Ralph Neville (or Ralf NevillClanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 90 or Ralph de Neville; died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...

and

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. Neville first appears in the historical record in 1207 in the service of King John, and remained in royal service throughout the rest of his life. By 1213 Neville had custody of the Great Seal of England, although he was not named chancellor, the office responsible for the seal, until 1226. He was rewarded with the bishopric of Chichester in 1222. Although he was also briefly Archbishop-elect of Canterbury and Bishop-elect of Winchester, both elections were set aside, or quashed, and he held neither office. As keeper of the seal, and subsequently as chancellor, Neville was noted for his impartiality, and he oversaw a number of changes in the way the chancery operated. Neville was deprived of the Great Seal in 1238 after quarrelling with King Henry III, but continued to hold the title of chancellor until his death. He died in his London palace, built on a street later renamed

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,canon at Chichester Cathedral; William de Neville, treasurer of the see of Chichester; and Robert de Neville, holder of a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

at Chichester. The identity of their father is unknown,Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' p. xiii but another likely sibling was Roger, who held land in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

.Vincent "Origins of the Chancellorship" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 111–112 Robert became

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

, and Nicholas a baron of the Exchequer.Vincent "Origins of the Chancellorship" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 109–110 Ralph Neville was also related to Hugh de Neville, King John of England's chief forester.Greenway "Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 5: Chichester Neville was a royal clerk to King John in the spring of 1207, and in December of that year was at Marlborough Castle on royal business.Cazel "Neville, Ralph de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Earlier references to a Ralph Neville who in 1207 delivered items to Hugh de Neville, or the Ralph Neville who was the same Hugh de Neville's chaplain, may be to the future bishop, but the evidence is inconclusive. Hugh de Neville and Neville subsequently worked together, and corresponded on both business and personal affairs. Both men claimed the other as a kinsman.Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' p. 35 Neville's activities during the years immediately after 1207 are unknown, owing to the lack of royal records, but in December 1213 he was given custody of the Great Seal of the kingdom. He was Dean of Lichfield by 11 April 1214, at which time he held a prebend in the

diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

.Greenway "Chancellors" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 5: Chichester Neville was appointed to the royal chancery in about 1214, largely through the patronage of

Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) (List of Latinised names, Latinised as ''Petrus de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III of England, Henry III. He was not an ...

, the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' the offic ...

and one of the king's favourites.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 477 From March to October 1214, Neville was in France with the king. After the king returned to England after 1214, Neville remained in royal service until at least May 1216, although without custody of the Great Seal. His activities during the final period of John's reign prior to the king's sudden death in October 1216 are unknown.Clanchy ''England and its Rulers'' p. 192

Royal service and Bishop of Chichester

Neville was keeper of the royal seal under the new king, Henry III (r. 1216–1272) from about 6 November 1218.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 85Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 173 He had been at the royal court since May 1218, and was given custody of the seal as soon as it was made up. One of the first documents subsequently sealed was a declaration that no charters or other rights would be granted in perpetuity until Henry attained his majority.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 94–95 Neville was also vice-chancellor of England under the chancellorship of Richard Marsh, who had been elected as Bishop of Durham in 1217 and spent most of his time attending to ecclesiastical affairs in his northern diocese. In fact, if not in name, Neville was responsible for all the duties of the chancellorship, and he exercised most of the power of that office,Chrimes ''Introduction'' pp. 109–114 although Marsh continued to hold the title of chancellor until his death in 1226. When instability threatened the royal government in May and June 1219 Neville was ordered by Pandulf, the papal legate, to remain in London with the Great Seal while a royal council was held at Gloucester. The council resulted in royal government coming under the control of Hubert de Burgh the

Justiciar Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term or (meaning "judge" or "justice"). The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Justiciar of Ireland was ...

