A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



All these infamous transactions fell heavily on 

 the church of Durham. Only one pleasing if 

 pathetic incident is to be found in connexion 

 with them. On the morrow of the Purification, 

 1308, Bishop Bek visited the chapter after the 

 form of the Bonifacian Constitution. Many 

 severe sentences did he pass upon the heads of 

 the house, which, after his death, were annulled 

 by Archbishop Greenfield. But these, in Gray- 

 stanes' belief, were brought about through the 

 influence of others, not by the bishop's own 

 wish ; 



for in the beginning of the visitation, he says, the 

 laymen and seculars having retired, immediately the 

 whole convent prostrated themselves on bent knees to 

 the earth before the bishop, and desired that if any of 

 them in the late strife had transgressed against him in 

 any way he would mercifully forgive them ; upon 

 which, bursting into tears, he promised them solemnly 

 that he would do so." 



This was the last time the convent came into 

 collision to any serious extent with the episcopal 

 power in Durham ; but their difficulties with 

 their metropolitan were not yet over. Bishop 

 Bek died 3 March, 1310-11, and was buried 

 in the east transept of the church, near St. Cuth- 

 bert's feretory. ''' Immediately after his death the 

 prior and chapter appointed officers to act during 

 the vacancy. The archbishop promptly excom- 

 municated all parties concerned in the matter. 

 The monks obtained from the king a licence to 

 elect, but before the day of election the king 

 sent the earl of Gloucester to Durham, entreating 

 them to nominate his kinsman, Antholin of 

 Pisana, a foreigner, a stranger, and said to be 

 under the canonical age. Bribes were offered 

 to the monks in rich profusion, but they totally 

 refused to do as the king wished. They were, 

 nevertheless, in great perplexity as to how the 

 election should take place. They knew the 

 archbishop would not confirm any act done by 

 persons under his sentence of excommunication ; 

 but to withdraw themselves would be to submit 

 to what they considered his usurped jurisdiction. 

 Finally it was decided that anything was better 

 than prolonging the vacancy of the see, so they 

 absented, leaving the business to those of their 

 brethren who were not under censure, and 

 Richard Kellaw, himself a Durham monk, was 

 elected 31 March, 1311.'^ 



Between him and the convent the greatest 



cordiality subsisted. He took much pleasure in 

 the society of the monks, and was almost in- 

 variably accompanied by one or more of them ; 

 his chancellor, seneschal, and confessor were 

 chosen from amongst their number.''^ Within a 

 few months of his consecration he bestowed 

 upon them his waste in the vill of Wolsingham 

 with the wood of Wastrophead,'^ extended their 

 park at Bearpark,'' augmented the office of 

 sacristan by the gift of certain waste land in 

 Middlewood, near Sacristanhaugh,'* insisted on 

 the payment of debts due to the house,'' and 

 smoothed their path in many smaller particulars. 

 In November, 13 12, he granted an indulgence 

 of forty days to all who went to hear the monks 

 preach the Gospel in the church.*" 



During the first half of the fourteenth century 

 both bishop and monks were called upon to 

 defend themselves from a common foe — a cir- 

 cumstance which probably contributed largely to 

 the preservation of peace amongst themselves. 

 The warlike and half-savage Scots of the borders 

 by a series of forays and inroads laid waste the 

 marches, and reduced the inhabitants, both 

 religious and secular, to great straits. In 

 August, 1313, the king demanded a loan of 

 300 marks from the prior and convent towards 

 the expenses of his army in the war with 

 Scotland,'^ and a year later the monks agreed to 

 pay 800 marks to Thomas, earl of Monay, to 

 ensure the bishopric against attack from the 

 Thursday before St. Edward's Day, i3i4,to the 

 octave of St. Hilary next following.*^ The pay- 

 ment of tenths also pressed heavily upon all in 

 the general distress, and the prior of Durham, to 

 whom it fell to collect both papal and royal 

 tenths, fifteenths, &c., in the county of Durham, 

 seems to have found it difficult to get the money 

 together.*' The corn and other crops on the 

 convent lands were so frequently destroyed by 

 the invaders, that in February, 1315-16, the 

 prior was obliged to send messengers to other 

 parts of the country to buy food.'*' During 

 the spring of that year the Scots entered the 

 bishopric and ravaged the monks' park at Bear- 

 park ; then marched northward, leaving ruin 

 and desolation behind them.*^ 



In the midst of all this trouble the house sus- 

 tained a severe blow in the death of its friend 

 and patron, Bishop Kellaw, 9 October, 13 16. 

 During the vacancy of the see difficulties oc- 

 curred with the chapter of York on the question 



" See Jrri. Je/itnia (New Ser.), xx, 124. 



"' This was a breach of custom, as it had hitherto 

 been thought dishonourable to the saint to allow a 

 corpse to enter the building ; and it is said that the 

 monks dared not bring the coffin in through the door, 

 but made a hole in the wall for it near the place of 

 interment ; Hutchinson, Hisf. Dm: i, 256. Gray- 

 stanes, however, does not mention this story, and 

 doubt has been thrown upon it by later writers ; I 

 Arch. Aehana (New Ser.), xx, 125, note. 



" Angl. Sacr. 755 ; Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. i, 258. 



96 



" Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. i, 258. 

 '* Reg. Paiat. Dun. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 1 1 

 " Ibid. 1 141. '* Ibid. 



" Ibid, i, 97. "" Ibid. 



*' Close, 7 Edw. II, m. 25 a". 

 "^ Raine, Nort/iern Registers (Rolls Ser 

 «' See Close, 8 Edw. II, m. 32 ; 10 

 4, 4a'. &c. ; Pat. 9 Edw. II, pt. I, m 

 *' Pat. 9 Edw. II, pt. I, m. 8. 

 *^ Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. i, 262. 



39- 

 1 148. 

 250. 



•), 232-3- 

 Edw. II, mm. 



