A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



and made an arrangement with Warter Priory by which the canons 

 impropriated Lund, while surrendering three advowsons." The church of 

 Bishopthorpe was appropriated to Clementhorpe Priory and a vicarage 

 ordained ;" and a commission was issued to tax vicarages in the churches of 

 Pontefract Priory.'' The medieties of Mexborough were consolidated, and 

 annexed to the archdeaconry of York/' Medieties of churches were 

 common : Rotherham, St. Mary Bishophill senior, and St. Mary Castlegate 

 in York, were churches thus divided.^" Some cases of riotous clerks and lay- 

 folk occur in Giffard's register. John of Stonegrave attempted to occupy 

 Stonegrave Church by force, while under excommunication." Some 

 'satellites of Satan' broke into the house of a canon of Ripon at Forcett ;" 

 and in a long list of crucesignati occur several names of persons guilty of 

 assaults on clergy." 



GifFard favoured the friars of his diocese. The Friars Minors and 

 Preachers he writes, shine in the church of God like the brightness of the 

 firmament.'* They have been raised in the latter days like Enoch and Elias be- 

 fore the last judgement : they are two olive-trees of perpetual greenness." He 

 ordained Dominicans from Pontefract and Tickhill, Franciscans from Bever- 

 ley, Carmelites and Friars of the Sack from York.'* In 1275 Giffard ordered 

 his receiver to provide for the entertainment of the Dominican provincial 

 chapter at York." He granted a licence to Franciscans to hear confessions 

 throughout the diocese (1267) ;" and ordered (1276) the Cistercian nunneries 

 to continue to confess to the friars, in spite of an inhibition from the abbots 

 of their order." The friars, however, received confessions indiscriminately, 

 as at Beverley, and absolved contumacious persons who were refused absolu- 

 tion by their parish priests. They were forbidden to receive penitents from 

 the parishes of St. Mary and St. Martin without the vicar's licence.^" 



This is not the place to discuss the monasteries ; but it may be noted 

 that Giffard's visitations of Selby Abbey " and Swine Priory '^ show that 

 the state of some religious houses called for thorough reform. Parochial 

 disputes were in many cases referred for settlement to ruridecanal chapters. 

 The chapter of Doncaster inquired at Darfield (21 November 1267) into the 



^Tork Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 50-1. The advowsons in question were those of Wheldrake, 

 Nunburnholme, and Thorpe Chapel. 



«' Ibid. 59, 60. The vicar is to have all the fruits of the altarage, and two marks yearly from 

 the charaber of the nuns ; ' et qualibet die Dominica unam refeccionem in domo vestra, qualem ceteris 

 famil.aribus honestis vestns ex consuetudine erogatis, qua si contentus absque murmure nolit esse, careat ipsa 

 quousque quae apad vos sui.t placide receperit et gratanter.' The vicar is to repair the chancel ; but if a new 

 one IS built, the nuns are to jom with him in repaying expenses. An assignation of vicarage and 

 garden follows. 



" Ibid. 251; Kippax, Silkstone, and Todwick. «s jjjij ^^^ ^oi 



'7°,lu-'i" 'o' ^^' ^+' ^'- " Ibid. 161', 162. 



" Ibid. 180. ' 



"This list begins fol. 122 d. and is continued on fol. 129, i29d., 130, i3od., 134, xxilL, ncd., i4od. 

 It is printed contmuously by Brown, York Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 278 seq. and in Lett. N. Reg. (Rolls Ser.), 

 46 seq. Henry of Rillington hss attacked the parish priest of RiUington ; William of Driffield has laid 

 hands on two clerks, Simon Orre and Robert of Langtoft. Another fault mentioned was irregularitat, i.e. 

 ordination by a prelate other than the candidate's own diocesan. 



" Tork Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 295 . 



r; fu'j ^' ^'^- (^°"' ^^^■)' 9' '°- " rork Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 189 seq. 



;; Ibid. 271. " See note 75 above. 



.1 .u-j"°'^ ''^ ^^°^^' '° '^"'^ ^'S- ^'f'"''^ (Surt. Soc. cix), 226, 227. 



„ i; ; '^^^ ^''l- '• ^ ^"S- 1275- See also the following section on the ' Religious Houses.' 

 rork Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 146 seq. ; see also ibid. 248, 249. 



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