William of Bitton II

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William of Bitton II

Denomination	Catholic
Senior posting
See	Diocese of Bath and Wells
Title	Bishop of Bath and Wells
Period in office	1267–1274
Predecessor	Walter Giffard
Successor	Robert Burnell
Religious career
Previous post	Archdeacon of Wells
Personal
Date of death	December 4, 1274

William of Bitton II or William Button was a medieval Bishop of Bath and Wells.

[edit] Life

He was a son of Sir Adam of Bitton in Gloucestershire and the brother of Thomas Bitton who was precentor, archdeacon of Wells^[1] and Dean of Wells and Bishop of Exeter.^[2] His uncle was William of Bitton I, Bishop of Bath and Wells.^[1] He was rector of Buckland from 1257 and rector of Congresbury in Somerset from 1252.^[3] Before December 13, 1262 he was a canon of Bath and Wells, and was archdeacon of Wells as well as rector of Middlezoy in Somerset by April 20, 1263.^[4]

He was elected as bishop on February 10, 1267 and consecrated after April 17, 1267.^[5] He was not active in political or governmental events, although he did go to a council in 1269 that objected to ecclesiastical taxation. He, like his uncle, mainly worked in his diocese, and regulated the liturgical life of his cathedral and endowed the cathedral with some property.^[2]

He died December 4, 1274^[5] and was buried in Bath Cathedral. Some veneration was given to him after his death, but no formal canonization ever occurred.^[2] He should not be confused with his uncle the first William of Bitton who was also Bishop of Bath and Wells, but who died in 1264.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• British History Online Archdeacons of Wells accessed on September 23, 2007
• British History Online Bishops of Bath accessed on September 23, 2007
• British History Online Unidentified Prebends of Bath accessed on September 23, 2007
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology, Third Edition, revised, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• Shaw, David Gary "Button , William (d. 1274)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 Online Edition accessed November 15, 2007

Roman Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Walter Giffard	Bishop of Bath and Wells 1267–1274	Succeeded by Robert Burnell

Persondata
NAME	William of Bitton II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	William of Bitton; Button, William
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Bishop of Bath and Wells
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	December 4, 1274
PLACE OF DEATH