Editing Walter Reynolds

{{Short description|English archbishop and official (died 1327)}}
{{for multi|the politician in Ontario, Canada|Walter Bain Reynolds|the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island|Walter H. Reynolds}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| name = Walter Reynolds
| archbishop_of = [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]
| appointed = 1313
| enthroned = January 1314
| ended = 16 November 1327
| predecessor = [[William Gainsborough]]
| successor = [[Simon Mepeham]]
| ordination = 
| consecration = 13 October 1308
| other_post = [[Bishop of Worcester]]
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = 
| death_date = 16 November 1327
| death_place = 
| buried = 
| nationality = 
| parents = 
| module = {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes
| office              = [[Lord High Treasurer]]
| term_start          =1307
| term_end            =1310
| monarch             = [[Edward II of England|Edward II]]
| predecessor         = [[Walter Langton]]
| successor           = [[John Sandall]]
| office2              = [[Lord Chancellor|Keeper of the Great Seal]]
| term_start2          =1310
| term_end2            =1314
| monarch2             =Edward II
| predecessor2         =[[John Langton (bishop of Chichester)|John Langton]]
| successor2           = [[John Sandall]]
}}
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
}}

'''Walter Reynolds''' (died 1327) was [[Bishop of Worcester]] and then [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] (1313–1327) as well as [[Lord High Treasurer]] and [[Lord Chancellor]].

==Early career==

Reynolds was the son of a baker from [[Windsor, Berkshire]],{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=21}} and became a clerk, or chaplain, in the service of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Reynolds held several livings and, owing perhaps to his acting skill, he became a prime favourite with the [[Prince of Wales]], afterwards [[Edward II of England|Edward II]], whom he served as [[Keeper of the Great Wardrobe]].{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=21}} Just after the prince became king, on 22 August 1307 Reynolds, was appointed [[Treasurer of England]].{{sfn|Fryde, E. B.|Greenway, D. E.|Porter, S.|Roy, I.|1996|p=104}}

On 13 November 1307 Reynolds, who had the living of [[St Mary's Church, Wimbledon]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Wimbledon Pages 519-540 The Environs of London: Volume 1, County of Surrey. Originally published by T Cadell and W Davies, London, 1792. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-environs/vol1/pp519-540 |website=British History Online |access-date=6 July 2020}}</ref> was elected Bishop of Worcester and consecrated on 13 October 1308.{{sfn|Fryde, E. B.|Greenway, D. E.|Porter, S.|Roy, I.|1996|p=279}} He was also on 6 July 1310 named [[Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England|Keeper of the Great Seal]] and [[Lord Chancellor of England]].{{sfn|Fryde, E. B.|Greenway, D. E.|Porter, S.|Roy, I.|1996|p=86}}{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=52}} Amongst his duties as Bishop of Worcester was to act as the patron and appoint the headmaster of the school that later became the [[Royal Grammar School Worcester]].

Reynolds was one of the godfathers of the future [[Edward III]] when the prince was christened on 17 November 1312.{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=71}}

== Episcopate ==
When [[Robert Winchelsey|Robert Winchelsea]], Archbishop of Canterbury, died in May 1313 Edward II convinced Pope [[Clement V]] to appoint his favourite to the vacant archbishopric,{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} and Reynolds was enthroned at [[Canterbury Cathedral]] in January 1314 as the 51st Archbishop.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{sfn|Fryde, E. B.|Greenway, D. E.|Porter, S.|Roy, I.|1996|p=233}}

Although the private life of the new archbishop appears to have been the reverse of exemplary, he attempted to carry out some very necessary reforms in his new official capacity; he also continued the struggle for precedence, which had been carried on for many years between the archbishops of Canterbury and of [[Archbishop of York|York]]. In this connection in 1317 he laid [[London]] under an interdict after [[William de Melton]], the Archbishop of York, had passed through its streets with his cross borne erect before him.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Reynolds remained in general loyal to Edward II until 1324, when with all his suffragans he opposed the king in defence of the [[Bishop of Hereford]], [[Adam Orleton]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{sfn|Weir|2005|pp=158–159}} He then fought with Edward II over liturgical issues, and sent sums of money to Queen [[Isabella of France|Isabella]] in her rebellion against the King.{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=234}} Having fled for safety into [[Kent]] he returned to London and declared for Edward III, whom he crowned on 1 February 1327.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=261}} He was appointed as a member of the [[regency council]] for Edward III that was formed in February 1327.{{sfn|Weir|2005|p=264}} In 1327 Reynolds popularised in England the political argument of ''[[vox populi, vox Dei]]'', contrary to [[Alcuin]]'s original warning to Charlemagne to resist such arguments, as the title of his sermon laying charges against Edward II.
[[File:Canterburycathedralwalterreynoldstomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Reynolds in Canterbury Cathedral]]
Reynolds died at [[Mortlake]] on 16 November 1327.{{sfn|Fryde, E. B.|Greenway, D. E.|Porter, S.|Roy, I.|1996|p=233}}{{sfn|Weir|2005|pp=305–306}}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Reynolds, Walter|volume=23|page=229}}
* {{cite book |author1=Fryde, E. B. |author2=Greenway, D. E. |author3=Porter, S. |author4=Roy, I. |title=Handbook of British Chronology|edition=Third revised |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1996 |isbn=0-521-56350-X }}
* {{cite book | last=Weir | first=Alison | author-link=Alison Weir | title=Queen Isabella : treachery, adultery, and murder in medieval England | publisher=Ballantine Books | publication-place=New York | year=2005 | isbn=0-345-45319-0 | oclc=60373641 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/queenisabellatre00weir }}

==External links==
* [http://www.dca.gov.uk/lcfr.htm List of Keepers from Office of Constitutional Affairs]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Walter Langton]] }}
{{s-ttl| title=[[Lord High Treasurer]] | years=1307–1310}}
{{s-aft| after=[[John Sandall]]|rows=2}}
{{s-bef| before=[[John Langton (bishop of Chichester)|John Langton]]|as=Lord Chancellor}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Lord Chancellor|Keeper of the Great Seal]]  | years=1310–1314}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef| before=[[William Gainsborough]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Bishop of Worcester]]| years=1307–1313}}
{{s-aft| after=[[Walter Maidstone]] }}
{{s-bef | before=[[Robert Winchelsey]]|before2=[[Thomas Cobham]]|as=archbishop-elect}}
{{s-ttl| title=[[Archbishop of Canterbury]] | years=1313–1327}}
{{s-aft| after=[[Simon Mepeham]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Archbishops of Canterbury}}
{{Bishops of Worcester}}
{{House of Plantagenet Lord High Treasurers}}
{{House of Plantagenet Lord Chancellors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Walter}}
[[Category:Lord chancellors of England]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Canterbury]]
[[Category:Bishops of Worcester]]
[[Category:14th-century English Roman Catholic archbishops]]
[[Category:Clergy from Windsor, Berkshire]]
[[Category:13th-century births]]
[[Category:1327 deaths]]
[[Category:Lord high treasurers of England]]
[[Category:Burials at Canterbury Cathedral]]

[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]