Richard Peche (died 1182) was a medieval

Bishop of Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West ...

. Peche was probably the son of

Robert Peche Robert Peche (died 1126) was a medieval Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by t ...

who was Bishop of Lichfield from 1121 to 1128. He was definitely the son of a priest, as Ralph de Diceto wrote about him and justified the elevation of a son of a priest to the episcopacy. He was

Archdeacon of Coventry The Archdeacon of Coventry is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Coventry. The post has been called the '' Archdeacon Pastor'' since 2012. History The post was historically within the Diocese of Lichfield beginnin ...

, and may have been given that office by his father, although the first record of him as an archdeacon is from about 1140.Franklin "Peche, Richard" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Peche was consecrated as bishop about 18 April 1161,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 253 either by Archbishop

Theobald of Canterbury Theobald of Bec ( c. 1090 – 18 April 1161) was a Norman archbishop of Canterbury from 1139 to 1161. His exact birth date is unknown. Some time in the late 11th or early 12th century Theobald became a monk at the Abbey of Bec, risin ...

or by Walter, Bishop of Rochester. Richard probably assisted

Roger de Pont L'Evêque Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...

in the coronation of

Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and M ...

in 1170.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 206 After Becket's death, Richard, along with

Bartholomew Iscanus Bartholomew of Exeter (died 1184) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. He came from Normandy and after being a clerk of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was made Archdeacon of Exeter in 1155. He became Bishop of Exeter in 1161. Known for his knowle ...

the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

reconciled Canterbury Cathedral so it might be once more used for the liturgy.Barlow ''Thomas Becket'' p. 264 While bishop, Richard worked to restore the finances of the diocese, and ten charters he issued are still extant. He was also briefly joint viceroy of Ireland with John, Constable of Chester.O'Mahony ''Viceroys of Ireland'' p. 16 Peche resigned the see in 1182, died on 6 October 1182 and was buried at St Thomas' church, Stafford. After his resignation, he took the habit of an Augustinian canon at Stafford,Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 478 footnote 1 although the story that he founded the house he retired has since been proven to be not the case.

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References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peche, Richard 12th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Lichfield Archdeacons of Coventry Peche, Robert Year of birth unknown Lords Lieutenant of Ireland