caption predecessor successor death_date consecration death_place title image_size term_end other_post buried elected province image article_title diocese name type
ralph chichester cathedral neville was buried behind the high altar in ranulf of wareham robert passelewe 1 -- 4 february 1244 21 april 1224 london , england bishop of chichester 250px 1 -- 4 february 1244 lord chancellor archbishop-elect of canterbury bishop-elect of winchester chichester cathedral before 1 november 1222 canterbury high altar at chichester cathedral.jpg ralph neville
 chichester ralph neville bishop
ralph neville

ralph neville -lrb- or ralf nevill ; died 1244 -rrb- was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as bishop of chichester and lord chancellor of england .
neville first appears in the historical record in 1207 in the service of king john of england , and remained in royal service throughout the rest of his life .
by 1213 neville had custody of the great seal of england , although he was not named chancellor , the office responsible for the seal , until 1226 .
he was rewarded with the bishopric of chichester in 1222 .
although he was also briefly archbishop-elect of canterbury and bishop-elect of winchester , both elections were set aside , or quashed , and he held neither office .
as keeper of the seal , and subsequently as chancellor , neville was noted for his impartiality , and he oversaw a number of changes in the way the chancery operated .
neville was deprived of the great seal in 1238 after quarrelling with the king , but continued to hold the title of chancellor until his death .
he died in his london palace , built on a street later renamed chancery lane owing to his connection with the chancery .
