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Hugo (or Hugh) de Balsham (died 1286) was an English bishop.
He was a Benedictine monk of Ely chosen by his brethren to be bishop in 1256. His election displeased King Henry III of England, who had temporarily assigned the income of the diocese to one of his favourites, and wished eventually to make his chancellor Bishop of Ely. There was a court battle, and much harassment of the monks, but the election was confirmed by Rome, and Hugh was consecrated by Pope Alexander IV in 1257.
Little is known about his administration of the diocese, but it is certain that he remained in possesion of it for almost thirty years.
Hugh played an important role in the early history of Cambridge University. In 1280 he got permission from the king to reform a hospital in Cambridge that belonged to the diocese, and he turned it into a residence for scholars. Peterhouse, as it was later called, was the first Cambridge college and it is presumed that it was therefore a model for all the rest.
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