William de Humez was a monk of St Stephen's Caen in Normandy, and prior of Frampton in Dorset (a cell of St Stephen's). He was elected Abbot of Westminster on 4th May 1214 and was buried in the south cloister of the Abbey. He died on 20th April 1222. His worn effigy still remains. In 1752 this was moved from the centre part of the cloister to a position under the bench to preserve it.
He was Abbot when Henry III laid the foundation of his new Lady Chapel in 1220 (later demolished for Henry VII's new chapel). In 1222, just before the abbot's death, a dispute arose between the Abbey and the bishop of London (Eustace de Fauconberg) and it was resolved that Westminster Abbey and the church of St Margaret Westminster was exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of London (this still applies today). This document can be seen in the Jubilee Galleries at the Abbey.
John Flete, a monk who wrote a history of the Abbey, wrote of him:
Sprung from Hume, William presided over this place: now he is inhumed in his grave.
William had a brother Arnulph and a nephew Nicholas.
This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library
Image © 2026 Dean and Chapter of Westminster
