LIST 4 TREASURERS
By the early 16th cent. the treasury was endowed with rents from demesne at
Breinton, from tenements in Cabbage Lane (Church Street) in Hereford, from free
tenants at Walford and from lands belonging to the Hospital of St Ethelbert in
Hereford, together with the rectory of the church of Bockleton (Worcs.), the rectory
of Bartonsham and income from offerings made at the shrine of St Thomas
Cantilupe in Hereford cath. After outgoings, the total income was £15 8s (Valor
III 8a-b; all places in Herefs. unless stated). The patronage (ius patronatus) of
the church of Bockleton was acquired for the cath. by the then treas., M. Giles of
Avenbury, with the provision that it should be attached to the treasury; bp. Peter
of Aigueblanche agreed to this 2 Dec. 1261 and appropriated the church to the
treasury 2 Jan. 1262 (cart. II fos. 7v, 54r, and see also fos. 6v-7v). Land at Breinton
was already attached to the treasury by c.1291 (Taxatio p. 169a); by this point,
too, the main source of income for the treas. seems to have been the offerings
made at Cantilupe's tomb (ibid. p. 157a).
Robert of Hereford
Occ. as 'Rodbertus de Herefordia parvus secretarius istius ecclesie' in a hand
of the early 12th cent. in the Durham Liber Vitae (Liber Vitae Ecclesiae
Dunelmensis: a Collotype Facsimile of the Original Manuscript, ed. A. H.
Thompson (Surtees Soc. cxxxvi, 1923) fo. 23r). (fn. 33) Robert's dates are uncertain,
but he was presumably treas. of Hereford early in the 12th cent. and may be
identifiable with the Robert who was the first known cantor (see under precs., list
Perhaps identifiable with the Brientius, clk. of Henry I, who witnessed a ch. of
bp. Bernard of St Davids for Brecon, 1115 × mid 1120s (BL Harley MS 6976 fo.
9r: this ch. is pd. from Bodl. MS Carte 108 fo. 279r-v in St Davids Episcopal
Acta no. 17, where, following MS Carte 108, Brientius's name is given as Lirientius
with a possible textual emendation to Laurentius; in the light of BL Harley MS
6976 Brientius is clearly the correct reading). Occ. as treas. 1132, before 28 June
(EEA VII no. 55) and 1134 (ibid. no. 17); occ. 26 June 1131 × 5 Aug. 1136 or
1137 as monk and treas. (BL Harley MS 6976 fo. 14v, before the d. of Guy, abbot
of Evesham, and cf. MB p. 268; the reference to him as a monk is puzzling and
may be an error by the antiquarian Matthew Hutton, responsible for BL Harley
MS 6976 and also for St. Paul's transcripts (ibid. 6956 cited above); occ. 26 June
1131 × 1137, possibly 1134 (EEA VII no. 15); occ. 1144 (ibid. no. 47). Commem.
12 May, as treas. and pr. (app. 1 fo. 18r).
Occ. 1148 × 1155 (GFL no. 318).
Occ. only once as treas. in a suspect ch. of 1151 × 1155, perhaps 1154 × 1155
(Capes, Charters pp. 13-14: for dating, see Brooke and Brooke p. 19 n. 26). The
authenticity of this ch., a conf. ch. of earl Roger of Hereford for bp. Gilbert Foliot
and Hereford cath., has been questioned by D. Walker, 'Charters of the earldom
of Hereford, 1095-1201', in Camden Miscellany xxii (Camden 4th series i, 1964)
p. 22, no. 19. If it is a genuine ch. the diplomatic suggests it was produced not by
the earl's clks. but by some other agency; it may also have been heavily
interpolated. The witness list mixes the names of clerics and laymen in an unusual
fashion. If Reginald the treas. did exist he is prob. identifiable with the Reginald
who became prec. between 1155 and 1158 (list 3).]
Occ. first as episcopal clk. 1148 × 1163, but after Walter Foliot had become
archdcn. of Shropshire and prob. before the end of the 1150s (GFL no. 320; cf.
