Regenbald
| Regenbald | |
|---|---|
| Royal chaplain and clerk | |
| Personal details | |
| Buried | Possibly Cirencester |
| Children | Edward |
Regenbald (sometimes known as Regenbald of Cirencester) was a priest and royal official in Anglo-Saxon England under King Edward the Confessor. His name suggests that he was not a native Englishman, and perhaps was German or Norman. He first appears in history as a witness to a royal document in 1050, and remained a royal chaplain and clerk throughout the rest of King Edward's reign. Many royal documents give Regenbald the title of "chancellor" but whether this means that he acted in a manner similar to the later Lord Chancellor is unclear, as some of the documents may be forgeries or have been tampered with. Whatever Regenbald's actual title, King Edward rewarded him with lands and also granted him the status, but not the actual office, of bishop. Regenbald continued to serve the English kings after the Norman Conquest of England, although whether he served King Harold II of England is unclear. His date of death is unknown, but it was probably during the reign of either King William I or William II. After his death, some of his lands became part of the endowment of Cirencester Abbey in 1133.
His origins are unknown, but he was probably not a native Englishman. He may have been German or Norman. The historian Katharine Keats-Rohan suggests that he was possibly the nephew of Peter, who was the Bishop of Chester and a Norman. His name was a German or French name, which suggests that Regenbald was one of the foreigners that gained favour with King Edward the Confessor.
Regenbald first appears in the historical record in 1050, when he witnesses a charter of King Edward. King Edward gave him large estates as a reward for his service to the king as a royal chaplain. The Domesday Book records him owning at least seven churches, but only two of them have any indication that he performed any ecclesiastical services personally. Another royal reward was the grant to Regenbald of the status, without the actual office, of a bishop. He probably was unable to be promoted to a bishopric, either because he was married or because his style of life was known to be unchaste.
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