Herfast

Herfast
Senior posting
Denomination	Catholic
See	Diocese of Elmham moved see to Diocese of Thetford
Title	Bishop of Elmham moved see to Bishop of Thetford
Period in office	1070–c1085
Predecessor	Æthelmaer
Successor	William de Beaufeu
Personal
Date of death	c1085

Herfast (or Arfast) (d. 1085) was a medieval Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Elmham.

[edit] Life

Born in Normandy, France, he joined William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, and was appointed head of the royal writing office after the Battle of Hastings. He was Lord Chancellor of England from 1068 to 1070.^[1] After serving as Lord Chancellor, he was consecrated Bishop of Elmham in 1070, but about May 27, 1072 he moved the see to Thetford, thus becoming Bishop of Thetford.^[2] He had a conflict with the Bury St. Edmunds Abbey, and when the case was brought forward, the Archbishop of Canterbury Lanfranc ruled against Herfast. He signed the Accord of Winchester in 1072 and died in 1084.^[3]

British History Online Bishops of Norwich accessed on October 29, 2007
Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961

Political offices
Preceded by first Norman Chancellor	Lord Chancellor 1068–1070	Succeeded by Osmund
Religious titles
Preceded by Æthelmaer	Bishop of Elmham moved the see to Bishop of Thetford 1072 1070–c1085	Succeeded by William de Beaufeu

Persondata
NAME	Herfast
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Arfast
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Bishop of Elmham; Bishop of Thetford; Lord Chancellor of England
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	circa 1085
PLACE OF DEATH