A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



2 March 1380-1 he gave notice of a visita- 

 tion of the chapter.^' The canons appealed and 

 claimed the protection of the Curia.*' On 

 27 March only the precentor, a herefellarius, and 

 a chantry priest appeared at the visitation to 

 make their obedience.*' Two days later the 

 vicars were present, but refused to submit to 

 visitation, on the ground that they were afraid 

 of their principals, the canons, and then went 

 out laughing.*' Their determined contumacy is 

 one of the leading features of the business. The 

 chantry priests and berefellarii were more amen- 

 able, and three of the canons eventually obeyed 

 the summons.'* A writ of venire facias from 

 the king ^ was disregarded by Nevill, who ex- 

 communicated the vicars^ and his two chief foes 

 among the canons, Richard of Ravenser and 

 John of Wellingborough.*' His violence was 

 checked by a further royal mandate,*' but he was 

 still able to keep his opponents out of their 

 canonries.^' The vicars were maintained at 

 Lincoln during their exile by Ravenser, who 

 was Archdeacon of Lincoln.'^ Nevill fell into 

 disgrace a ^qvi years later, and early in 1388 a 

 royal commission was appointed to restore five 

 vicars, one btrefellariui, and the chaplain of 

 Queen Isabel's chantry to their benefices. '^ 



Nevill made a serious effort to enforce regular 

 residence upon the canons. His decrees pro- 

 vided for the reform of the common life in the 

 Bedern, and abrogated Greenfield's ordinance in 

 favour of the stricter constitution of Romanus.'* 

 The statutes of Archbishop Arundel in 1391 

 settled the conditions by which the church was 

 governed until its suppression." Detailed in- 

 structions are given as to the order of stalls in 

 quire, the presentation and admission of members 

 of the foundation, and sums of money to be 

 paid yearly out of the provostry. The archbishop 

 was recognized as a genuine canon and preben- 

 dary, and as president of the chapter when resi- 

 dent. No order was taken for the residence of 

 the canons; but the three 'officers,' the bere- 

 fellarii^ vicars, and chantry priests were directed 

 to be constantly at their posts, and to take part 

 in the quire services. The corrodies of the 

 canons, including the archbishop, were settled at 

 annual payments of ;^io a year each ; the cor- 

 rody of the chancellor was raised to a like amount. 

 Extra payments out of the Bedern, over and 

 above those decreed by the statutes, were can- 

 celled ; and, in order to avoid any excess of 

 expenditure over revenue, the offices of goldsmith 



" Chapter Act Bk. (Surt. See), ii, 202-4. 



" Ibid. 208 seq. " Ibid. 232. 



" Ibid. 233-4. '^ Ibid. 234 seq. 



" Ibid. 242-3. ^ Ibid. 239-40, 244-5. 



" Ibid. 24S. » Ibid. 263-5. 



" Ibid. pp. Ixxviii, Ixxix. " Ibid. p. Ixxxi. 



" Cal. Pat. 1385-9, p. 465. 



" Chapter Act Bk. (Surt. See), ii, 249-54. 



" See note 36 above. 



358 



and master mason were terminated by the death 

 of their existing holders, and the care of the 

 shrines and fabric thenceforward committed to 

 the chapter. 



Arundel's assertion of the presidential status 

 of the archbishop was probably regarded as a 

 dead letter. The Provost's Book, drawn up in 

 his time, expressly calls the provost Robert of 

 Manfield, who was senior canon and prebendary, 

 the president of the chapter." Manfield appears 

 to have been concerned in Archbishop Scrope's 

 rebellion, for in February 1407-8 he received a 

 royal pardon." His enemies in the provostry 

 translated his letters of pardon into English, and 

 fixed copies to the doors of the inns of Beverley, 

 pretending that they were his letters of orders. 

 Headed by one of the governors of the town and 

 other municipal authorities, the commons of 

 Beverley attacked the provost's house.'* How 

 the matter ended is uncertain; but in 14 17 

 Simon Russell describes the chapter as in a 

 flourishing state, the provost being at peace with 

 all the canons and ministers, and all in full 

 receipt of their corrodies and other payments, 

 so that probably the external strife was over." 

 A difficulty arose between Provost Robert Nevill 

 and King Henry VI with regard to the corrody 

 of the butler of the Bedern, which the Crown 

 claimed on a vacancy. This was settled after 

 Robert Rolleston had succeeded to the provost- 

 ship in 1427;^*'*' and meanwhile, on 13 March 

 1427-8, Rolleston obtained from the king 

 Letters Patent which confirmed all the rights 

 granted by previous charters to the provost and 

 chapter.^ 



Rolleston seems to have been the last provost 

 who was commonly resident at Beverley. The 

 last two provosts before the suppression of the 

 college were Thomas Wynter, a natural son of 

 Wolsey, and Reynold Lee, a relation of Arch- 

 bishop Lee. Neither at his appointment was of 

 an age to take priest's orders ;^ but this necessary 

 condition was overlooked. At the time of the 

 second Chantries Act, under which the college 

 was suppressed, Reynold Lee is described as 

 "temporall man," i.e. administrator of its tem- 

 poralities.' 



In the Valor of 1535* the revenues of the 

 provostship were reckoned at ;^I09 8j. i\d. net. 

 The corrodies of the canons were ^^7 141. each. 

 Other sources of revenue, principally derived 

 from thraves, brought the prebends up to amounts 

 which varied from ^^48 lbs. id. to ^^31 8j. ^■ 



^ Chapter Act Bk. (Surt. Soc), ii, 306. 



" Cal. Pat. 1405-8, p. 407. 



^ Ibid. p. 408. 



^ Chapter Act Bk. (Surt. Soc.), ii, 307. 



""Ibid. 336-8. 



' Cal. Pat. 1422-9, pp. 490-1. 



' Chapter Act Bk. (Surt. Soc), ii, pp. xcv, xcix. 



' Yorks, Chant. Surv. (Surt. Soc.), 524. 



' Fakr Eccl. (Rec. Com,), v, i 30 et seq. 



