Henry le Chen
Encyclopedia
Henry le Chen [le Cheyn, le Chein, Cheyne, de Chene] was a late 13th-century and early 14th-century Scoto-Norman
bishop
. Hector Boece
claims that he was the nephew of John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
, but no contemporary evidence supports this. Cheyne belonged to a family with Norman roots which was well established in the northeast of Scotland
, holding significant amounts of territory on the boundaries of the Earldom of Buchan.
Henry emerges for the first time - as Precentor
of Aberdeen Cathedral - when his name occurs in a document dated to January 22, 1277. Despite the fact he was only a deacon
, after the death of the former bishop, Hugh de Benin
, the chapter
unanimously elected le Chen to be the new Bishop of Aberdeen
. Pope Martin IV
originally cancelled the election because le Chen had not been yet ordained a priest
, but reversed his decision and commissioned Robert Wishart
, Alan de St Edmund
and William, the bishops of Glasgow, Caithness
and Dunblane
respectively, to consecrate le Chen after one of them had ordained him a priest.
Le Chen's strong Comyn connections meant that, in the succession dispute which followed the deaths of Alexander III of Scotland
and Margaret, Maid of Norway
, he firmly supported the Comyn-backed claims of John Balliol
; he was one of the auditors employed by Balliol during the Great Cause. Although one of the senior royal councillors during the reign of King John Balliol, when King Edward I of England
invaded and deposed King John, le Chen quickly swore an oath of fealty to Edward, and was so well trusted by the King that the latter put him in charge of the sheriffdom
of Aberdeen
. In the period immediately following the rebellion and usurpation of the throne by Robert de Brus [Robert the Bruce], Earl of Carrick
, in 1306, le Chen was noticeably lukewarm to the new king (now Robert I of Scotland
), and at some point was temporarily deprived of the temporalities
of his see
, though there is no direct evidence that he suffered exile.
In 1309 he attended Robert's first parliament
and was part of the renewal of the Treaty of Perth
in 1312, but Bishop Henry nevertheless held a low profile for the remainder of the decade. However, despite the complete success of the Bruce cause, no other bishop is found to be promoted, and le Chen was a loyal subject of the king by the end of the decade when he was summoned to the papal curia (August 16, 1320) to account for the behaviour of his king. On June 16, 1321, Pope John XXII
excommunicated
Bishop Henry, and on May 23, 1322, commanded the bishops of Winchester
and Dunblane to promulgate the sentence.
John died at an unknown date in 1329, the same year as King Robert. Pope John XXII referred to le Chen as "of good memory", meaning that Henry had been absolved of his sentence before his death. He was credited with constructing a bridge over the river Don
.
Scoto-Norman
The term Scoto-Norman is used to described people, families, institutions and archaeological artifacts that are partly Scottish and partly Norman...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. Hector Boece
Hector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
claims that he was the nephew of John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lord of Lochaber or John "the Red", also known simply as the Red Comyn was a Scottish nobleman who was an important figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was Guardian of Scotland during the Second Interregnum 1296-1306...
, but no contemporary evidence supports this. Cheyne belonged to a family with Norman roots which was well established in the northeast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, holding significant amounts of territory on the boundaries of the Earldom of Buchan.
Henry emerges for the first time - as Precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
of Aberdeen Cathedral - when his name occurs in a document dated to January 22, 1277. Despite the fact he was only a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, after the death of the former bishop, Hugh de Benin
Hugh de Benin
Hugh de Benin [Benham] was a 13th century bishop. If his name represents Benholm, then he may have come from an English or Anglo-Norman family recently settled in the Mearns Hugh de Benin [Benham] (died 1282) was a 13th century bishop. If his name represents Benholm, then he may have come from an...
, the chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
unanimously elected le Chen to be the new Bishop of Aberdeen
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th century cleric named Nechtan...
. Pope Martin IV
Pope Martin IV
Pope Martin IV, born Simon de Brion held the papacy from February 21, 1281 until his death....
originally cancelled the election because le Chen had not been yet ordained a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, but reversed his decision and commissioned Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart
Robert Wishart was Bishop of Glasgow during the Wars of Scottish Independence and a leading supporter of Robert Bruce. For Wishart and many of his fellow churchmen the freedom of Scotland and the freedom of the Scottish church were one and the same thing...
, Alan de St Edmund
Alan de St Edmund
Alan de St Edmund was a 13th-century English cleric and administrator of the Roman Catholic Church. His name suggests a connection with Bury St. Edmunds Abbey in Suffolk, but there is no direct evidence. He was the chaplain of Hugh of Evesham, another Englishman, from the diocese of Worcester, who...
and William, the bishops of Glasgow, Caithness
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
and Dunblane
Bishop of Dunblane
The Bishop of Dunblane or Bishop of Strathearn was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunblane/Strathearn, one of medieval Scotland's thirteen bishoprics. It was based at Dunblane Cathedral, now a parish church of the Church of Scotland. The bishopric itself certainly derives from an older...
respectively, to consecrate le Chen after one of them had ordained him a priest.
Le Chen's strong Comyn connections meant that, in the succession dispute which followed the deaths of Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
and Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
, he firmly supported the Comyn-backed claims of John Balliol
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
; he was one of the auditors employed by Balliol during the Great Cause. Although one of the senior royal councillors during the reign of King John Balliol, when King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
invaded and deposed King John, le Chen quickly swore an oath of fealty to Edward, and was so well trusted by the King that the latter put him in charge of the sheriffdom
Sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland.Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms. Previously sheriffdoms were composed of groupings of counties...
of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. In the period immediately following the rebellion and usurpation of the throne by Robert de Brus [Robert the Bruce], Earl of Carrick
Earl of Carrick
The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
, in 1306, le Chen was noticeably lukewarm to the new king (now Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
), and at some point was temporarily deprived of the temporalities
Temporalities
Temporalities are the secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church. It is most often used to describe those properties that were used to support a bishop or other religious person or establishment. Its opposite description would be the spiritualities.In the Middle Ages, the...
of his see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
, though there is no direct evidence that he suffered exile.
In 1309 he attended Robert's first parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
and was part of the renewal of the Treaty of Perth
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
in 1312, but Bishop Henry nevertheless held a low profile for the remainder of the decade. However, despite the complete success of the Bruce cause, no other bishop is found to be promoted, and le Chen was a loyal subject of the king by the end of the decade when he was summoned to the papal curia (August 16, 1320) to account for the behaviour of his king. On June 16, 1321, Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
Bishop Henry, and on May 23, 1322, commanded the bishops of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
and Dunblane to promulgate the sentence.
John died at an unknown date in 1329, the same year as King Robert. Pope John XXII referred to le Chen as "of good memory", meaning that Henry had been absolved of his sentence before his death. He was credited with constructing a bridge over the river Don
River Don, Aberdeenshire
The River Don is a river in north-east Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce...
.