Richard Swinefield (or Richard de Swinfield; died 15 March 1317) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford, England. He graduated doctor of divinity before holding a number of ecclesiastical offices, including that of

Archdeacon of London The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of London) of the Two Cities (London and Westminster) in the Diocese of London, an area wit ...

. As a bishop, he dedicated considerable efforts to securing the canonisation of Thomas de Cantilupe, his predecessor, for whom he had worked during his lifetime. Active in his diocese, he devoted little time to politics. He was buried in

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

where a memorial to his memory still stands.

Rise in the Church

Swinefield's last name may come from Swingfield located near Folkestone, Kent. His father was Stephen of Swinfield, who died in 1282, and his brother Stephen remained a layman. No other information about his family and upbringing, including his date of birth, has emerged. He was a doctor of divinity degree, but where he graduated is not known.Hoskin "Swinfield, Richard" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' By 1264 Richard Swinefield was a member of the

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

of Thomas de Cantilupe, later to be made Bishop of Hereford in 1275. By 1279 Swinefield held the

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman 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 t ...

of Hampton within the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

,Barrow "Hereford: Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 8 before 1279 and was to hold it until he became a bishop.Barrow "Prebendaries: Hampton" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 8: Hereford Shortly after 17 April 1280 he was named

, having previously held an unknown prebend in the diocese of London.Greenway "Archdeacons of London" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 1: St. Paul's, London

Episcopate

Richard Swinefield was elected to the

see of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral ...

, or bishopric, on 1 October 1282. The election was confirmed by

John Peckham John Peckham (c. 1230 – 8 December 1292) was Archbishop of Canterbury in the years 1279–1292. He was a native of Sussex who was educated at Lewes Priory and became a Friar Minor about 1250. He studied at the University of Paris under ...

, the Archbishop of Canterbury on 31 December 1282, and he entered into possession of the spiritualities and

temporalities Temporalities or temporal goods are the secular properties and possessions of the church. The term is most often used to describe those properties (a ''Stift'' in German or ''sticht'' in Dutch) that were used to support a bishop or other religious ...

, or the ecclesiastical and lay income producing properties, of the see by 8 January 1293.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms & Phrases'' pp. 263, 271–272 He was consecrated on 7 March 1283. During Richard Swinefield's time as bishop, he was not involved in politics, and spent most of his time in his diocese. He rarely attended

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

, usually excusing himself on the grounds of urgent diocesan business or his own bad health. He inherited a number of lawsuits from his predecessor, which he managed to settle. He also resolved a dispute over the boundary between the diocese of Hereford and the Welsh

diocese of St Asaph The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop. Geography The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester ...

, to the advantage of Hereford. In his disagreements with the town of Hereford, he was little inclined to give way and on one occasion threatened excommunication. Bishop Swinefield was concerned to ensure that his clergy were well treated. He worked to ensure that churches within his diocese were not misappropriated through the granting of custody to unworthy candidates, and was vigilant over monastic houses. His main efforts, though, went toward securing the canonisation of his predecessor Thomas de Cantilupe. This did not however take place until 1320, after Swinefield's death.

Death and legacy

Richard Swinefield died on 15 March 1317,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 250 and was buried in

, where a memorial in the transept's north wall depicts him in bishop's robes and holding a building. Two of his nephews were given offices within the diocese, with John given the precentorship in Hereford Cathedral, and Gilbert made the chancellor there. Another possible relative was Richard Swinfield, who also held a prebend in the diocese. A record of Swinefield's expenses as bishop has survived for the years 1289 and 1290. The accounts offer a rare glimpse of the organisation and expenses of a major household at that period. During the 296 days covered by the record, his household moved 81 times, with 38 of these stops associated with him visiting his diocese during April through June.Moorman ''Church Life in England'' pp. 176–179 The record also shows that he supported two scholars at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

.Moorman ''Church Life in England'' p. 205 The record has been edited a number of times, including by the

Camden Society The Camden Society was a text publication society founded in London in 1838 to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books. It was named after the 16th-century antiquary ...

in 1853-1855.

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swinefield, Richard 13th-century births 1317 deaths 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 14th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Hereford Burials at Hereford Cathedral