Simon Mepeham
Encyclopedia
Simon Mepeham was Archbishop of Canterbury
from 1328 to 1333.
in Canterbury Cathedral, who gave Simon the Rectory of Tunstall in Kent.
He became Prebendary of Llandaff in 1295 and soon after a Canon of Chichester but took no interest or role part in public affairs.
against the candidate supported by Queen Isabella
and Roger Mortimer. Elected to the Archbishopric of Canterbury on 11 December 1327, Simon Mepeham was consecrated on 5 June 1328, and received the temporalities
of the see of Canterbury on 19 September 1328. That winter, he supported a rebellion against the rule of Roger Mortimer that was led by the Earl of Lancaster and supported by the Earl of Norfolk
, Earl of Kent
and others.
Archbishop Mepeham's Register is lost and as a result what we know of his see is gleaned from the chroniclers William Thorne
and William Dene Mepehem was considered to be a "man of no great ability and with scanty knowledge of ecclesiastical tradition and propriety, and the maintenance of the rights of his See caused disputes on every side."
. The monks made an appeal against the Archbishop and the Canon of Salisbury was appointed to mediate. Mepeham was cited to give evidence before the Canon, but refused to attend. The suffragans of Canterbury were in support of Mepeham, but his refusal to submit to the judicial process of the Church led to his excommunication by Pope John XXII
in 1333.
Simon was later re-communicated with Rome, but was not re-instated as Bishop.
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
from 1328 to 1333.
Early Ministry
The Archbishop was educated at Oxford between the years 1290 through 1296 at Merton College where he devoted himself to the study of theology and was ordained priest on 21 September 1297 by Archbishop Robert WinchelseyRobert Winchelsey
Robert Winchelsey was an English Christian theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the universities of Paris and Oxford, and later taught at both. Influenced by Thomas Aquinas, he was a scholastic theologian...
in Canterbury Cathedral, who gave Simon the Rectory of Tunstall in Kent.
He became Prebendary of Llandaff in 1295 and soon after a Canon of Chichester but took no interest or role part in public affairs.
Archbishop of Canterbury
Simon was the candidate of the Earl of LancasterHenry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
Henry , 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster was an English nobleman, one of the principals behind the deposition of Edward II of England.-Family and lineage:...
against the candidate supported by Queen Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
and Roger Mortimer. Elected to the Archbishopric of Canterbury on 11 December 1327, Simon Mepeham was consecrated on 5 June 1328, and received 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 the see of Canterbury on 19 September 1328. That winter, he supported a rebellion against the rule of Roger Mortimer that was led by the Earl of Lancaster and supported by the Earl of Norfolk
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk
Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Lord Marshal of England was the son of Edward I of England and Margaret of France.-Early life:...
, Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent was a member of the English Royal Family.-Early life:He was born at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, the son of Edward I Longshanks, King of England and his second wife, Margaret of France. He was 62 years younger than his father, who died when Edmund of Woodstock...
and others.
Archbishop Mepeham's Register is lost and as a result what we know of his see is gleaned from the chroniclers William Thorne
William Thorne (chronicler)
-Life:He was a monk of St Augustine's, Canterbury. On 19 April 1387 he was sent as proctor to secure the papal confirmation for the election of a new abbot. Detained for eight days at Orwell, he did not land till 5 May. He reached Lucca on 11 June, and then had to follow the pope from Lucca to...
and William Dene Mepehem was considered to be a "man of no great ability and with scanty knowledge of ecclesiastical tradition and propriety, and the maintenance of the rights of his See caused disputes on every side."
Dispute and excommunication
Mepeham became involved in a dispute about the juridical rights of Churches that had been appropriated by the Monastery of St. AugustineSt Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine abbey in Canterbury, Kent, England.-Early history:In 597 Saint Augustine arrived in England, having been sent by Pope Gregory I, on what might nowadays be called a revival mission. The King of Kent at this time was Æthelberht, who happened to be married to a...
. The monks made an appeal against the Archbishop and the Canon of Salisbury was appointed to mediate. Mepeham was cited to give evidence before the Canon, but refused to attend. The suffragans of Canterbury were in support of Mepeham, but his refusal to submit to the judicial process of the Church led to his excommunication by 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...
in 1333.
Simon was later re-communicated with Rome, but was not re-instated as Bishop.