THE GENERAL

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.

A NEW EDITION.

VOL. III.

Nichols, Son, and Bentley, Printers, Red Lion Passage, Flect Street, Loudon.

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY:

CONTAINING

AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL ACCOUNT

OF THE

LIVES AND WRITINGS

OF THE

MOST EMINENT PERSONS

IN EVERY NATION;

PARTICULARLY THE BRITISH AND IRISH;

FROM THE EARLIEST ACCOUNTS TO THE PRESENT TIME.

A NEW EDITION,

REVISED AND ENLARGED BY

ALEXANDER CHALMERS, F. S. A.

VOL. III.

LONDON:

Co.;

LONGMAN,

PRINTED FOR J. NICHOLS AND SON; F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON; T. PAYNE;
W. OTRIDGE AND SON; G. AND W. NICOL; WILKIE AND ROBINSON 3
J. WALKER; R. LEA; W. LOWNDES ; WHITE, COCHRANE, AND
J. DEIGHTON; T. EGERTON; LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND CO.;
HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN; CADELL AND DAVIES; C. LAW;
J. BOOKER; CLARKE AND SONS; J. AND A. ARCH; J. HARRIS; BLACK, PARRY,
AND CO.; J. BOOTH; J. MAWMAN; GALE AND CURTIS; R. H. EVANS; J.
HATCHARD; J. HARDING ; J. JOHNSON AND CO. ; E. BENTLEY; AND J. FAULDER.

A NEW AND GENERAL

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.

ARNULPH or EARNULPH, or ERNULPH, bishop of Rochester in the reign of king Henry I. was a Frenchman by birth, and for some time a monk of St. Lucian de Beauvais. Observing some irregularities among his brethren, which he could neither remedy nor endure, he resolved to quit the monastery; but first he took the advice of Lanfranc archbishop of Canterbury, u 'er whom he had studied in the abbey of Bec. That prelate, who was well acquainted with his merit, invited him over into England, and placed him in the monastery of Canterbury, where he lived till Lanfranc's death. Afterwards, when Anselm came into that see, Arnulph was made prior of the monastery of Canterbury, and afterwards abbot of Peterborough, and to both places he was a considerable benefactor, having rebuilt part of the church of Canterbury, which had fallen down, and also that of Peterborough, but this latter was destroyed by an accidental fire, and our prelate removed to Rochester before he could repair the loss. In 1115, he was consecrated bishop of that see, in the room of Radulphus or Ralph, removed to the see of Canterbury. He sat nine years and a few days, and died in March 1124, aged eighty-four. He is best known by his work concerning the foundation, endowment, charters, laws, and other things relating to the church of Rochester. It generally passes by the name of Textus Roffensis, and is preserved in the archives of the cathedral church of Rochester. Wharton, in his Anglia Sacra, has published an extract of this history, under the title of "Ernulphi Episcopi Roffensis Collectanea de rebus Ecclesie Roffensis, à prima sedis fundatione ad sua tempora. Ex Textu Roffensi, VOL. III.

B

Mr.