Gilbert Foliot was a medieval English monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Gloucester, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty. After holding two posts as prior in the Cluniac order he was appointed Abbot of Gloucester Abbey in 1139, a promotion influenced by his kinsman Miles of Gloucester. During his tenure as abbot he acquired additional land for the abbey, and may have helped to fabricate some charters—legal deeds attesting property ownership—to gain advantage in a dispute with the Archbishops of York. Although Foliot recognised Stephen as the King of England, he may have also sympathised with the Empress Matilda's claim to the throne. He joined Matilda's supporters after her forces captured Stephen, and continued to write letters in support of Matilda even after Stephen's release.
Interior view of Hereford Cathedral. The lower sections predate Foliot's time as bishop.
Pope Innocent II (left) from a mosaic in Rome
Matilda's seal
12th-century depiction of Becket with King Henry II
The Bishop of Hereford is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.
Arms of various Bishops of Hereford, Plate 17, Fasti Herefordenses, 1869