William Cumin (bishop)

Infobox bishopbiog
name =William Cumin


religion =Catholic
See =Diocese of Durham
Title = Bishop of Durham elect
Period = 1141–1143
Predecessor = Geoffrey Rufus
Successor =William of St. Barbara
ordination =
bishops =
post =Archdeacon of Worcester
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death =circa 1159
place of death =

William Cumin was a medieval Bishop of Durham elect.

Life

William probably was related to a clerical family from near Rouen in Normandy. Several Cumin's were clerks in the chanceries of King Henry I of England and King Henry II of England, as well as in the dioceses of Rouen and Bayeux. A John Cumin, who became Archbishop of Dublin in 1182 may also have been a relative.Young "Cumin , William (d. c.1160)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"] William Cumin was Archdeacon of Worcester by March of 1125 and the chancellor of King David I of Scotland [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33859 British History Online Bishops of Durham] accessed on 25 October 2007] before 1136. David was the uncle of the Empress Matilda.Barlow "The English Church 1066-1154" p. 96-97] Cumin was educated by Geoffrey Rufus, who had been chancellor to King Henry I of England and Bishop of Durham.Barlow "The English Church 1066-1154" p. 88] Cumin was captured at the Battle of the Standard in August of 1138, but was set free at the instigation of the papal legate, Alberic of Ostia.

At the time of the death of Geoffrey Rufus, most of the diocese of Durham was under the control of King David. With the death of Geoffrey, David tried to gain control of the English diocese by installing his own candidate into Durham, this being his chancellor, Cumin.Huscroft "Ruling England" p. 134] When David came sourth to meet with the Empress, he stopped in Durham, where he refused to allow the burial of the previous bishop until Cumin was allowed into the see.Crouch "Reign of King Stephen" p. 310-311] Cumin was intruded into the see of Durham about 11 May 1141, but was never consecrated. However, when the Empress was driven from London in June of 1141, this deprived Cumin of some support. Cumin still had the support of one of Geoffrey's nephews and support in the cathedral chapter and castle. But he was opposed by the nephew of another previous Bishop, Ranulf nephew of Ranulf Flambard who was an archdeacon at Durham, and by the papal legate to England.

By 1142, David had withdrawn his support, and Cumin resorted to using a forged letter of support from the papacy in an attempt to get consecrated. Eventually Cumin was deprived of his benefices by Pope Innocent II about 14 March 1143 as well as being excommunicated. At the same time, the pope ordered a new election held at York Minster which selected the Dean of York, William of St. Barbara. Cumin, however, still had the support of two of the local magnates, Henry, Earl of Northumbria and Alan, Earl of Richmond, and Cumin garrisoned the priory. In 1144, Cumin negotiated a settlement of the dispute, in which he relinquished his claims to Durham in exchange for lands to endow his nephew Richard. Cumin was imprisoned for a time, but eventually returned to the south of England where he had the support of Gilbert Foliot, then Abbot of Gloucester.

Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury then took up Cumin's cause in about 1146, and Theobald lobbied the papacy for Cumin's absolution. Cumin was restored to some of his benefices by 1152, and was once more Archdeacon of Worcester by 1157. He died probably about 1158 or 1159. [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33884 British History Online Archdeacons of Worcester] accessed on 25 October 2007]

Two of his nephews served as knights in Scotland. William is noted as a knight by the Durham chronicle, and Osbert served Henry, earl of Northumberland. Both died in the before 1144 during the conflicts in Durham. Another nephew, Richard Comyn, received the honour of Richmond as part of his uncle's settlement at Durham. Richard was the ancestor of the Comyn family of Scotland.

Notes

References

* Barlow, Frank "The English Church 1066-1154" London:Longman 1979 ISBN 0-582-50236-5
* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33884 British History Online Archdeacons of Worcester] accessed on 25 October 2007
* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=33859 British History Online Bishops of Durham] accessed on 25 October 2007
* Crouch, David "The Reign of King Stephen: 1135-1154" Harlow, Essex: Longman Pearson 2000 ISBN 0-582-22657-0
* Huscroft, Richard "Ruling England 1042-1217" London: Pearson Longman 2005 ISBN 0-582-84882-2
* Young, Alan "Cumin , William (d. c.1160)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49374 Online Edition] accessed 22 January 2008

Further reading

* Young, A. "William Cumin: border politics and the bishopric of Durham, 1141–1144" Borthwick Papers, 54 (1979)
* Young, A. "The bishopric of Durham in Stephen's reign" "Anglo-Norman Durham" ed. D. Rollason, M. Harvey, and M. Prestwich (1994), p. 353–68
* Round, J. H. "The origins of the Comyns" "The Ancestor" 10 (1904) p. 104–19

Persondata
NAME=Cumin, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Bishop of Durham elect
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=circa 1159
PLACE OF DEATH=