, Pandulf, and Peter des Roches, the Bishop of Winchester.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 128–131 Neville received a papal dispensation for his illegitimacy on 25 January 1220, on the recommendation of the king,

Stephen Langton Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 until his death in 1228. The dispute between list of English kings, King John of E ...

the Archbishop of Canterbury, other bishops, and the papal legate Cardinal

Guala Bicchieri Guala Bicchieri ( 1150 – 1227) was an Italian diplomat, papal official and Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. He was the papal legate in England from 1216 to 1218 and took a prominent role in the politics of England during John, King of Eng ...

, all of whom testified to his good reputation and character.Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' pp. 67–68 In late October he was named chancellor of the see of Chichester, but was then elected Bishop of Chichester on about 1 November 1222. He was given control of the temporalities of the bishopric on 3 November 1222, and was consecrated on 21 April 1224.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 239 In April 1223 Neville was ordered by Pope Honorius III to cease using the Great Seal on the command of the justiciar or other members of the minority council, but instead to do so only at the king's command,Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 301–302 essentially ending the royal minority. But it did not finally end until December 1223, and even then, as the king had not yet been officially declared of age, the ban on grants without a fixed time limit remained in force.Carpenter ''Minority of Henry III'' pp. 321–322

Lord Chancellor

Neville was named Lord Chancellor of England on 17 May 1226. The appointment was made by the great council during the minority of King Henry III, and Neville obtained a grant of the office for life.Chrimes ''Introduction'' p. 87 Unlike Hubert de Burgh, who lost his offices when Henry III attained his majority and took control of the government, Neville remained chancellor with only slight disagreements until 1238, although a confirmation of the lifetime nature of his tenure was made in 1232.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 297 Under Neville, the first signs that the chancery was becoming a department of the government, rather than just a royal department that was part of the royal household, began to emerge.Pegues "''Clericus'' in Legal Administration" ''English Historical Review'' p. 538 The contemporary writer

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris (; 1200 – 1259), was an English people, English Benedictine monk, English historians in the Middle Ages, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts, and cartographer who was based at St A ...

praised Neville for his actions as chancellor, claiming that he treated all equally and was transparent in discharging his duties, which was important, as the chancellor's office controlled access to the king.Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' pp. 351–352 Neville oversaw a number of changes in chancery procedures, splitting off the liberate rolls from the

letters close Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet * Letterform, the g ...

in 1226 and reviving the keeping of the Charter Rolls in 1227. He also issued

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

s on his own authority, the so-called writs ''de cursu''. Neville received a number of gifts and privileges from the king while chancellor, including the right of exemption from the seizure of his possessions by any royal or other secular official. The king also agreed not to interfere with the execution of Neville's last will and testament. Surviving letters from the precentor of Chichester Cathedral beg the bishop to come to Chichester over Easter to celebrate the Easter Mass and to deal with pressing issues in the diocese. Neville's duties as chancellor kept him from attending to much of the business of his diocese,Moorman ''Church Life'' pp. 164–165 but he employed clerics to administer the ecclesiastical offices of his diocese and in general his relationship with his

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

appears to have been good. He employed a teacher of theology for his cathedral, and supported students at schools in Lincoln,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

. He worked to protect the rights, lands, and privileges of his diocese and cathedral chapter from encroachment by others, both secular and clerical. On one occasion he threatened to excommunicate the

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and it is used (along with the earldom of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title ...

or the earl's men for hunting on land the bishop considered to be his own.Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' pp. 77–78 Neville was elected Archbishop of Canterbury on about 24 September 1231 by the monks of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, but his election was quashed in early 1232 by Pope

Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the P ...

