A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



church of York assigned to the vicarage of Blyth, as an augmentation, all the 

 tithes both of corn and hay of the chapelries of Bawtry and Austerfield. 

 Whereupon the prior of Blyth and William de Elton, the vicar of the same, 

 appeared in York Minster before the official, who gave the prior the choice 

 whether the whole tithes of the two chapelries should be allotted to the 

 vicarage or whether he would pay >T6o to the vicar and his successors, in 

 good portions. The prior selected the latter alternative.* 



In January 1279-80 Sir Henry de Sibthorpe, in consequence of his zeal 

 and devotion to the Catholic faith, obtained leave to have an oratory within 

 the court of his manor of Sibthorpe for the use of himself and his household, 

 served by a competent chaplain at a suitable stipend, the due rights of the 

 parish church being reserved. A particular proviso was also entered to the 

 effect that the licence should be totally void if ever the oratory was lacking 

 in vestments, ornaments, or chalice.* 1 



An entry of particular moment to liturgiologists occurs in Wickwane's 

 register, under date 7 May 1282. A mandate was then addressed to the 

 Dean of Retford by the archbishop, to command each of the rectors and 

 vicars throughout the archdeaconry of Nottingham to provide themselves, 

 within a year, with books of the Use of York, denouncing any who might 

 prove contumacious/ 8 



Under the heading Correcciones C/austra/es in Archidiaconatu Notmghamie y 

 the injunctions consequent on Archbishop Wickwane's visitation of the 

 religious houses of Newstead, Worksop, Thurgarton, and Blyth, in 1280, are 

 set forth at length.* 3 



Archbishop Wickwane's successor, John Romayne, or Romanus, ruled 

 the diocese for some ten years. Two cases occur in his register of the awk- 

 ward and exceptional arrangement by which there was a rector and a vicar 

 both resident on the same benefice. In 1287 the archbishop drew up an 

 ordinance to regulate the enrolments and duties of Master William de Barrok 

 the rector and Thomas the vicar of Flintham, to put an end to long-standing 

 contention between them. The rector was to reside and to exercise daily 

 hospitality ; he was to have a bovate of the demesne land then held by the 

 vicar, the tithe of 2 bovates of land in the field of Kneeton, and the mor- 

 tuaries pertaining to the church both in cattle and chattels. The vicar was 

 to retain everything else assigned to him by the original ordinance of the 

 vicarage. This agreement was, however, only to hold good so long as the 

 present rector and his successors were personally resident.** 



In 1291 the archbishop had occasion to administer a severe rebuke to 

 the rector of Marnham because of his conduct towards the vicar of the 

 same parish.* 5 



The chapter of Lincoln, on 24 June 1288, requested the archbishop to 

 admit their newly-elected dean, Philip de Willoughby, into the benefices in 

 York diocese belonging to the deanery. Dean Philip appointed Robert de 

 Wadingham, chaplain, to act as his proctor, and to promise canonical obedience 

 on his behalf to the archbishop for these benefices. On 12 July Henry, 



40 York Epis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. 1 80. 41 Ibid. fol. 14, I2od. 



41 Ibid. fol. 179. As to the Use of York and its important divergencies, see Diocesan Hist, of fork, 

 294-307. 



** Ibid. fol. 1367. Reference is made to these in the subsequent accounts of the religious houses. 

 44 York Epis. Reg. Romayne, fol. 72 d. " Ibid. fol. 78. 



