A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



woollen merchants, who had amassed their fortunes while their noble neighbours were losing theirs 

 in supporting dynastic quarrels, an opportunity to found a new landed class. The substitution of a 

 strong personal government for the lax and distracted rule of the Lancastrians and Yorkists gave to 

 Yorkshire what it sorely needed, a period of peace to develop its resources. 



The civic strife, which had disgraced the Yorkshire towns during the 14th and iSth centuries, 

 which had, in fact, often been encouraged for party purposes, met with no support in the new order 

 of things. How tentatively the revolt in York in 1382 had been handled by royal authority has 

 already been seen ; a somewhat similar occurrence in 1517 met with different treatment. ^ On the 

 death of the Mayor of York, John Shaw, ' gret variaunce, contraversie, trowble and debate ' arose as 

 to the choice of his successor. ' Quarelles, assaults, afirays and mysdemeanours ' ensued ; many of the 

 aldermen, citizens, and commonalty were indicted, and the matter became so serious that the cases 

 were removed out of the provincial courts into the court of Chancery. William Neleson, one of 

 the York aldermen, who proved contumacious when he appeared before the council, was committed 

 to the Fleet. The death of a second alderman complicated matters still more. A commission was 

 appointed under Edmund, the Abbot of the monastery of St. Mary, ' to take order and direcon for 

 the weal of the said cytye.' Both candidates for the place of alderman were set aside, and ' two 

 other substantial! and discrete persones put in their romes.' But the people of York refused to obey 

 the commission, and chose John Norman and William Cure for aldermen, and William Neleson, 

 who was at the time in the Fleet Prison, as mayor. The royal wrath was excited. Nor was 

 Henry VIII the man to hesitate. York had been in a state of disorder long enough ; Letters Patent 

 were at once dispatched to put an end to the scandal, and the citizens were enjoined to accept John 

 Dodgeson as mayor until the next election, and to substitute for John Norman and William Cure as 

 aldermen two ' substantial! and discret persones.' 



Wolsey also wrote on 1 1 March exhorting the city to render due obedience and avoid worse 

 dangers. The submission of the city was instant and abject. John Dodgeson was accepted as 

 mayor, and Paul Gylde and Simon Vicaer were elected in place of Norman and Cure." 



It seems probable that the disorders and tumults which gave Henry an excuse for interfering 

 in the affairs of York were really caused by the desire of the various important craft gilds to have a 

 share in the government of the city. Thus Henry in his high-handed proceedings knew that he 

 had the popular will at his back. On 1 8 July of the year following, he granted to the citizens of 

 York a common council. This council was to consist of forty-one members, chosen, two from each 

 of the thirteen principal craft gilds and one from each of the fifteen secondary craft gilds ; they had im- 

 jMDrtant powers of nominating the candidates for the various civic offices and general advisory powers." 

 But the system created friction, and in 1562 the leader of the common council. Miles Cooke, and the 

 lord mayor had come to serious disagreements. The quarrel originated in a suggestion that the 

 burgesses should, on account of the dearness of provisions, have increased payment for ' their accus- 

 tomed diett.' " The common council refused the concession, but the mayor and twenty-four 

 persisted in voting them 6s. 8d. a day ^ in spite of their remonstrance. This was only the beginning 

 of the storm. Not the least important duty of the mayor and the twenty-four was the supervision of 

 the city gilds. The two searchers of the gild of ' mylnars ' had assembled their fellow-gildmen at 

 St. Antony's Hall, and they had agreed amongst themselves, without the consent of the lord mayor, that 

 they would take no money from the citizens for grinding, but that each ' mylnar ' should have a toll 

 dish and exact payment in kind, contrary to the ancient custom of the city." In 1530 it had been 

 enacted by the Lord Mayor's Court ' that none of the millers of the city should take above ob. for 

 grendyng of a bushell of corne.' " John Robson, one of the millers, confessed that he had reported 

 that the mayor had consented to the innovation, ' to the great dissenson between hym and the 

 commons of this city.' The two searchers. Brown and Carter, and Robson were all committed 

 to prison. 



But the commons had found a brave, if indiscreet, champion in the leader of the common 

 council. Miles Cooke, though it seemed as if more tumults were to disturb the city. Nor was the 

 dislike to paying toll in kind instead of by a fixed sum of money an idle prejudice ; later a case 

 occurs which probably is only an example of what the people had suffered at the hands of the 

 millers : — 



Further more it is ordered and agreed by the sayd presens forasmoche as by dewe proves it appreth 

 that Thomas Shaw farmer of the Telle in the pavement hath a great space used exacton upon the 

 Kyngs people in ukynge unlawe and excessyve tolne and specially by a countrafayt disshe in which he 



" York Munic. Rec. ix, fol. 87-91. Edward IV had dealt with the same difficulty in 1464 ; Foetiera, 

 V (2), (Hague Ed.) ; cf. Select Cases in Ct. of Star Chamber (Selden Soc), 25, civ. 

 " F. Drake, op. cit. 207. 



» York Munic. Rec. xxiii, fol. 75/^, 21 Dec. 1562. « Ibid. fol. -jSa, 29 Dec. 1562. 



Ibid. fol. 79,:, 13 Jan. 1562. " Ibid, xi, fol. 69, 19 Jan. 1530. 



448 



