with the intention of restoring power to his family, he took a group of English priests and advisors with him. One of his principle advisors was Grimketel. Olaf became King of Norway and Grimketel became the Bishop of Nidaros.

Olaf and Grimketel proclaimed the earliest Norwegian church laws in about 1020 at the Moster þing. The structure of the law, devised by Grimketel, was similar to that of the laws in England at the time.

Panel from Nidaros Cathedral showing Grimketel exhuming the body of Olaf and declaring him a saint. In 1028 an alliance of Olaf's countrymen and Cnut drove Olaf into exile. Sigurd was installed as Bishop of Nidaros, in Grimketel's place. There was a simple reference to this episode in the earlier recension of the Worcester Chronicle, which, according to the historian Susan Kelly, was later elaborated with some unreliable detail; the revised version states that Grimketel bought the Elmham see (the words pro auro, "for gold" have been substituted for pro eo, "for him") and that Stigand became bishop of Selsey, which Kelly feels is not credible.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle versions C, D, and E, Ælfric II, Bishop of Elmham died about Christmas 1038, and William of Malmesbury says that he was replaced by another Ælfric (Ælfric III), however in his chronicle, Florence of Worcester ignored Ælfric III, and has Stigand becoming Bishop of Elmham instead. He then records that Grimketel replaced Stigand at Elmham, when the latter was deposed in 1043. The first writ (S. 1069) is known to be authentic and is dated around 1043, the second writ is thought to be spurious. Susan Kelly says that it is not clear whether there is justification for the rumours identifying Grimketel as a simonist; however, the historian Frank Barlow feels that he did purchase the office from King Harold Harefoot.

Grimketel died in 1047 and was buried at Christ Church Priory, Canterbury.