MB p. 268); he became treas. before the end of Gilbert Foliot's pontificate 1148-
63, while Ralph was still dean (GFL nos. 313, 326; Brooke and Brooke p. 12); he
occ. as treas. also 2 Oct. 1172 (cart. St Guthlac fo. 15v, no. 4 and fo. 108r, no.
479); occ. March 1179 × 31 Dec. 1183 (EEA VII no. 147), 10 Aug. 1180 × 31
Dec. 1183 (ibid. no. 168), and 1181 × 9 May 1186, prob. late (ibid. no. 173).
Commem. 28 Aug. (app. 1 fo. 33r).
Occ. once only, 30 Apr. 1187 × 24 Dec. 1198 (EEA VII no. 189, while Richard
Brito was dean). Since he lacks the mag. title it is unlikely that he can be identified
with the M. Gilbert who occ. without any title of office Apr. 1195 × 24 Dec. 1198
(ibid. no. 202). Commem., as treas., 5 May (app. 1 fo. 17r).
Occ. as treas. 1187 × 1215 (Hereford ch. no. 724, pd. Capes, Charters pp. 37-
8, witnessed by William Foliot as prec.; cf. Brooke and Brooke p. 12) and 30
Nov. 1201 × 17 Nov. 1215 (EEA VII no. 288), but had evidently d. or res. his
office by a point before Giles de Braose, on his return from exile, issued a ch.
concerning a dispute in which William had been involved, 1213 × 17 Nov. 1215
(ibid. no. 278). William is never referred to with a surname in chs. and he cannot
be identified with the William de Burghill, treas., who was commem. 22 Aug.
(app. 1 fo. 32v), since the latter, whose name was entered in the obit book in a
much later hand, was treas. 1519-26 (see 2 Fasti II 12). The absence of the 13thcent. William the treas. from the obit book suggests that he res. his dignity and his
preb. before his d. William the treas. was preb. of Madley or Cublington (list 12).
Elias of Radnor
Elias first occ. as treas. 27 March 1206 × Feb. 1216 (Hereford ch. no. 799, pd.
Gloucester Original Acta no. 37, where the limiting dates are given as 1205 ×
1215) and 16 July 1213 × 17 Nov. 1215 (EEA VII no. 278). He occ. frequently as
treas. thereafter until his el. to the see of Llandaff in the summer (June × Aug.) of
1230. Royal assent to his el. 30 Aug. 1230 (Pat. Rolls 1225-32 p. 394); cons. bp.
of Llandaff 1 Dec. 1230 (Llandaff Episcopal Acta p. xvi).
M. Thomas Foliot
Previously prec. (list 3). He succeeded Elias and occ. as treas. 30 Aug. 1230 ×
7 Aug. 1234 (EEA VII nos. 341, 355, 360, 367) and May 1237 (Hereford ch. no.
1401). Commem., as treas., 19 Dec. (app. 1 fo. 52r), and since his successor occ.
in post before 17 Dec. 1239 (see next item) he must have d. either in 1237 or
M. Richard of Gravesend
First occ. as treas. of Hereford in the episcopate of bp. Ralph of Maidstone,
who was presumably responsible for his appt., in two chs. which cannot be earlier
than 19 Dec. 1237 (see previous item) or later than 17 Dec. 1239, the date of
Ralph's res. to become a Franciscan (Hereford ch. nos. 1407, 1409). Still treas.
14 Oct. 1242, when he received a safe conduct from Henry III, issued at Bordeaux,
for him to travel to England between then and 2 Feb. 1243 (CPR 1232-47 p. 331),
and 15 Sept. 1245 (Sayers, Orig. Papal Documents no. 299). By 16 June 1250
(prob. by 1249) he was archdcn. of Oxford; dean of Lincoln by Aug. 1254, then
bp. of Lincoln, el. 21 or 23 Sept. 1258 (see 1 Fasti III 37, 10, 4).
M. Giles of Avenbury
Became treas. after res. from the deanery (see list 2); first occ. as treas. 30 Oct.
1253 (Hereford ch. no. 1352) and frequently thereafter; still in office 12 July 1271
(ibid. no. 212), before judgement was given in his favour in his dispute with John
of Aigueblanche over the deanery, 29 Jan. 1272 (Reg. Swinfield pp. 318-21).
