A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



Bek's successor, was consecrated in York Minster and professed obedience. In 

 addition to the Bishops of Carlisle and Whithorn, the Bishop of Argyll 

 helped to consecrate.''' Greenfield and Kellawe worked together in defending 

 the border. They held a council of clergy and nobles at York in January 

 1 3 15, at which the clergy agreed to contribute id. in the mark towards 

 defensive operations." At the same time the prelates resisted any attempt 

 to over-tax the clergy, and in 13 12 communicated the refusal of the northern 

 convocation of the aid of \2d. in the mark, which Edward II demanded 

 for the Scottish war.*" In 13 14 Greenfield ordered his official to inhibit 

 Sir Nicholas Meynell from pressing the clergy of Bulmer and Ryedale into 

 military service." At the beginning of his rule Greenfield had ten knights 

 with the king in Scotland.'^ He allowed one of the vicars of Beverley 

 Minster to take the standard of St. John northward in 13 10,'' and pro- 

 moted preaching against the Scots, sending Dr. Gower, rector of Whel- 

 drake, to a rendezvous at Northallerton (20 January 1 3 14-1 5) for that purpose.** 



Greenfield ordained vicarages in the treasurer's churches of Alne and 

 Acomb,*'' in the dean's church of Kilnwick Percy,*' in the prebendal churches 

 of Ampleforth, Bishop Wilton, Salton, and Strensall." Other ordinations of 

 vicarages by Greenfield were in the churches of BrafFerton, appropriated to 

 Newburgh ; Edston Magna, to Hexham ; Sancton, to Watton ; and Skipsea, 

 to Meaux."'' Greenfield died at Cawood 6 December 13 15, and was buried 

 at York ' with the honour due to so great a father.'*' 



William Melton, his successor, was elected at the instance of Edward 11.'° 

 His consecration took place at Avignon in October 13 17." The historical 

 interest of his episcopate is centred in the Scottish wars. In September 

 1319a detachment of Scots attacked York. Melton met them at Myton-on- 

 Swale. His 10,000 men were largely recruited from his clergy, the ordinary 

 militia being with Edward II at Berwick, and were completely defeated by 

 the invaders. The Scots derisively called the battle the Chapter of Myton. 

 from the number of clergy in it.'' In November, Melton, asking a numbei 

 of the abbots and priors in his diocese for an aid, pleaded that Hexham, 

 Ripon, Otley, and Sherburn had been laid waste ; his army, including many 

 of his tenants, had been slain at Myton ; his horses, carriages, arms, vessels of 

 silver and brass, had been lost there by the clumsiness of their guardians."' 

 He reckoned in July 1 3 i 8 that the possessions of the archbishopric had been 

 reduced to half their value. Tadcaster Church was destroyed. The Scots 



'» Hist. Ch. York (RoUs Ser.), iii, 233 seq. " Lett. N. Reg. (Rolls Ser.), 233, 234., 237, 243, 244. 



™ Lett. N. Reg. (Rolls Ser.), 210, 211. 



" Ibid. 235, 236. 8J j{,;jj_ j_- /ggg jjQjg . aboyj\ 



^ Ibid. 198. «^ Ibid., 242, 243. 



"^ Lawton, Co//. 432, 46. M Ibid. 350. 



''Ibid. 512, 328, 535,461. 



" Ibid. 426, 516, 363, 414. Featherstone, appropriated to Nostell, may possibly be counted as well 

 (ibid. 124). 



^ Stubbs, Hist. Ch. York (Rolls Ser.), ii, 414, 415. 



" Melton's benefices, including the provostship of Beverley, are enumerated by Dixon and Raine, op. cit. 

 398-400. See Cal. Pat. 1307-13, pp. 2, 92, 116, 117, 286, 350, for various preferments between 1307 

 and 1 3 1 1 . 



" Stubbs, Hist. Ch. Yorlt (Rolls Ser.), ii, 415. 



" See Dixon and Raine, op. cit. 402, 403, for an account of the battle and authorities. 



"^ Lett. N. Reg. (Rolls Ser.), 295, 296. See also ibid. (294) for a letter to the rural dean of Sher- 

 burn about the goods of archiepiscopal tenants who had died at Myton. 



36 



