Richard de Belmeis

Richard de Belmeis (died 1162) was a medieval cleric, administrator and politician. His career culminated in election as Bishop of London in 1152. He was one of the founders of Lilleshall Abbey in Shropshire.

Origins

Richard de Belmeis belonged to an ecclesiastical and secular land-owning dynasty associated with his uncle, Richard de Belmeis I, Bishop of London from 1108 to 1127, He is generally regarded as the brother of Richard Ruffus, who was an archdeacon of Essex, However, Eyton, the Shropshire antiquarian and historian, gave the name of Richard's father as Walter in his study of the origins of Lilleshall Abbey, and repeated this in his further work on the Belmeis family and their holdings, including a family tree.

The Belmeis family is thought to have originated in Beaumais-sur-Dive, east of Falaise, in the Calvados region of Normandy, although this is not certain. Beginning as a minor Shropshire landholder and steward of Roger Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, the elder Richard de Belmeis skilfully avoided involvement in rebellion to become Henry I's viceroy in Shropshire and later Bishop of London. His success enable not only the younger Richard, but a considerable number of family members, to pursue lucrative ecclesiastical careers, while Philip de Belmeis, emerged as his main temporal heir.

Family tree

Based on genealogy given by Eyton, supplemented by reference to Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae.

Career

Archdeacon of Middlesex Richard Belmeis II seems initially to have held Caddington Major, an important prebend of St Paul's Cathedral. The parish of Caddington lay across the border of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, but the prebendal estates of Great and Little Caddington were at that time on the Hertfordshire side. They were of great importance to the chapter of St Paul's: it had very full rights of jurisdiction there and was to hold the manors until it was abolished at the end of the English Civil War in 1649. Innocent II depicted, left, in a mosaic in the church Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome. Well before the death of his uncle in 1127, Richard was named Archdeacon of Middlesex. Installed while still a minor, his nomination was the work of his uncle. His archdeaconry was placed under the custody of one Hugh - thought to be the Master Hugh who was magister scholarum until 1127 and sometime Prebendary of Hoxton. At some point in the episcopacy of Gilbert Universalis (1128–34), Richard sought the return of his archdeaconry, but the bishop allowed Hugh to retain it. Though the details are little known, Richard's rivalry with Hugh prior to the final installation of Richard in 1138 was possibly the origin of the notorious English drinking song "Oh Lord Belmeis."

However, Gilbert's death was followed by a bitter struggle over the succession, which gave Richard an opportunity to seek resolution to his own dispute. The bishop-elect, Anselm of St Saba, was opposed by a faction within the chapter of St Paul's Cathedral, centred on the dean. who seems, like Richard de Belmeis I, to have been close to Roger Mortimer, and who gave his name to Preston Gubbals. He was succeeded by his son, Robert, who probably sided with the revolt of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, as the estates were granted by Henry I to the elder Richard. They were within the king's gift, as St Alkmund's was a royal foundation. Richard became a canon of St Alkmund's and was later recognised as dean.

Richard's brother, Philip, already had a record as a benefactor of religious houses, particularly Buildwas Abbey, which was affiliated to the Congregation of Savigny (and later absorbed into the Cistercian Order). He was admitted to the Savignac lay fraternity. He also gave the canons the right to collect wood for fuel and for building and also donated two Leicestershire churches – at Blackfordby and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. These were Canons Regular who followed the rigorous practice of Arrouaise Abbey in northern France. Like all such canons, they were integrated into the Augustinian Order by a decree of the Second Council of the Lateran in 1139.

The dissolution of St Alkmund's, a chapel royal, was only possible with royal assent. A charter was obtained from King Stephen, granted in 1145 at Bury St Edmunds. This not only confirmed Richard's donation of all his holdings to the canons but also promised the remaining prebends as they fell vacant. It was countersigned by Imar of Tusculum, the papal legate. Pope Eugenius III ordered Roger de Clinton, the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, to issue a charter confirming Richard's gift to the canons and Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury, subsequently also issued a confirmatory charter. The prevalence of the Anarchy made it essential to win the approval also of Stephen's opponents, initially Empress Matilda. She issued a confirmatory charter to the canons, now at Lilleshall, in 1148 - probably while she was at Falaise. Henry, Duke of Normandy, her son and heir, also gave his consent and repeated it when he became King Henry II.

Bishop of London Henry of Blois, as depicted on a contemporary plaque, now in the British Museum. He not only ordained Richard as deacon but later sent a panegyric to his consecration as Bishop of London.

Richard was probably elected to the see of London by the chapter of St Paul's, where he could rely on the votes of family members and friends, One of those who rallied to his support was a relative: Finally, on 28 September, after a vacancy just short of two years, Theobald consecrated him bishop, with almost all the bishops of the English church attending the event. Bishop Henry of Winchester, the king's brother, who could not be present, wrote a letter to the Synod, praising Richard's elegance, courtesy, hard work and learning, with the wish that "the tree now planted in God's temple, with divine help, flourish and be fruitful." However, controversy continued. Richard had appointed Ralph de Diceto to replace himself as Archdeacon of Middlesex. His last recorded public appearance was when he attended the king's court at Colchester on 24 May 1157.