William FitzJohn

William Fitzjohn (died 15 September 1326) was a leading prelate in early fourteenth-century Ireland. He held the offices of Bishop of Ossory, Archbishop of Cashel, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He is chiefly remembered now for building the town walls of Cashel. His last years were troubled, as he quarrelled with both the English Crown and the Pope. He complained constantly about his poverty. He faced accusations, many of them clearly false, of corruption and immoral living.

Early career

He is variously said to have been born in England or in Kilkenny, but little is known of his life before 1300. He first appeared in Ireland as a Canon of St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny. Some sources name him William Fitzjohn Rothe: it has been suggested that he was related to the prominent Rothe family of Rothe House, Kilkenny. In 1302 the see of Ossory became vacant and Fitzjohn, who was much loved by the clergy of the diocese, was their unanimous choice as Bishop of Ossory. In 1310 he was present at the session of the Parliament of Ireland held in Kilkenny, where he and his fellow bishops decreed that monks of Gaelic origin should not be professed.

Archbishop of Cashel In 1317 the Archbishopric of Cashel became vacant, causing a fierce contest between three rival candidates. Pope John XXII refused to appoint any of them and chose Fitzjohn instead. King Edward II, though he originally had a candidate of his own, appears to have supported the choice of Fitzjohn, whom he knew and respected, and even to have lobbied for him in the final stages of the contest.

Later life As Archbishop he is mainly remembered today for overseeing the building of the walls of Cashel town. The archdiocese suffered greatly during the Bruce campaign in Ireland in 1315-1318 and Fitzjohn found himself in severe financial difficulty as a result. In 1320 the King wrote to the Pope asking for the Archbishop to be released from paying certain debts, on account of the invasion: "he has not received the least profits out of his See, but was obliged to run into debt with his neighbours and friends even for necessaries". To assist Fitzjohn financially, the King appointed him Keeper of the Rolls, with an income of £500 a year.

Soon afterwards relations between the King and the Archbishop soured, and the King complained that Fitzjohn had defrauded him of the benefices of the parish of Dungarvan and diverted them for his own use. His relations with the Pope were also poor by this time: complaints were made to the Vatican that he had illegally imprisoned the Dean of Cloyne and the Cathedral Chapter, and had distributed the benefices of the Diocese of Cloyne to his own friends. Due perhaps to the poverty of which he frequently complained, he refused to pay his Papal dues and was excommunicated as a result.

Character Fitzjohn died on 15 September 1326, still under sentence of excommunication. O'Flanagan