Roger de Clinton (died 1148) was a medieval

Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the Ordinary (officer), 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, Warwi ...

. He was responsible for organising a new grid street plan for the town of

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

in the 12th century which survives to this day.

Life

Clinton was the nephew of

Geoffrey de Clinton Geoffrey de Clinton (died c. 1134) was an Anglo-Norman noble, chamberlain and treasurer to King Henry I of England. He was foremost amongst the men king Henry "raised from the dust". He married Lescelina. Life Clinton's family origins are a lit ...

, an advisor to King

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 87 Clinton had been an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

before his elevation to the episcopate,Cantor ''Church Kingship and Lay Investiture'' p. 292 footnote 115 either of

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

(1119–1129) or of Lincoln (c.1129).Bartlett ''England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 400 Geoffrey de Clinton was said to have promised King Henry three thousand

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...

if the king would appoint Roger a bishop.Chibnall ''Anglo-Norman England'' p. 80 Roger was nominated in October 1129, and consecrated on 22 December 1129.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 253 Roger was part of the deputation to the papal curia in 1139 that defended King

Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 113 ...

against the charge of breaking his oath to the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

. Another member of the delegation included

Arnulf of Lisieux Arnulf of Lisieux (1104/1109 – 31 August 1184) was a medieval French bishop who figured prominently as a conservative figure during the Renaissance of the 12th century, built the Cathedral of Lisieux, which introduced Gothic architecture to No ...

, who was an archdeacon at the time, but who presented the case.Schriber ''Dilemma of Arnulf of Lisieux'' p. 16 Roger also attended the

Second Lateran Council The Second Council of the Lateran was the tenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church. It was convened by Pope Innocent II in April 1139 and attended by close to a thousand clerics. Its immediate task was to neutralise the after- ...

in 1139.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 112 The ''

Gesta Stephani __NOTOC__ ''Deeds of King Stephen'' or ''Acts of Stephen'' or ''Gesta Regis Stephani'' is a mid-12th-century English history by an anonymous author about King Stephen of England and his struggles with his cousin, Empress Matilda, also known as the ...

'' claimed that Roger was heavily involved in military affairs during the reign of King Stephen. Clinton died on 16 April 1148. Clinton was responsible for establishing

Buildwas Abbey Buildwas Abbey was a Cistercian (originally Congregation of Savigny, Savigniac) monastery located on the banks of the River Severn, at Buildwas in Shropshire, England - today about west of Ironbridge. Founded by the local bishop in 1135, it was ...

,Burton ''Monastic and Religious Orders'' p. 229 a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

house in Shropshire in 1135.

Citations

References

* * * * * * *

Life

Citations

References

Further reading