William le Rus of Kingstone
Occ. first as rector of Kingstone and episcopal clk., 1237 × 1239 (Hereford ch.
no. 1407), then as can. (list 36); preb. of Inkberrow from 1273 (list 21). Occ. as
treas. (as William le Roux) 25 March 1272 (Reg. Swinfield p. 163), 9 Aug. 1272
(Hereford ch. no. 2868, as William of Kingston), and 22 Sept. 1272 (Reg. Swinfield
p. 164, as William le Roux). Occ. as can., no reference to dignity, 24 June 1273
(when specified to be resident) and 30 Sept. 1273 (Capes, Charters pp. 138-9).
On 20 Jan. 1276 bp. Thomas de Cantilupe said William had been gr. the
treasurership by bp. John le Breton when M. Giles of Avenbury won his case to
regain the deanery, but that Giles was refusing to give up the treasurership (Reg.
Cantilupe pp. 84-7). William must have lost the treasurership by 11 Aug. 1276,
when he occ. without title (ibid. p. 88), though he may still have been regarded as
having some claim to it, since on 22 Apr. 1277 bp. Cantilupe gr. the treasurership
which had been held by William le Roux to M. Luke de Bree (ibid. p. 121).
Commem. 12 Apr. (as 'Willelmi Rufi canonici Hereford" (app. 1 fo. 13v)) and he
must have d. 12 Apr. 1277. Not to be confused with M. William le Rus, can. and
subdean of Wells, still alive 1279 (1 Fasti VII 22, 54).
M. Giles of Avenbury
Retained treasurership after winning his case to regain the deanery, 20 Jan. 1276
(Reg. Cantilupe pp. 32-3); still treas. and still claiming the deanery, 19 Nov. 1276
(ibid. pp. 112, 113-4), and 9 Jan. 1277 (Hereford ch. no. 2835); houses which
had been held by him as treas. given to M. Luke de Bree, the new treas., 8 Nov.
1277 (Reg. Cantilupe p. 151). See list 2.
M. Luke de Bree
Occ. first as can. (list 36). Coll. to the treasurership, vac. by the d. of William
le Roux, i.e. William le Rus (Ruffus), by bp. Thomas de Cantilupe, 22 Apr. 1277
(Reg. Cantilupe p. 121); active in service of abp. Pecham (Reg. Pecham I 78-9,
84, 87; II 61-2); treas. when ordained pr. at Slindon 18 Dec. 1288 (ibid. II 13);
given an indult to hold, in addition to the treasurership and his preb., a benefice
with cure of souls, 1 March 1291 (CPL I 259). Preb. of Warham by 1291 (list 33).
Occ. at Pecham's funeral 19 Dec. 1292 (BL Add. MS 6159 fo. 136v), also 22 Dec.
1292 as treas. of Hereford and rector of Reculver (Canterbury Reg. Q fo. 12r).
John de Swinfield
Previously archdcn. of Shropshire (list 7); coll. to the treasurership 21 March
1293 (Reg. Swinfield p. 529, and cf. Bodl. Library Record VII 160); continued in
office until coll. to the precentorship 29 Jan. 1294 (ibid., and see list 3); and preb.
of Withington Parva prob. 1275-7 (list 35), then preb. of Putson Major (list 31).
M. Roger of Sevenoaks
Rector of Sevenoaks, occ. 3 Sept. 1279 (Reg. Pecham II 88), and as mag., occ.
as parson of Sevenoaks 28 Sept. 1294 (CPR 1292-1301 p. 92). Occ. first as can.
(lists 12, 36); he was also briefly archdcn. of Hereford (list 6); coll. to the
treasurership 21 Sept. 1294 (Reg. Swinfield p. 529). Occ. as treas. 5, 6, 8 and 9
Apr. 1295 (cart. II fos. 4v, 4v-5r, 3v-4r, 5r-v). D. by 15 Jan. 1300 when Roger of
Canterbury was coll. to the treasurership (Reg. Swinfield p. 531).
Roger of Canterbury
Coll. to the treasurership 15 Jan. 1300 (Reg. Swinfield p. 531). D. by 1 June
1303 (2 Fasti II 10, citing Reg. Swinfield, p. 534).