Robert de Stratford ( c. 1292 – 9 April 1362) was an English bishop and was one of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

's principal ministers.

Early life

Stratford was born into the landed

Stratford family The House of Stratford () is a British aristocratic family, originating in Stratford-on-Avon between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The family has produced multiple titles, including Earl of Aldborough, Viscount Amiens, Baron Baltin ...

Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-west of ...

around 1292. His father was another Robert and his mother was called Isabel. He was brother to

John de Stratford John de Stratford ( – 1348) was Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of Winchester, Lord High Treasurer, Treasurer and Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of England. Early life Stratford was born into the landed Stratford (family), Stratford family of ...

(

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

) and possibly

Henry de Stratford Henry de Stratford was a Greater Clerk of the Royal Chancery under Edward III, and member of the Noble House of Stratford. Life He was born into the wealthy Stratford Family of Stratford-on-Avon, and was related to Ralph Stratford (Bishop of Lon ...

and

Thomas de Stratford Thomas de Stratford (also called Thomas Stratford) was a medieval Archdeacon of Gloucester of the Noble House of Stratford. Early life Stratford attended Oxford University and in 1348 and 1349 held the position of Senior Proctor. He was born into ...

Archdeacon of Gloucester The Archdeacon of Gloucester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Gloucester, England whose responsibilities include the care of clergy and church buildings within the area of the ''Archdeaconry of Gloucester.'' History The first ...

(he was certainly a relation to both), to the latter of whom he gifted the manor of

Shottery Shottery is a district of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England situated about one mile west of the town centre. It was formerly a hamlet. Shottery is the location of the Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the childhood home of Anne Hathaway. It is ...

. Robert senior has been identified as ‘Master’ Robert, co-founder and first master of the hospital of St Cross within the town, but in view of the title magister and the celibate status required, this appears unlikely. The family was related to the Hattons, important men in the town, Ralph Hatton ‘of Stratford’, the future bishop of London, being John's nephew. He was also a relative of Sir Andrew De Stratford.Roy Martin Haines, ‘Stratford, Robert (c.1292–1362)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 28 May 2014
/ref>

Career

Stratford served for a time as deputy to his brother John. From 1329 he served as Prebend of Aylesbury and then from 1331 to 1334 he served as

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 from March to July 1338 as

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 ...

.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 86 He was dismissed as chancellor in 1338 but regained the office for six months in 1340. From 1335 to 1338, Stratford was

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, 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 List of oldest un ...

. From 1334 to 1337, Stratford was

Archdeacon of Canterbury The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (a division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury). Like other archdeacons, they are an administrator in the diocese at large (having oversight of parish ...

. He was elected

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 ...

between 23 July and 18 August 1337, and was consecrated 30 November 1337.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 239.

Death

Stratford made his will and died at his manor of Aldingbourne in Sussex on 9 April 1362.Dalloway, James. "A History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex, Volume 1" 1815, p.53
/ref> Probate was granted on the 26th. His recumbent effigy lies in the south choir aisle of Chichester Cathedral.

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stratford, Robert De

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

1292 births 1362 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford Archdeacons of Canterbury Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Chancellors of the University of Oxford Bishops of Chichester 14th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Chancellors of the Exchequer of England Lord chancellors of England