Editing William de Corbeil (section)

==Early life==
William de Corbeil was most likely born at Corbeil on the [[Seine]], possibly in about 1070.<ref name=DNB>Barlow "Corbeil, William de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''</ref> He was educated at [[Laon]],<ref name=HenryI23>Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 23</ref> where he studied under [[Anselm of Laon]], the noted [[Scholasticism|scholastic]] and teacher of theology.<ref name=HenryI432>Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 432</ref> William taught for a time at Laon,<ref name=HenryI23/> but nothing else is known of his early life.<ref name=Spear6>Spear "Norman Empire" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 6</ref> All that is known of his parents or ancestry is that he had two brothers, Ranulf and Helgot;<ref name=DNB/> his brothers appear as witnesses on William's charters.<ref name=Bethell145>Bethell "William of Corbeil" ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' pp. 145–146</ref>

William joined the service of [[Ranulf Flambard]], [[Bishop of Durham]], as a clerk, and was present at the [[Translation (relic)|translation]] of the body of [[Cuthbert|Saint Cuthbert]] in 1104.<ref name=DNB/> His name appears high in a list of those who were present at the event, implying that he may have held an important position in Flambard's household, but appended to his name is "subsequently archbishop", suggesting that his inclusion could have been a later interpolation. He was a teacher to Flambard's children, probably in about 1107 to 1109,<ref name=Bethell146>Bethell "William of Corbeil" ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' p. 146</ref> but at some unknown date William appears to have transferred to the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Between 1107 and 1112 he went to Laon and attended lectures given by Anselm of Laon.<ref name=DNB/> By 1116 he was a clerk for Ralph d'Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury, with whom he travelled to Rome in 1117 when Ralph was in dispute with Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, over the primacy of Canterbury.<ref name=BlackMonks>Bethell "English Black Monks" ''English Historical Review''</ref>

In 1118, William entered the [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] order at [[Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate|Holy Trinity Priory]] in [[Aldgate]],<ref name=DNB/> a house of [[Canon (priest)|canons]] rather than monks.<ref name=Heads173>Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 173</ref> Subsequently, he became [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|prior]] of the [[St Osyth's Priory|Augustinian priory at St Osyth]] in [[Essex]],<ref name=Knowles183>Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 183</ref><ref name=Barlow85>Barlow ''English Church'' p. 85</ref> appointed by [[Richard de Belmeis I|Richard de Beaumis]], [[Bishop of London]], in 1121.<ref name=DNB/>