  It is not known exactly when Henry was born; his date of birth is usually placed before 1240, perhaps between 1217 and 1223, though without any concrete evidence. Information about his career is also scarce. He was in Paris in 1265; from 1267 he begins to appear in the documents as magister, as well as canon of Tournai, though nothing is known of his presumed teaching activity at the Faculty of Arts. From 1276, the year in which he disputed his first Quodlibet, until his death, Henry was Regent Master at the Faculty of Theology. Manuscript copies of his second Quodlibet, datable to 1277, indicate that he was archdeacon of Brugge (Bruges). From 1279 he was archdeacon of Tournai (Doornik). His name was recorded in the death register of Tournai cathedral on 23 June 1293.