Life

Geoffrey was the brother of Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, and William de Burgh

William de Burgh

William de Burgh, founder of the de Burgh/Burke/Bourke family of Ireland, d. 1206.-In Ireland:He arrived in Ireland in 1185 and was closely associated with Prince John....

, Lord of Connacht. He was born no later than 1180 or so, based on his appointment as archdeacon in 1200. The name of his father is not known, but his mother's name was Alice and the family was from Norfolk and was of knightly status.

Geoffrey was canon

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....

 and a treasurer of the Exchequer before being named Archdeacon of Norwich in 1200. He was elected to the see of Ely in 1215, but the election was quashed by Pope Honorius III

Pope Honorius III

Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...

 before May 1219 due to a competing election with Robert of York

Robert of York

Robert of York was a medieval Bishop of Ely elect.Robert was elected to Ely about 14 April 1215 but his election was quashed before 11 May 1219 due to the prior election of Geoffrey de Burgo. Both elections were quashed by Pope Honorius III...

. The pope quashed both elections, and ordered a new election, where the monks elected John of Fountains

John of Fountains

-Life:John was abbot of Fountains Abbey by 13 December 1211, when he was blessed at Melrose by the bishop of Down. Nothing is known of his family or background before this event...

, who was a Cistercian and the abbot

Abbot

The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

 of Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...

.

Geoffrey was once more elected to Ely in June 1225. He owed his election to his brother Hubert, who was Justiciar at the time. He was consecrated Bishop of Ely

Bishop of Ely

The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 on 29 June 1225 and died between 8 December and 17 December 1228. He was buried in Ely Cathedral

Ely Cathedral

Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...

 in the north choir. Besides his brothers, he also had a nephew, Thomas Blunville

Thomas Blunville

Thomas Blunville was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:Blunville was a royal clerk and administered the see of Norwich after the death of the previous bishop, Pandulf Masca. He was elected in October 1226 with royal assent to his election coming on 5 November 1226...

, who Hubert had elected to the see of Norwich in 1226. Although he was buried in Ely Cathedral, no surviving tomb or monument has been identified as his.

Roger of Wendover

Roger of Wendover

Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...

 told the story of a Geoffrey, archdeacon of Norwich who was a victim of King John of England

John of England

John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...

's cruelty. The story goes that Geoffrey was thrown into prison and fitted with a lead cloak and starved to death. However, this cannot be this Geoffrey, for the bishop died well after John. The historian Sidney Painter

Sidney Painter

Sidney Painter was a twentieth-century American medievalist at Johns Hopkins University.Painter was born in New York City; after the Taft School he attended Yale University . He wrote many influential books...

 suggested that the real victim may have been another Geoffrey of Norwich, known to be a justice of the Jews.

Family tree

??? =Alice
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William de Burgh

William de Burgh

William de Burgh, founder of the de Burgh/Burke/Bourke family of Ireland, d. 1206.-In Ireland:He arrived in Ireland in 1185 and was closely associated with Prince John....

, died 1205. Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III.-Birth and family:...

, d. 1243. Geoffrey de Burgh, d. 1228. Thomas de Burgh
(issue; John and Hubert)