Editing William de St-Calais (section)

==Early life==
St-Calais was a Norman, and a native of [[Bayeux]];<ref name=Lords36>Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 36</ref> he may have been a member of one of its clerical dynasties.<ref name=DNB>Barlow "St Calais, William of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''</ref> His mother's name, Ascelina or Anselma, is given in Durham's records; his father, whose name is unknown, became a monk at the monastery of [[Saint-Calais]] in Maine, and may previously have been a knight.<ref name=Aird287>Aird "Absent Friend" ''Anglo-Norman Durham'' p. 287</ref> Although St-Calais is generally referred to as Saint Calais or St-Calais, the main source of information about his life, the monastic chronicle of [[Symeon of Durham]], does not call him such.<ref name=Aird288>Aird "Absent Friend" ''Anglo-Norman Durham'' p. 288</ref>

St-Calais studied under Odo, [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux|Bishop of Bayeux]], the half-brother of the future William I of England, who was then Duke of Normandy.<ref name=Rufus60>Barlow ''William Rufus'' pp. 60–62</ref> Other bishops educated at Bayeux around this time included Archbishop [[Thomas of Bayeux|Thomas of York]] and [[Samson, Bishop of Worcester]].<ref name=Church58>Barlow ''English Church 1066–1154'' p. 58</ref> Symeon of Durham considered St-Calais to be well-educated in [[Classics|classical literature]] and the scriptures; at some point St-Calais also acquired a knowledge of canon law.<ref name=DNB/> He became a [[Benedictine]] monk at Saint-Calais in Maine, where his father had become a monk,<ref name=Aird288/> and soon became the prior of that house. He became abbot of St Vincent-des-Prés near Le Mans in Maine,<ref name=Rufus60/> sometime around 1078.<ref name=Aird288/> As abbot, his only appearance in historical records is his upholding of the monasteries' right to some property, and his acceptance of a gift of property in the town.<ref name=Aird288a>Aird "Absent Friend" ''Anglo-Norman Durham'' pp. 288–289</ref>

William the Conqueror nominated him to the [[Bishop of Durham|see of Durham]] on 9 November 1080, and he was duly consecrated on either 27 December 1080 or 3 January 1081.<ref name=Handbook241>Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241</ref><ref name=BHODurham>Greenway "Durham: Bishops" ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300'': Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces)</ref> His elevation may have been a reward for diplomatic services he rendered to the king in France,<ref name=Church64>Barlow ''English Church'' p. 64</ref> or to help secure the see from further disorder following the death of the previous bishop, [[Walcher]], during a feud. However, it was most likely in recognition of his administrative ability. Symeon of Durham stated that St-Calais was chosen as a bishop for this reason,<ref name=Aird289>Aird "Absent Friend" ''Anglo-Norman Durham'' pp. 289–290</ref> describing him as "very well versed in sacred and secular learning, very conscientious in matters of divine and worldly business, and so remarkable for good conduct that he had no equal amongst his contemporaries".<ref name=QAird290>Quoted in Aird "Absent Friend" ''Anglo-Norman Durham'' p. 290</ref>