Alexander de Stavenby

Who was Alexander de Stavenby?

Alexander de Stavenby was a medieval Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.

Alexander was probably a native of Stainsby, Lincolnshire and had two brothers, William and Gilbert, who held land there. He may have studied under Stephen Langton, later Archbishop of Canterbury, as Langton was from a village less than 10 miles away. Alexander taught theology at Toulouse before his elevation to the episcopate. He may have been a teacher of Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, at Toulouse. He also taught at Bologna and was named a chamber clerk for Pope Honorius III. Alexander was nominated as bishop about 13 April 1224, and consecrated on 14 April 1224.

While bishop, Alexander urged the people in his diocese to receive communion three times a year. He also issued rules to prohibit his clergy from entering a tavern. He wrote a set of statutes for his diocese, which survive, along with other works. Only two of the other works survive, one on confession and another on the seven deadly sins. While he was bishop, both Coventry and Lichfield were named as the seats of the see, with the election of a new bishop taking place by the chapters of Coventry or Lichfield in rotation.