William | |
|---|---|
| Archdeacon of Cleveland | |
| Church | Catholic |
| In office | 1201 |
| Previous post(s) | Canon of St. Paul's Prebend of Leighton Buzzard |
| Treasurer | |
| In office 1196 – August 1215 | |
| Monarchs | Richard I John |
| Preceded by | Richard FitzNeal |
| Succeeded by | Eustace of Fauconberg, Bishop of London |
William of Ely was an English churchman and the fifth Lord High Treasurer of England. He was a relative of Richard FitzNeal and supposed descendant of Nigel, Bishop of Ely, both previous Lord High Treasurers. He was appointed a Canon of St. Paul's just before being made Lord High Treasurer in 1196. He added the position of Archdeacon of Cleveland in 1201 and Prebendary of Leighton Buzzard in 1207.[1]
A story about William of Ely tells of his attempted escape from England during a time when he had fallen from favour with the King; he was disguised as a commoner but was stopped when he proved unable to respond to a simple question posed to him in English (illustrating the dominance of the French language among nobles and clergymen at the time).[2]