Robert of Hereford

Infobox bishopbiog
name = Robert of Hereford


religion =Catholic
See =Diocese of Hereford
Title = Bishop of Hereford
Period =1079–1095
Predecessor = Walter of Lorraine
Successor =Gerard
ordination =before December 29 1079
bishops =
post =probably canon of Liège
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death = June 26 1095
place of death =

Robert of Hereford (also known as Robert of Lorraine, Robert Losinga and Robert the Lotharingian) (died 26 June 1095) was a priest who became Bishop of Hereford following the Norman Conquest of England.

Life

He was a native of Lorraine and probably a canon of Liège Cathedral before coming to England, and may have been educated at the cathedral school there also. The school at Liege specialized in mathematics, which later became a specialty of Robert's. His name is often given as Robert Losinga, but the earliest evidence gives it as Robert the Lotharingian. His birthdate is unknown, but it was probably before 1049.Barrow " [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17026 Robert the Lotharingian (d. 1095)] " "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"]

He may have arrived in England by the 1050's,Mason "William II" pp. 76-77] or perhaps after the Norman Conquest. Arguments have been presented on both sides. King William I of England's appointment of Robert was somewhat unusual, not just because he was not a Norman, but because he was not a religious scholar, but was a astronomer and mathematician.Barlow "English Church 1066-1154" pp. 63-64] Robert was ordained as a priest by Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester sometime before December 29 1079. [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34422 British History Online Bishops of Hereford] accessed on October 26, 2007] Robert was consecrated as the Bishop of Hereford by Lanfranc on 29 December 1079Fryde "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 250] at Canterbury.

Robert brought the chronicle of Marianus Scotus to England,Welborn "Lotharingia as a Center of Arabic" "Isis" p. 197] but it had little effect on historical writing in England,Bartlett "England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings" p. 621] beyond the use that Florence of Worcester made of it.Barlow "English Church 1066-1154" p. 15] Robert inserted into his own copy of Marianus, a notice about the Domesday Book survey, that is one of the best sources for information on the process of Domesday.Chibnall "Anglo-Norman England" pp. 110-111] His only other work that survives is a small introduction to Marianus' chronicle that corrects a few errors and discusses computation. He was also known as a mathemetician and astrologer, and brought continental learning into his diocese. He was also familiar with the abacus,Chibnall "Anglo-Norman England" p. 124] and some historians feel he helped introduce it into England.Brooke "Diocese of Hereford" "Churches and Churchmen" p. 32] Others, though, disagree and feel that the use of the abacus was known before this time in England.Evans "Schools and Scholars" "English Historical Review" p. 77] He was good friends with Saint Wulfstan, the Bishop of Worcester, and it was Robert that buried the saint.Williams "English and the Norman Conquest" p. 149] It may be that Robert gave Wulfstan a copy of Marianus' chronicle, which allowed the monks at Worcester to use it in their own works. Robert was also friends with Osmund, who was Bishop of Salisbury.Cantor "Church, Kingship, and Lay Investiture" pp. 36-37]

Robert was present at the Council of Rockingham in February 1095, which dealt with the conflict between King William II of England and Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Robert sided with the king against the archbishop.Vaughn "Anselm of Bec" pp. 180-182 and p. 182 footnote 158] Afterwards, however, Robert and Osmund, the Bishop of Salisbury, were reconciled with Anselm.Cantor "Church, Kinship, and Lay Investiture" p. 95]

He died on June 26 1095. He was buried in Hereford Cathedral. He built a chapel at Hereford Cathedral, basing it on the church at Aachen.Barlow "English Church 1066-1154" p. 259] This was a two-tier chapel of a type reserved for royalty or archbishops in Germany. He also improved the financial condition of his diocese, although it remained poor.Mason "William II" p. 139]

Notes

References

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* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34422 British History Online Bishops of Hereford] accessed on October 26, 2007
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Further reading

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Persondata
NAME=Robert of Hereford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Robert of Lorraine; Losinga, Robert
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Bishop of Hereford
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=June 26, 1095
PLACE OF DEATH=