Richard Wendene (–1250) was a medieval

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was fou ...

Identity

Richard's surname was variously spelled, and he has been confused with

Richard of Wendover Richard of Wendover (died 1252) was an English cleric and physician. Life Richard was a canon of St. Paul's, in which church he held at one time the prebend of Ealdland, probably succeeding Roger Niger in 1229. He afterwards held the prebe ...

, a physician and medical writer. "Wendene" could refer to

Wenden Lofts Wenden Lofts is a civil parish in the Uttlesford district, in the county of Essex, England. In 2001 it had a population of 72. It shares a parish council with Elmdon :''See also, Elmdon, West Midlands.'' Elmdon is a village in the Uttlesford ...

in Essex (or even

Wendens Ambo Wendens Ambo is a village in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The population at the 2011 census was measured at 473. Its name originates from the merging of two originally separate villages called Wenden Magna (or Great Wenden) and We ...

nearby).Nicholas Karn, "Wenden, Richard of (d. 1250)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 2009. That Richard served Benedict of Sawston could strengthen this connexion, as

Sawston Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam about south of Cambridge. It has a population of 7,260. History Prehistory Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a ha ...

is only ten miles from either village.

Life

Richard was entitled

magister Magister is Latin for "master" or "teacher". It may refer to: Positions and titles * Magister degree, an academic degree * Magister equitum, or Master of the Horse * Magister militum, a master of the soldiers * Magister officiorum (''master of o ...

and therefore must have attended university - and this would suggest his being from a well-heeled family. He was a clerk to Benedict of Sawston,

bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was fou ...

, by 1215, and became the official to Benedict's successor

Henry Sandford Henry Sandford was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. Sandford was a royal official before becoming a canon of the diocese of Salisbury and was Archdeacon of Canterbury from about 1213 until he was chosen for Rochester.

. He was also

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

.British History Online Bishops of Rochester
accessed on 30 October 2007 At Sandford's death, in spring 1235, the monks of Rochester elected Wendene

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

. However,

Edmund of Abingdon Edmund of Abingdon (also known as Edmund Rich, St Edmund of Canterbury, Edmund of Pontigny, French: St Edme; c. 11741240) was an English-born prelate who served as Archbishop of Canterbury. He became a respected lecturer in mathematics, dia ...

challenged the election, as he claimed the archbishop of Canterbury's jurisdiction over the

diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal sig ...

. It took a couple of years for the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

to find in the monks' favour, and Richard was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 21 November 1238 in

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the s ...

.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 267 Richard died on 12 October 1250 at the episcopal manor of

Freckenham Freckenham is a small rural village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in East Anglia, in the country of England. Geographically, it is relatively flat and has the River Kennet, a tributary of the River Lark locally known a ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

. He was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

Citations

References

*
British History Online Bishops of Rochester
accessed on 30 October 2007 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wendene, Richard 13th-century births People from Essex Bishops of Rochester 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1250 deaths