POLITICAL HISTORY 



of the old order.'' The rising ot the peasants in the South and Midlands in the summer of 138 1, 

 the news of which sent the Duchess of Lancaster flying in terror first to Pontefract Castle and then 

 to Knaresborough,'^ aggravated the trouble in York and Beverley and led to a similar outbreak at 

 Scarborough.^' Here the rising was headed by Robert Galoun, a man of some standing, and William 

 Marche, a draper ; their followers adopted a uniform of white hoods with red tippets and adminis- 

 tered an oath of fealty and mutual support ; the royal officers were expelled and others set up in their 

 place, but in the end the commonalty of Scarborough had to pay a fine of ;^400 to obtain the royal 

 pardon, forty-two persons being exempted from contributing thereto ; at the same time Beverley had 

 to pay 1,100 marks, only ten persons obtaining exemption.*' 



During the last ten years of his reign Richard II visited York fairly frequently and showed his 

 appreciation of the cordial reception given to him by presenting to the mayor a sword of estate and 

 also a silver mace and cap of maintenance." He even, for a short time in 1393, moved the courts 

 of King's Bench and Chancery from London to York,'^ either out of dislike for the Londoners, or 

 possibly to assist the northern city, which had suffered severely from plague in 1391.°° It would 

 seem, however, that when Henry, Earl of Lancaster, landed at Ravenspur in November 1399^*"' 

 to claim the throne the corporation of York ass'sted him with a loan of 500 marks, their brethren 

 of Hull following their example to the extent of ^100.^ A few months later Pontefract Castle 

 became the prison of the deposed King Richard, and there, on 14 February 1400, he died of 

 starvation, by his own act, as the Lancastrians alleged.^ About midsummer, 1 400, Henry IV 

 came to York to raise men and money for an expedition against the Scots, and while waiting in the 

 city he received a band of French knights errant, led by Karl de Savoisy ; their challenge was at 

 once accepted, and in the tournament that ensued two of the king's men particularly distinguished 

 themselves. Sir John Cornwaill, or ' Grenecornewayle,' was rewarded for his prowess with the 

 hand of the king's sister, the widowed Countess of Huntingdon, while ' Ranico,' if we may identify 

 him with Janico Dartas, received a yearly pension of ;£i00.' After the suppression of the rebellion 

 headed by 'Hotspur' and the Earl of Worcester in 1403 King Henry came to York, and there 

 received the Earl of Northumberland, whom he put under arrest. At the same time he caused a 

 hermit who had rashly and inaccurately prophesied evil of him to be executed.* Next year, 

 in June 1404, the king was at Pontefract and there had another interview with the Earl of 

 Northumberland ; he also sentenced to death Serle, formerly chamberlain to King Richard, who 

 had been asserting that Richard was still alive." The severity, bad faith, and partiality displayed 

 by Henry in his government soon roused the northern lords to fresh rebellion, and in Yorkshire a 

 leader was found in Archbishop Richard Scrope, a man universally beloved for the purity and 

 sincerity of his life. The archbishop and Thomas Mowbray, Earl Marshal, then drew up a list of 

 grievances and suggestions for their remedy, and caused their demands to be set up in English in the 

 streets of York and on the gates of the monasteries. Very soon a large force was drawn together, 

 relying partly on the goodness of their cause and partly on assistance from the Earl of Northumber- 

 land and Lord Bardolf, who were known to be raising men on the Scottish border. With this 

 undisciplined crowd of armed men the archbishop and the earl marched out to Shipton Moor 

 apparently by way of making a demonstration. The Earl of Westmorland and John of Lancaster, 

 the king's son, at once advanced at the head of an army and took up a position opposite them. 

 Finding that he was not attacked, Westmorland sent to the archbishop to ask the meaning of this 

 martial assembly, to which Scrope replied that it was rather for peace than war, and showed a copy 

 of his proclamation, the contents of which the wily earl praised, suggesting that they should have a 

 friendly conference on the matter. The archbishop persuaded the Earl Marshal to agree to this 

 and the leaders of both parties met midway between the two armies. Westmorland then 

 expressed his agreement with the demands of the insurgents, invited the archbishop to show his 

 friendship by drinking with him, and suggested that he should dismiss his followers. As soon as the 

 insurgent host had begun to disperse, Westmorland surrounded the archbishop and his companions, 

 arrested them, and carried them off to Pontefract. King Henry hastened from Wales to Pontefract', 

 where he refused to allow the archbishop an interview, and thence to York, where the citizens' 

 terrified at his threats, came out to meet him in abject fear. He then took up his residence at 

 Bishopthorpe, whither the prisoners were brought. No defence was allowed, and when Chief 



" Rdville, Le Soulivement de Travailleurs, pp. cii-cvi, 253-74. 



" Knighton, Chnn. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 144. 95 R^^iUe^ Xoz. cit. 



'* Cd. Pat. 1 38 1-5, pp. 209-10 ; Roy. Hist. Soc. Trans, (ncvi ser.), xix, 77-00. 

 " Raine, Hist. Towns— Vork, 77-8. 



'' Walsingham, Hist. Angl. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 213. " Ibid. 203. 



™ Ibid. 233. 1 Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, p. 354. 



' Trokelowe, Chron. et Ann. (Rolls Ser.), 330. 

 ^ Ibid. 333 ; Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, pp. 352-4. 



* Trokelowe, op. cit. (Rolls Ser.), 372. Ibid. 390. 



407 



