ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



A list of contributions from the diocese towards the expenses of the crusade undertaken by 

 Edward I before his accession to the throne is contained in Archbishop Giflfard's register." 

 The names are arranged under the four archdeaconries, and fifteen of the deaneries of the diocese 

 are mentioned under the names which they bore until their subdivision in modern times. In 

 Richmond ^Archdeaconry, the deanery of Lancaster is named twice, but the second time 

 * Loncastre ' is probably an error for Lonsdale. The deanery of Boroughbridge is not mentioned, 

 but this is included before the end of the century in Pope Nicholas' Taxation. This disposes 

 of the seventeen deaneries of the diocese in Yorkshire, whose extent is set forth below. About 

 the third quarter of the 13th century, therefore, that arrangement of deaneries was in working 

 order which was to continue for nearly six centuries, until the growth of population, and the 

 natural tendency to divide the burden of responsibility, led to the inevitable removal of historic 

 landmarks. 



The list in question places under special headings persons coming under the jurisdiction of 

 ' Beverlacum,' i.e. the chapter of Beverley, the provostry of Beverley, the deanery of Whitby 

 Strand, the liberty of Selby Abbey, the liberty of the Dean of York, and the liberty of Howden, 

 The deanery of Whitby Strand may be identified with the liberty of Whitby Abbey ; but the parishes 

 of Whitby Strand Liberty were usually after this date divided between the deaneries of Cleveland and 

 Dickering, and no further mention of the deanery occurs. The remaining divisions were peculiar 

 jurisdictions, over which a dean or an official with decanal power was appointed. The archbishops 

 appointed their own deans in their liberties and bailiwicks ; a number of these appointments 

 are to be found in Archbishop Romanus' register. The convent of Durham appointed a custos 

 of their spiritualities in Howdenshire and Allertonshire, who was instituted by the archbishop. •'^■^' 

 The peculiars belonging to the Dean and Chapter of York lay scattered about the county : among 

 the benefices held by William de Walcote, clerk and receiver to Queen Philippa, in 1353, was 

 that of the archdeaconry of St. Peter's, York," which may imply that the liberty of St. Peter, like 

 other large and scattered jurisdictions, had its own archdeacon. These peculiar jurisdictions, in 

 some cases, continued their existence in the shape of courts for purposes of administration long 

 after the offices to which they were attached were dissolved. Eventually, they were gradually 

 included within the limits of the rural deaneries. 



In 1541 the archdeaconry of Richmond passed from the diocese of York to that of Chester. 

 In 1836 the Yorkshire portion of this archdeaconry, with the archbishop's liberty of Ripon, 

 and the dear>ery of Craven, most of the deanery of Pontefract, and eventually the western part of 

 the deanery of Doncaster, from the archdeaconry of York, were formed into the diocese of Ripon. 

 In 1888 the portions of the old deaneries of Pontefract and Doncaster just alluded to were formed 

 into the diocese of Wakefield. The archdeaconries of the diocese of Ripon were at first Richmond 

 (including Ripon) and Craven. The northern part of Wakefield Diocese forms the archdeaconry 

 of Halifax, the southern part is the archdeaconry of Huddersfield. The archdeaconries of 

 Craven and Richmond were curtailed in 1894 by the creation of a new archdeaconry of 

 Ripon corresponding to the south-eastern part of the diocese ; but in 1905 the north-western 

 boundaries of this archdeaconry were slightly re-arranged, and a new deanery of Nidderdale 

 erected in the archdeaconry of Richmond. 



A new archdeaconry of Sheffield was formed in 1884 from the most populous portion 

 of the old deanery of Doncaster. In the diocese of York there are thus four archdeaconries, in 

 that of Ripon, three, and in that of Wakefield, two. 



In the following account of the rural deaneries, mediaeval parishes only are men- 

 tioned under each heading ; but where necessary, the names of mediaeval chapelries have 

 been given, and any local discrepancies between ecclesiastical and civil divisions have been 

 noted. Owing to the very large number of modern ecclesiastical parishes and districts, and 

 their occasional origin from two or three old parishes, no attempt has been made to enumerate 

 them. 



The archdeaconry of York or West Riding comprised the city and Ainsty of York, and the 

 whole of the West Riding with the following exceptions : — 



(i) Acaster Selby, in the Ainsty, formed part of the parish of Stillingfleet in 

 the archdeaconry of Cleveland and deanery of Bulmer. In 1861, being now a separate 

 benefice, it was united with the deanery of Ainsty, and in 1869 became part of the 

 deanery of Bishopthorpe, but still remained under the jurisdiction of the Archdeacon of 

 Cleveland. Since the dissolution of the deanery of Bishopthorpe (1896) it has been 



" Tork Reg. Giffard (Surt. Soc. cix), 277 seq. 



"■" Special sections of Reg. Romanus are devoted to the bailiwicks in the archbishop's jurisdiction, and 

 to the spiritualities of Howden and AUerton. 



" Cal. Papal Pet. i, 243. But William de Walcote was at this time Archdeacon of East Riding (Le 

 Neve, Fasti, iii, 142), and probably this is the office referred to. 



3 8i II 



