GROUTHEAD, or GREATHEAD, ROBERT, a learned bishop of Lincoln, was born at Stow in Lincolnshire, or, according to others, at Stradbrook in Suffolk, towards the close of the twelfth century. His parents were so poor, that when a boy he was obliged to perform the meanest offices, and even to beg his bread, until the mayor of Lincoln, struck with his appearance and the quickness of his answers to certain questions, took him into his family, and put him to school. Here his ardent love of learning, and admirable capacity for acquiring knowledge, soon appeared, and procured him many patrons, by whose assistance
Grove. he was enabled to prosecute his studies, first at Cambridge, afterwards at Oxford, and lastly at Paris. In these three seats of learning he spent many years in the indefatigable pursuit of knowledge, and became one of the best and most universal scholars of the age. He was a great master not only of the French and Latin, but also of the Greek and Hebrew languages, which was a very rare accomplishment in those times. We are also assured by Roger Bacon, who was intimately acquainted with him, that he spent much of his time for nearly forty years in the study of geometry, astronomy, optics, and other branches of physical and mathematical learning, in all of which he very much excelled. But theology was his favourite study, in which he read lectures at Oxford with great approbation. In the mean while he had obtained several preferments in the church, and was at length elected and consecrated Bishop of Lincoln in the year 1235. In this station he soon became celebrated for the purity of his manners, the popularity of his preaching, the vigour of his discipline, and the boldness with which he reproved the vices and opposed the arbitrary mandates of the court of Rome. Of his independence in this last respect it may be proper to give one example. Pope Innocent IV. had granted to one of his own nephews, named Frederick, who was but a child, an appointment to the first canon's place in the church of Lincoln which should become vacant; and he sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Innocent, then papal legate in England, a bull commanding them to see the provision made effectual, which bull they transmitted to the Bishop of Lincoln. But that brave and virtuous prelate boldly refused to give effect to this unreasonable mandate, and sent an answer to the papal bull containing very severe reproaches against his holiness for abusing his power. The bishop did not long survive this noble stand against the corruption and tyranny of the church of Rome, for he fell sick at his castle of Bugden that same year; and when he became sensible that his end was drawing near, he called his clergy into his apartment, and made a long discourse to them, to prove that the reigning pope, Innocent IV. was antichrist. With this exertion his strength and spirits were so much exhausted, that he soon afterwards expired, on the 9th of October 1253.