- Richard FitzNeal
Infobox bishopbiog
name =Richard FitzNeal
religion =Catholic
See =Diocese of London
Title =Bishop of London
Period = 1189–1198
Predecessor =Gilbert Foliot
Successor =William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
ordination =
bishops =
post =Dean of Lincoln
date of birth = circa 1130
place of birth =
date of death =10 September 1198
place of death =Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name =Nigel
honorific-suffix =
imagesize =
small
caption =
order = 4th
office = Lord High Treasurer
term_start =c.1154
term_end =c.1158
vicepresident =
viceprimeminister =
deputy =
lieutenant =
monarch =Henry II
predecessor =Nigel, Bishop of Ely
successor =William of Ely
constituency =
majority =
birth_date =
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
nationality =
party =
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
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footnotes =Richard FitzNeal or FitzNigel, sometimes called Richard of Ely (ca. 1130 – 10 September 1198) was a churchman and bureaucrat in the service of
Henry II of England .Life
In 1158 Nigel,
Bishop of Ely paid Henry II to appoint his natural son, Richard FitzNeal, as the king's treasurer.Powicke "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 99] [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33816 British History Online Prebends of Chiswick] accessed on 29 October 2007] Richard was the great nephew of Roger, bishop of Salisbury, who had organized the exchequer under Henry I, when it was separated from the Chamberlain's office in the king's household. Henry II, who was an astute judge of character and inspired great loyalty, was well served by Richard, who held the post of Lord Treasurer at the head of Henry'sexchequer for the next forty years. Concurrently Richard wasDean of Lincoln , a major administrative position in an important English diocese. In 1184 he was madeprebendary ofAylesbury . [ [http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Aylesbury/prebendaries/stmary.html Prebendaries 1092 to 1842 - Aylesbury] accessed on 3 September 2007] He also held the prebend ofChiswick in the diocese of London.In 1177 Henry II asked him to write a book about his work. The book, "Dialogue Concerning the Exchequer" ("Dialogus de Scaccario"), is the first administrative treatise of the Middle Ages, a unique source of information on royal finances and the methods of collecting them in the twelfth century. Its preface instructs the novice in governance that it is not the function of the exchequer officials to decide on the merit of royal policy, merely to execute it. The secular bureaucracy is the instrument of the king's will, and the royal power ebbs and flows according to whether his treasury is full or empty.
As well as being treasurer, FitzNeal was rewarded with the position of
bishop of London from 1189 until his death in 1198. He was nominated on 15 September 1189 and consecrated on 31 December 1189.Powicke "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 239] [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33800 British History Online Bishops of London] accessed on 29 October 2007] TheDiocese of London ranks third in honour in the Church of England after the Archdioceses of Canterbury and York.Evidence from his writings shows that Richard had read the "Institutes" but that he seems to have not read the "Digest", although he may have known of it.Turner "Roman Law" "Journal of British Studies" p. 14]
He was replaced as treasurer in 1196 by
William of Ely . He died on 10 September 1198.ee also
*
List of Lord High Treasurers Notes
References
* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33800 British History Online Bishops of London] accessed on 29 October 2007
* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33816 British History Online Prebends of Chiswick] accessed on 29 October 2007
* [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1170excheq-usury.html Medieval Sourcebook: From the "Dialogue of the Exchequer": On Usury]
* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde "Handbook of British Chronology" 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
*Further reading
*
Persondata
NAME=FitzNeal, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=FitzNigel, Richard; Richard of Ely
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Lord Treasurer of England; Bishop of London
DATE OF BIRTH=circa 1130
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=10 September 1198
PLACE OF DEATH=
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