Hugh de Mapenor

Hugh de Mapenor (or Hugh de Mapenore; died April 1219) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. Although educated and given the title of magister, or "master", the details of his schooling are unknown. Mapenor was a clerk for Giles de Braose, his predecessor as bishop. Later, Mapenor served as Dean of Hereford before being elected as bishop against the wishes of King John of England. During his short episcopate, he supported John's son and successor King Henry III of England, and was active in his diocese, as a number of surviving documents show. He also served as a diplomat for the king.

Early life

Mapenor was the son of Robert de Mapenore and his wife Matilda, who lived in Herefordshire at Hampton, Herefordshire near Leominster. Where or how he was educated is unknown, but he was given the title of magister, which implies he studied at some school and attained a degree of education.

Mapenor served William de Braose as a clerk from 1189 to 1196, and then served William's son Giles de Braose, Bishop of Hereford. He occupied the office of Dean of Hereford before 29 September 1202. During his time at Hereford, he was the subject of the Prose Salernitan Questions, which compared his sexual powers to three other clerks. He also served as a judge for the papacy and defended the cathedral chapter in two disputes over the chapter's rights. Mapenor was elected by the cathedral chapter in spite of the fact that his name was not on the list of possible candidates given to the chapter by King John of England. who was also assigned the case by the papacy after John objected.

Bicchieri decided the case shortly after the death of John on the night of 18–19 October 1216, in Mapenor's favour. Mapenor gave Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Mapenor's ecclesiastical superior, a declaration of obedience on 27 October 1216, He had issued a charter as recently as 14 April 1219. He was buried in Hereford Cathedral. One of his surviving charters documents a licence given to Leominster Priory as alms for the souls of his parents and his predecessor as bishop, Giles de Braose.