William Lenn
Encyclopedia
William Lenn was a medieval Bishop of Chichester
and Bishop of Worcester
. The name Lenn was the old name for Lynn in Norfolk
.
Lenn went to Rome in his early life and became a doctor of canon law. He was subsequently made an auditor of causes, in the holy court, by Pope Urban V
.
In 1356 Lenn was made dean of Chichester Cathedral, then after the death of Bishop Stratford
he was selected for the see of Chichester on 16 May 1362, and was consecrated about 18 August 1362.
Lenn's tenure at Chichester was quite short, but during that time he managed to get into a quarrel with the earl of Arundel
, Stephens suggests that it was probably a dispute over land. It seems that the bishop procured a citation from Pope Urban V ordering the earl to appear before a court, in Rome, to answer the charges laid against him. The earl treated the summons with contempt and refused to go. What the bishop was trying to do was seen as a violation of both the Statute of Praemunire
and the canon law
of England. The King, Edward III, was angry at the insult and summoned the bishop to attend the king's court, to account for his actions. The bishop, however, was in Rome at the time but he was convicted in his absence, and all his goods and chattels seized, by the crown.
Lenn was translated to the see of Worcester on 11 October 1368 He died of a stroke, in that office on 18 November 1373, as he mounted a horse to go to London to attend Parliament.
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
and Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
. The name Lenn was the old name for Lynn in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
Lenn went to Rome in his early life and became a doctor of canon law. He was subsequently made an auditor of causes, in the holy court, by Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
.
In 1356 Lenn was made dean of Chichester Cathedral, then after the death of Bishop Stratford
Robert de Stratford
Robert de Stratford was an English bishop, and was one of Edward III of England's principal ministers.Stratford served for a time as deputy to his brother, John de Stratford, and in 1337 became chancellor and bishop of Chichester. He was elected bishop about 24 August 1337, and was consecrated...
he was selected for the see of Chichester on 16 May 1362, and was consecrated about 18 August 1362.
Lenn's tenure at Chichester was quite short, but during that time he managed to get into a quarrel with the earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
, Stephens suggests that it was probably a dispute over land. It seems that the bishop procured a citation from Pope Urban V ordering the earl to appear before a court, in Rome, to answer the charges laid against him. The earl treated the summons with contempt and refused to go. What the bishop was trying to do was seen as a violation of both the Statute of Praemunire
Praemunire
In English history, Praemunire or Praemunire facias was a law that prohibited the assertion or maintenance of papal jurisdiction, imperial or foreign, or some other alien jurisdiction or claim of supremacy in England, against the supremacy of the Monarch...
and the canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
of England. The King, Edward III, was angry at the insult and summoned the bishop to attend the king's court, to account for his actions. The bishop, however, was in Rome at the time but he was convicted in his absence, and all his goods and chattels seized, by the crown.
Lenn was translated to the see of Worcester on 11 October 1368 He died of a stroke, in that office on 18 November 1373, as he mounted a horse to go to London to attend Parliament.