

RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



order to eject Richard of Hoton he sent for his 

 foresters of Weardale and men of Tynedale, who 

 besieged the convent. They cut off the supplies 

 of food and water, forced the gates of the priory 

 and cloister, and drove the monks into the church, 

 where they kept them for three days, reducing 

 them to the verge of starvation. At length, on 

 St. Bartholomew's Day, the bishop's party amongst 

 the brethren, driven to desperation, admitted one 

 of the Tynedale men into the church, and com- 

 manded him to remove the prior by force. He con- 

 sented, but when he caught sight of the reverend 

 father he drew back, awestruck, and declared that 

 for no amount of gold would he do this thing. 

 Whereupon one of the monks, an adherent of 

 the bishop, pulled the prior from his seat, and 

 Luceby was installed in his place. Then the whole 

 body of monks, coerced, starved, and terrified, 

 submitted and professed obedience to the bishop. 87 



Prior Richard and his two principal supporters 

 were imprisoned in the abbey, and the bishop 

 rejoiced over their defeat. But his triumph was 

 of short duration. The prior complained that 

 his health was suffering from the closeness of his 

 confinement, and asked leave to take the air. 

 Permission having been granted, he left the city, 

 and, attended by a small body-guard, walked 

 down the hill towards Shincliffe. Suddenly, as 

 the party reached the bridge, eight men made 

 their appearance, leading a horse ready saddled 

 and bridled. Five minutes later the guards were 

 in full flight towards Durham, while the daunt- 

 less prior, accompanied by William de Conton, 

 his chaplain,* 8 for whom a second horse had been 

 quickly found, was riding for his life in the 

 opposite direction. He escaped into Cleveland, 

 and there remained until Parliament met in the 

 following February at Lincoln, where he attended 

 in person, stated his grievances, and obtained the 

 king's permission to go to Rome. 



The pope summoned Bishop Bek to answer 

 personally at Rome the charges brought against 

 him ; instead of which he merely sent proctors. 

 This angered the pope, who received the prior's 

 appeal very graciously, and decreed on 29 No- 

 vember, 1301, that he should be restored to his 

 place, pronouncing Luceby's election ' irregular.' 

 He also suspended the bishop, and again com- 

 manded him to come to Rome in person on pain 

 of deprivation. This time the bishop thought 

 good to obey, but he came in the utmost pomp 

 and state. The pope, impressed by his magni- 

 ficence and lavish expenditure, received him 

 favourably, and gave him leave to visit the 

 convent, attended by two clerks, one notary, and 

 one religious of the same order. 6 * 



67 It is said that Luceby only consented to be in- 

 stalled because in the event of his refusal the bishop 

 had threatened to appoint a foreigner. 



** Afterwards prior of Durham. 



" i.e. ' in accordance with the Bonifacian Consti- 

 tution." 



This, however, did not satisfy the bishop. 

 After the death of Pope Boniface, he obtained 

 from his successor a bull ordering the archbishop 

 of Canterbury and the bishops of Lincoln and 

 Worcester to visit the convent. To them he 

 accused the prior of dilapidations and various 

 offences, but before any inquiry could be made 

 the pope died. The charges were repeated to 

 Clement, the new pope, as soon as might be, and 

 he very rashly acted upon them, suspending the 

 prior in spiritualities and also in temporalities. 

 The prior once more started for Rome to appeal 

 against this sentence, but was delayed by the 

 advance of winter, and remained near Canterbury. 

 The bishop put Luceby in charge of the convent, 

 and the pope ordered the abbot of Lazenby to 

 give him possession ; but the exasperated monks 

 refused to admit the abbot, thereby bringing 

 down a sentence of excommunication on them- 

 selves and their prior. 



The pope, however, had made a mistake. His 

 interference with the temporalities was an in- 

 vasion of the rights of the crown, which brought 

 on a judicial examination of the whole matter, 

 and both parties found themselves loaded with a 

 heavy fine. Prior Richard now returned from 

 Canterbury, met the king at Durham, celebrated 

 mass in his presence at St. Oswald's altar on 

 St. Oswald's Day, and received from him a letter 

 of recommendation to the pope. Armed with 

 this, he again went to Rome and obtained a 

 sentence of restitution, for which the convent 

 was to pay 1,000 marks. But, unfortunately, he 

 died while still in Rome, and all his goods, horses, 

 books, plate, and jewels were confiscated to the 

 pope's use. 



' The prior being thus dead and buried,' says 

 Graystanes, 



choice was given to the three monks who accompanied 

 him to the curia to nominate a prior whom the pope 

 would prefer to the office. When one of them had 

 been pitched upon, however, so provoked was he that 

 he shed bloody tears from both eyes and nostrils, 

 saying, ' Would you bring such a scandal upon me that 

 it should be said I had poisoned my prior in order 

 that I might rule in his stead ? ' 



an exclamation which throws a somewhat lurid 

 light upon an age when such an accusation 

 should be regarded as not only possible, but the 

 most likely thing to be said. 70 The pope him- 

 self then proposed William of Tanfield, and he 

 was duly elected. It is said that for this pro- 

 motion William paid a bribe of 3,000 marks to 

 the pope and 1,000 to the cardinals. 71 



70 Arch. AeRana (New Ser.), xx, 123. 



71 For further particulars of the quarrel between 

 Bishop Bek and the convent, of which the above is a 

 mere outline, see Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. i, 244-9 

 Arch. AeRana (New Ser.), xx, 117; Raine, Northern 

 Registers (Rolls Ser.), 144; Pat. 29, 31, 32 Edw. I 

 and 33 Edw. I, pts. i, 2 ; Reg. Pa/at. Dun. (Rolls 

 Ser.), iv, Addit. 3-9, 15-77; J*gl- Sacr. 747-53. 



95 



