EDMUND RICH, saint. — Archbishop of Canterbury, b. ca. 1180, d. 16 Nov. 1240. Also called E. of Abingdon because of his birthplace in Berkshire, or of Pontigny because of the place of his final residence (though the surname RICH seems to be late and suspect: cf. Anal. Bolland., 46 (1928), p. 437), he was the son of a merchant named Edward or Reginald, who later, with the consent of his wife Mabel, retired to monastic life in the monastery of Eynsham. Brought up a Christian by his mother, while still very young (about 13 years old) he was sent with his brother Robert to study in Paris, where he became a master of the arts, which he taught for about six years, then returning to England, to Oxford.
He later returned to Paris (the Vita claims this happened after a vision of his deceased mother, who urged him to devote himself to sacred studies instead of profane sciences), where he studied theology and was ordained priest. It seems certain that he taught theology at Paris. After serving as chancellor of the Church of York, he returned to Oxford, and in 1222 was made treasurer of that of Salisbury. Later, Gregory IX entrusted him with preaching the Crusade in England. In defence of the rights and liberties of the Church he had to engage in long struggles, especially against King Henry III and the great men of the kingdom. As a consequence, in the last years of his life he was forced to leave England and went to the continent, to the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny, then to Soisy, where he died a holy death.
An intense love of chastity, defended by harsh penances and mortifications from his childhood, characterized his life, and in this regard it is told how he consecrated his virginity to the Blessed Virgin. He was favoured in life with the gift of miracles and had frequent communications with the supernatural world. On 1 Jan. 1247 he was canonized by Innocent IV, and a few months later (7 June) his relics were translated. He left some writings: *Speculum Ecclesiæ* (Bibliotheca Patrum, V, Paris 1624, p. 765), a testimony to his episcopal activity; there also survive the *Constitutiones Provinciales sancti Edmundi Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi* (ca. 1236: Mansi, XXIII, 416-28), and an unpublished *Summa Abendoniensis*. Other works, especially from his years of teaching, have been lost.