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William Giffard was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II, from 1093 to 1101. In 1100 he became bishop of Winchester by nomination of Henry I. He was one of the bishops elect whom Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury refused to consecrate in 1101 as having been nominated and invested by the lay power. During the investitures dispute Giffard was on friendly terms with Anselm, and drew upon himself a sentence of banishment through declining to accept consecration from the archbishop of York (1103). He was, however, one of the bishops who pressed Anselm, in 1106, to give way to the king. He was finally consecrated after the settlement of 1107 and became a close friend of Archbishop Anselm. As bishop, Giffard aided the first Cistercians to settle in England, and restored Winchester Cathedral with great magnificence.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
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