Our study of the late medieval English Premonstratensians has shown throughout the tireless activities of Richard Redman, the most notable English white canon of that era. While we have largely considered his role as a Premonstratensian visitor, as is right, this final chapter will take a closer and ‘holistic’ examination of the multifaceted aspects of his life and career, including the controversial circumstances leading to his appointment as commissary-general, his rule as abbot in commendam at Shap, his involvement in affairs of state and his activities as the only English Premonstratensian diocesan bishop of the Middle Ages. Such a task may appear to be an elusive one for many limitations are imposed on those who attempt to explore the life and character of most late medieval bishops. The principal barrier is the lack of ‘personal’ historical evidence, including private correspondence, which often renders these particular princes of the Church, ‘colourless figures, lacking in zeal and subservient to routine’, though there are notable exceptions to the rule. Many of these drawbacks manifest themselves when investigating Redman's life as a bishop, and they are augmented because his episcopal registers for the dioceses of St Asaph and Ely are no longer extant.

Although it is not possible to achieve the intricate and intimate detail that is demanded of biographers of modern figures, the task of presenting a brief account of Redman's life is not insurmountable. Redman's informative visitation register not only contains documents relating to his Premonstratensian work, but also some material concerning his role as a bishop and diplomat, albeit relatively sparse. His Exeter episcopal register, which has survived, sheds important light on his activities as a diocesan bishop.