CITY OF DURHAM 



of increasing the attractions of the place in 

 the eyes of pilgrims. They and other visitors, 

 as they came, would require the services of 

 a host of tradesmen, purveyors, and hucksters. 

 It is no surprise, also, to find not merely 

 constant reference in Reginald to the crowds 

 of visitors, but various allusions elsewhere 

 to the existence of the Durham mint. It was 

 a necessity, in order to provide a local medium of 

 exchange, and its resuscitation by special grant, 

 just after Pudsey's death, goes to prove that 

 the necessity was felt and allowed by the king. 

 At the moment when Boldon Book was written, 

 the mint was temporarily in abeyance. The 

 local imports, connected not merely with the 

 city, but with the bishopric, were numerous, 

 consisting of wine, mill-stones, salt and herrings. 

 It was sometimes an incidence of service that 

 such commodities should be carted to Durham. '' 

 On the other hand, there was an e.xport trade 

 of some volume ; as, for instance, mill-stones 

 from Durham to Ireland, and also salmon and 

 iron, with other merchandise.^" No doubt 

 the Cuthbertine Fairs in March and September 

 were the chief opportunities of trade, and 

 Reginald's incidental mentions of these great 

 occasions suggest their very great social and 

 economic importance. They not merely afforded 

 trade and market meetings on a great scale, 

 but brought no little gain to the bishop or the 

 farmers appointed by him, as we gather from 

 the returns for ' booth-silver ' or stallage, 

 a similar rent being paid still to the corporation 

 of Durham for travelling shows, etc., allowed 

 to take up their stand in the market-place. 



In the 13th century two great strifes occu- 

 pied the attention of Durham people — the one 

 between bishop and monastery, and the 

 other between bishop and barons of the 

 bishopric. Both have been described elsewhere,^* 

 and do not concern us here, save as very sig- 

 nificant factors in the condition of the inhabit- 

 ants, who were washed to and fro in the rough 

 tide-way as the storm flowed or ebbed. The 

 monastery dispute opens with the savage attack 

 of the foreign Bishop Philip upon the cathedral, 

 which has been described for us by the 

 chronicler Geoffrey of Coldingham.22 It was 

 almost the Cumin episode over again. A 

 deadly controversy had arisen between the 

 bishop and the monastery. Apparently the 

 bishop, a foreigner, was induced to believe that 

 the monks had invaded the episcopal liberties, 

 and in particular had usurped the patronage 

 of the Church in Elvet. Stung by this supposed 

 invasion of his own rights, he started up to 



•9 V.C.H. Dur. i, 305. 



20 Ibid. 306. 



"F.C.//.Z)ur.ii, 16-18. 



*2 Hist. Dunelm. Script. Tres (Surt. Soc), 17-27. 



defend his injured pride. If we may trust 

 Geoffrey, whose interest, of course, lay very 

 emphatically with the monks, Philip regularly 

 besieged Elvet Church, placing armed sentinels 

 all round it, applying fire and smoke to doors 

 and windows, ordering that no food should be 

 given to the beleaguered monks. The general 

 sympathy, we are told, was aU on the side of the 

 religious, who for conscience' sake endured 

 every species of indignity heaped upon them, 

 until the bishop, for very shame, surrendered 

 the church and made no further claim upon the 

 advowson of St. Oswald's. An interval of peace 

 elapsed, and then further disputes broke out, 

 which gave Philip opportunity for exhibiting 

 all the ferocious savagery of character with which 

 the chronicler credits him. The prelate thought 

 nothing of imprisoning the citizens of Durham 

 and of the bishopric generally, haling them 

 off to prison and spoihng their goods. Some 

 resorted to the most contemptible adulation 

 towards the prelate, hoping to make him their 

 friend and to secure peace. Others meditated a 

 general rising against his tyranny. The Prior 

 Bertram actually journeyed to the royal court 

 to seek his favour at a time when John's hands 

 were full with other things. The king amused 

 his visitor with kind words and promises ; but 

 Bertram returned to find that the bishop was 

 already punishing the monks, and through them 

 the citizens, for the prior's action. The postern 

 gate, by which access was gained to the Abbey 

 Mill below the cathedral, was built up to prevent 

 any passing to and fro, and so to starve the 

 monks. They had made a new fish-pond, 

 and this was destroyed. The ovens in the monks' 

 borough of Elvet were rendered useless. The 

 fish tank at Finchale was broken up. The water 

 supply, which was brought apparently in pipes 

 from beyond the river, and perhaps crossed the 

 Wear at the mill-dam, conveyed the water to 

 Palace Green. The bishop diverted this, and 

 brought the water into the castle, so as to cut 

 it off from the monastery. All this mad fury 

 eventually culminated at the autumn fair of 

 St. Cuthbert, when the city was thronged with 

 visitors, and Philip prohibited the prior from 

 celebrating the High Mass usual at that time 

 and made a general proclamation forbidding 

 all alike, clergy and laity, from being present 

 in the cathedral. Bertram celebrated notwith- 

 standing, when an unseemly scuffle ensued, 

 which was only ended by the common sense 

 of the Archdeacon of Richmond, who was pre- 

 sent, and appealed to the excited throng to 

 await the return of the prior's messengers, 

 who had been sent to Rome to appeal to Pope 

 Innocent III.^^ 



» Roger of Wendover, Flores Hist. (Rolls Ser. 84), 

 ii, 68. 



15 



