William Shirwood

Shirwood, William, a thirteenth-century schoolman, the detail of whose career have been confounded with those concerning William, Archdeacon of Durham, founder of University College, Oxford. It is certain that Shirwood won a European reputation for scholarship, being described by Roger Bacon in the preface to the "Opus tertium" together with Albertus Magnus as the most celebrated scholars in Christendom. Bacon describes Shirwood as surpassing Albert, and as being without a peer in philosophy. He held the prebend of Ailesbury, Lincoln, in 1245 and was treasurer of Lincoln Cathedral in 1258 and 1267. Pits, following Leland, ascribes to him incidents from the life of William of Durham and thus assigns his death to the year 1249. The works of Shirwood were "Super Magistrum sententiarum" (4 books), "Distinctiones Theologicae", and "Conciones". Pits adds "and others not a few".

Edwin Burton