,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 on the grounds that Neville was an or illiterate, even though he had been found to be ''literatus'' in 1214 when appointed dean; ''literatus'' in this sense meant "learned" rather than "literate".Clanchy ''From Memory to Written Record'' p. 229 Other concerns were that Simon Langton, the Archdeacon of Canterbury, described Neville as a courtier instead of a true priest, and claimed that Neville's goal was to free England from its feudal ties to the papacy. As well as his chancery duties, Neville occasionally sat with the barons of the exchequer or with royal justices, and he had a role in the appointment of royal justices. In 1230 he was regent of England while Henry was absent in France, during which time he met with

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

in an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate an agreement that would resolve the disputes between the English and the Welsh.Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' p. 73 In 1232, during the events surrounding the de Burgh's downfall Neville, along with Ranulf, the Earl of Chester, urged that de Burgh should not be dragged from

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

to face the royal accusations against him. Neville's pleas prevailed for a time, but eventually de Burgh was removed from sanctuary.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' pp. 314–315 The king attempted to deprive Neville of the chancellorship in 1236, which the bishop countered by claiming that as he had been appointed during the royal minority with the consent of the great council, only the council could dismiss him.Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' p. 358 In 1238 the cathedral chapter of the see of Winchester elected as Bishop of Winchester first

William de Raley William de Raley (died 1250) was a medieval judge, administrator and bishop. Most historians now believe that he was the author of the great law book ''Bracton''. Life In 1212 Raley was presented by the King to the church living at Bratton Flemin ...

in opposition to the king's choice of

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

the Bishop of Valence, and when that election was quashed, they elected Neville. His election to Winchester was quashed in 1239, leading to a quarrel with Henry III. Valence was the uncle of

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

, whom Henry had married in 1236. Valence had gained much influence with the king quite quickly, and worked to eliminate the older royal officials and institute reforms in the royal administration. This, along with the disputed election to Winchester, was the cause of Neville's fall from favour.Prestwich ''Plantagenet England'' pp. 88–90 Although Henry deprived Neville of the custody of the Great Seal from 1238 until 1242, Neville retained the title of chancellor until his death, thus entitling him to the revenues he would normally have received from the office.Warren ''Governance of Norman and Angevin England'' p. 190 The Great Seal itself was held by a number of minor officials, probably to allow Henry greater control over its use by preventing the establishment of another powerful official who might interfere with his plans.Maddicott ''Origins of the English Parliament'' pp. 169–170 But they lacked the power base that Neville had possessed, which enabled him to oppose the king.Maddicott ''Origins of the English Parliament'' p. 178 In 1239 Neville may have been offered the custody of the Great Seal, which he refused. In May 1242 Neville was once again responsible for the seal while Henry was in France, a responsibility apparently shared with the regent. After the king's return in September 1243 Neville did seal a few documents with the Great Seal until his death a few months later.

Death and writings

Neville died between 1 and 4 February 1244 at the palace he had built in London in what was then New Street, subsequently renamed Chancery Lane because of his being Lord Chancellor. He was buried in Chichester Cathedral, behind the high altar. After Neville's death Matthew Paris described him as "a man laudable in all things, and a pillar of fidelity in the business of the kingdom and the king".Quoted in Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' p. 79 Some of the provisions of his will are known: he left some jewellery and gems to the king, some of his lands were given to his successors as bishop, and other lands and items were bequeathed to his cathedral chapter at Chichester. He also endowed a distribution of bread to the poor residents of Chichester, a gift that continued into the 20th century. Neville also endowed a chapel near Chichester with two clergy to pray for the soul of King John.Young ''Making of the Neville Family'' p. 65 Many of Neville's letters survive, as they were collected by him during his lifetime. They are currently in the

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

of the United Kingdom, having previously formed part of the

Public Record Office The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO, pronounced as three letters and referred to as ''the'' PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London, was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was m ...

. The letters were published in '' Sussex Archaeological Collections'' volume 3 in 1850 and were edited by William Henry Blaauw.Moorman ''Church Life'' p. xv Neville was instrumental in promoting the career of his brother William, but non-relatives also benefited from his patronage: one of Neville's clerks, Silvester de Everdon, was a member of the chancery until 1246, when he was selected as Bishop of Carlisle.Prestwich ''Plantagenet England'' p. 62

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neville, Ralph Year of birth missing 1244 deaths Archbishops of Canterbury Bishops of Chichester 13th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops Deans of Lichfield Lord chancellors of England Lord chancellors of Ireland Ralph Burials at Chichester Cathedral