Seffrid II

Infobox bishopbiog
name =Seffrid II


religion =Catholic
See =Diocese of Chichester
Title = Bishop of Chichester
Period = 1180–1204
Predecessor = John of Greenford
Successor =Simon of Wells
ordination =
bishops =
post =Dean of Chichester
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death =17 March 1204
place of death =

Seffrid II was a medieval Bishop of Chichester.

Life

Little is known of Seffrid's ancestry, but given the unusual name he shared with Seffrid I, bishop of Chichester from 1125 to 1145, the two were probably related. He probably studied law at Bologna, for there was a Seffrid the Englishman at Bologna at the proper time, and Pope Celestine III called Bishop Seffrid "learned in the law".Mayr-Harting "Seffrid (II) (d. 1204)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25030 Online Edition] accessed 25 November 2007] He was a royal clerk [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34294 British History Online Deans of Chichester] accessed on 20 October 2007] before being named Archdeacon of Chichester by 1173. [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34301 British History Online Archdeacons of Chichester] accessed on 20 October 2007] He also served as a royal justice in 1172 and 1173. By December 1178 he was Dean of Chichester.

He was consecrated as bishop on 16 November 1180.Fryde "Handbook of British Chronology" p. 239] There is no record of Seffrid serving the royal administration while he was bishop. Nor does he appear in wider public affairs except in formal ceremonial affairs like coronations or councils. Instead he devoted himself to work in his diocese, where he worked to assure that vicars were provided for, that hospitals were well endowed, and that the system of prebends that supported his cathedral clergy was well regulated. He also rebuilt his cathedral after a fire in 1187, and dedicated the new building in 1199. The hall and chapel of the episcopal palace in Chichester were also constructed in his episcopate. Work was also done on the castle of Amberley and the bishop's manor of Bishopstone under his direction.

He died 17 March 1204.

Notes

References

* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34301 British History Online Archdeacons of Chichester] accessed on 20 October 2007
* [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=34294 British History Online Deans of Chichester] accessed on 20 October 2007
*
* Mayr-Harting, Henry "Seffrid (II) (d. 1204)" "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25030 Online Edition] accessed 25 November 2007

Persondata
NAME=Seffrid II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Bishop of Chichester
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=17 March 1204
PLACE OF DEATH=