John Salmon (died 1325) was a medieval

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...

Life

Salmon's family was hereditary goldsmiths to the diocese of Ely. His parents were Salomon and Alice, and he was the eldest of three brothers. He entered the Benedictine priory of Ely sometime before 1291.Buck "Salmon, John" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was subprior of

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

before his election to be Prior of Ely in 1292.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Priors
' Salmon was elected to the

see of Ely The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now cov ...

in 1298 but King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

objected, wanting the monks to elect his chancellor John Langton instead. Each side appealed to Rome, and both elections were quashed by Pope

Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections to the p ...

on 5 June 1299.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
'' As a consolation, he was provided to the see of Norwich between 5 and 18 June 1299Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 261 as he was still

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

on 5 June.Greenway
British History Online Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Norwich: Bishops
'' He was consecrated on 15 November 1299. In 1307 Salmon helped arrange the marriage of the new king,

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

, and in 1309 he was sent by the king to Rome to obtain the return from exile of

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall ( – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househo ...

. On 20 March 1311 he was elected one of the Lords Ordainers to help King Edward II govern.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 275 and footnote 78 Over the next few years he was often in the king's service, being sent on diplomatic missions and negotiating with the earl of Lancaster for the king. Salmon occupied the office of

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

of England from 1320 to 1323.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 86 He accompanied the king on his travels, and helped negotiate with France and Scotland. He resigned the office in 1323 due to ill health, but continued to work on the king's behalf. Salmon died on 6 July 1325 at

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

while returning from a diplomatic mission in France. He was buried in

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

Citations

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salmon, John Bishops of Norwich Lord chancellors of England Bishops of Ely 13th-century births Year of birth unknown 1325 deaths Burials at Norwich Cathedral 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops