ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



were normally in orders, and no breach of their rule was involved in their 

 serving as parish priests in appropriate churches, provided they still lived the 

 common life. In 1207 the abbey of Leicester arranged to appoint three 

 canons in their church of Cockerham in addition to the existing chaplain, and 

 after his death to keep four canons there."' A more active religious influence 

 was no doubt introduced by the coming of the friars in the second half of the 

 century. They settled as usual in the towns ; the Dominicans or Black Friars 

 at Lancaster, the Franciscans or Grey Friars at Preston, and the Austin Friars 

 at Warrington."' Their work lay in the slums of the town among the 

 poorest and most neglected class of the population, but their devotion must 

 have stirred spiritual life in a wider circle. Such an example was much 

 needed. The conditions under which the parish clergy were appointed were 

 not favourable to high ideals of character and self-sacrifice. Prominent 

 among the causes of clerical apathy and inefficiency must be reckoned the 

 papal dispensations for pluralities and non-residence which were freely granted 

 to those who had influence. In a great many parishes the cure of souls was 

 left to stipendiary clergy without sufficient guarantees for their being well 

 chosen and properly paid. 



Allusion has already been made to one mighty pluralist, John Mansel, 

 the non-resident rector of Wigan. His, no doubt, was an exceptionally 

 gross case. But John le Romeyn (Romanus), who became archbishop of 

 York in 1286, had held the Lancashire rectories of Bolton-le-Sands and 

 Melling along with that of Wallop in Hampshire and other preferments."" 

 He was the natural son by a servant girl of John le Romeyn, archdeacon of 

 Richmond (f. 1241— 7), and treasurer of York, himself of illegitimate birth, 

 and according to Matthew Paris, very rich and avaricious. Moreover the 

 crown used its patronage, with the connivance of the pope, to pay its servants 

 and reward its favourites, and the spiritual interests of the county were 

 thrust into the background. 



The valuable benefice of Preston, which had reverted to the crown on 

 the death of Theobald Walter, was thus employed by John and his son. 

 Henry III successively presented to the living a nephew of Peter des Roches, 

 his treasurer William Haverhill, Arnulf a chaplain of his half-brother 

 Geoffrey of Lusignan, Henry de Wengham, 'a discreet and circumspect 

 courtier ' and a great pluralist, who was also rector of Kirkham, and retained 

 both livings after his appointment as bishop of London, and finally the 

 famous Walter de Merton, chancellor, bishop of Rochester, and founder of 

 Merton College, Oxford."^ Matthew Paris singles out as a conspicuous 

 instance of the king's abuse of his patronage the preferment of Arnulf : 



a fool and buiFoon . . . utterly ignorant alike in manners and learning, whom I have seen 

 pelting the King, his brother Geoffrey and other nobles, whilst walking in the orchard of 

 St. Albans, with turf, stones and green apples and pressing the juice of unripe grapes in 

 their eyes, like one devoid of sense.^'^ 



Edward I was not guilty of such scandals as this last, but the rich 

 rectories of Manchester and Childwall, when they came into his hands during 

 the protracted minority of Thomas Grelley, the last of his line, were bestowed 



'« Lanes. Final Concords (Rec. Soc), i, 26. "' See ' Religious Houses.' 



'" Diet. Nat. Biog. xlix, 182. '" T. C. Smith, Rec. of Preston Church, 25 sqq. 



'" Matth. Paris, Chron. Maj. (Rolls Ser.), v, 329. 



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