Peter of Lichfield


Peter was a medieval cleric. He became Bishop of Lichfield in 1072, then his title changed to Bishop of Chester when the see was moved in 1075.
Peter had been a royal chaplain before being nominated to the see of Lichfield. Nothing else is known of his background, although presumably he was a Norman, as were most of King William I of England's episcopal appointments. He may have been a royal clerk of King Edward the Confessor, although one charter of 1065 which lists his name is a forgery. He was the custodian of the see of Lincoln, before his elevation to the episcopate. He was consecrated after May 1072 and died in 1085. It is possible that it was Peter, and not his successor Robert de Limesey, who pillaged the abbey of Coventry and was censured by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Peter was buried at Chester. The historian Katharine Keats-Rohan suggests that he was the uncle of Regenbald, a royal clerk under King Edward and King William.

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