William of Ely was an English churchman and the fifth Lord High Treasurer of England. He was a relative of Richard FitzNeal and supposed descendant of Nigel, Bishop of Ely, both previous Lord High Treasurers. He was appointed a Canon of St. Paul's just before being made Lord High Treasurer in 1196. He added the position of Archdeacon of Cleveland in 1201 and Prebendary of Leighton Buzzard in 1207.[1]
William | |
---|---|
Archdeacon of Cleveland | |
Church | Catholic |
In office | 1201 |
Previous post(s) | Canon of St. Paul's Prebend of Leighton Buzzard |
Treasurer | |
In office 1196 – August 1215 | |
Monarchs | Richard I John |
Preceded by | Richard FitzNeal |
Succeeded by | Eustace of Fauconberg, Bishop of London |
A story about William of Ely tells of his attempted escape from England during a time when he had fallen from favour with the King; he was disguised as a commoner but was stopped when he proved unable to respond to a simple question posed to him in English (illustrating the dominance of the French language among nobles and clergymen at the time).[2]
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