RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



of the custody of the spirituah'tles of the bishop- 

 ric, the metropolitan see being also void.^^ The 

 two chapters finally agreed to refer the whole 

 matter to the pope, and abide by his decision.*' 



A fresh struggle now arose as to the election 

 of a bishop. The monks received letters from 

 the king and queen, earnestly begging them to 

 choose Lewis de Beaumont, the queen's cousin ; 

 but having obtained licence they proceeded to 

 elect Henry of Stamford, prior of Finchale, 

 thus asserting their independence, and at the 

 same time doing their best to secure a worthy 

 successor to Bishop Kellaw, for Henry was in 

 every respect a suitable person for the post. But 

 while the election was going forward in the 

 chapter-house, the church was filled with excited 

 courtiers eagerly awaiting the issue. Lewis de 

 Beaumont himself was there, with his brother 

 Henry, and his friends the earls of Lancaster, 

 Hereford, and Pembroke, besides many persons 

 bitterly opposed to his cause ; and threats of 

 violence were heard on all sides. News of the 

 election of Henry of Stamford was at once taken 

 to the king at York, and he was personally wil- 

 ling to confirm the monks' choice ; but the 

 queen, on her knees, entreated him to appoint 

 her cousin. The king accordingly refused his 

 assent, and sent letters to the pope recommending 

 Lewis on the ground that it was eminently 

 desirable for the moment to have as bishop of 

 Durham a man who was first and firemost a 

 good soldier, on account of the condition of the 

 Marches.** The chapter of York dared not run 

 counter to the king, so the bishop-elect, after con- 

 sulting the convent, decided to go to Rome ; but 

 before his arrival the pope, by an act of appalling 

 injustice, had given the bishopric to Lewis, salv- 

 ing his conscience by imposing upon him at 

 the same time an enormously heavy fine. As 

 nothing whatever could be objected against 

 Henry, the pope endeavoured to console him 

 with a grant of the priory of Durham, when it 

 should next fall vacant ; but Henry did not live 

 to reap any benefit from this generous offer. 

 Worn out by all he had gone through he 

 travelled back as far as the cell at Stamford, 

 where he fell ill of a gradual decline and died 

 in 1320.*^ 



Meanwhile the war with Scotland continued. 

 The monks were ordered to hold processions and 

 to pray for the success of the English troops ;'" 

 and one of their number was sent to join the 

 army with the banner of St. Cuthbert,'^ which 

 was said to bring victory in its train. The 



«« Close, 10 Edw. II, m. zd. 



" Kaine, Hist. Ch. of York (Rolls Ser.), iii, 237. 



** MS. of J. Ormsby-Gore, esq., M.P. No. ■]U; 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iv, 385. 



"' Angl. Sacr. 757-8. 



^ Raine, Northern Repsters (Rolls Ser.), 264. 



" He was accompanied by his grooms and three 

 horses, and received 1 zd. a day for his expenses ; 

 Exch. K.R. Misc. (Wardrobe), No. |f. 



enemy, however, continued to infest the border 

 counties, and in October, 1322, were present in 

 Yorkshire in such force that the prior of Durham 

 was unable to travel south to present his accounts 

 at the Exchequer.^'^ 



In consequence of this state of things, during 

 the next twenty years the successive priors were 

 much occupied in secular and military matters. 

 Prior William ofConton actedasoneof the king's 

 justiciars for enforcing in Northumberland the 

 observance of the treaty with Scotland in 1 33 1,'' 

 and as ' collector of the money due for victuals 

 of the late king at Newcastle.' ^* It appears 

 that such scandalous reports were circulated with 

 regard to him that the king thought fit ' for the 

 protection of the innocent from the slanders of 

 the wicked ' to publish a statement to the effect 

 that the prior was ' a man of approved devotion 

 and of wise and laudable conduct in the adminis- 

 tration of the temporalities and spiritualities of 

 the priory.' '^ 



In the spring of 1333 the prior was ordered 

 to prepare a wagon and ten oxen to carry tents 

 for the troops ; a similar order ^^ was issued to 

 several other religious houses, and all were to be 

 at Durham by Easter week." 



These and other expenses fell so heavily on 

 the impoverished monks that in October, 1333, 

 the king forgave them a debt of ;|/^I00 due to 

 him, ' in consideration of their losses by the 

 frequent forr.ys of the Scots.' ^* 



About this time Bishop Beaumont died ; and 

 the king, while granting the monks leave to 

 elect a successor, wrote privately to the pope, 

 asking him to appoint Richard Aungerville of 

 Bury, his own domestic chaplain, which the 

 pope was quite ready to do. Meanwhile the 

 unconscious monks duly elected Robert of Gray- 

 stanes, sub-prior of Durham, '^ and applied to tlie 

 king to confirm their choice. He answered that 

 he much regretted his inability to do so, as the 

 pope had unfortunately already appointed Bury. 

 Graystanes went to York, and after consulting 

 with the canons there he was, with the consent 

 of the prior and convent of Durham, confirmed, 

 consecrated by the archbishop, and enthroned, 

 notwithstanding the refusal of the royal assent. 

 Having professed obedience, he applied for the 

 restitution of the temporalities ; but this was 

 refused, the king saying that he should lay the 

 whole matter before Parliament. Soon after- 

 wards Richard of Bury came to Durham, armed 

 with papal and royal authority, and was imme- 

 diately received.^"" The archbishop, afraid of 



'' Close, 16 Edw. II, m. 24 a'. 

 »» Pat. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 28a'. 

 " Close, 5 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, mm. 9, 7. 

 '*Pat. 6 Edw. Ill, pt. i,m. 9. 

 °* i.e. for ' a cart and five horses.' 

 " Pat. 7 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 13. 

 " Ibid. pt. 2, m. 25. 

 " The well-known historian. 

 ™ Jngl. Sacr. 762. 



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