Henry of Blois

Henry of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
Contemporary plaque showing Henry of Blois, now in the British Museum, c. 1150
Appointed4 October 1129
Term ended8 August 1171
PredecessorWilliam Giffard
SuccessorRichard of Ilchester
Previous post(s)Abbot of Glastonbury
Orders
Consecration17 November 1129
Personal details
Bornc. 1096[1]
Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France
Died8 August 1171 (aged around 75)
City of Winchester, England
Buried8 August 1171
Winchester Cathedral
DenominationCatholicism
ParentsStephen Henry, Count of Blois
Adela of Normandy

Henry of Blois (c. 1096 – 8 August 1171), often known as Henry of Winchester,[2] was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.

He was the son of Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy, a younger brother of Stephen, King of England, and a grandson of William the Conqueror. Henry was also a major patron of the arts, funding the Winchester Bible and the font in Winchester Cathedral.[3] He founded the Hospital of St Cross and built much of Wolvesey Castle.

  1. ^ King 2004
  2. ^ That name was also a nickname of Henry III of England.
  3. ^ Fassler, Margot (2014). Frisch, Walter (ed.). Music in the Medieval West. Western Music in Context: A Norton History (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-393-92915-7.