18 THE CHARM OF ST. M'ARY’s ABBEY AND 
Churches’ property and his own matrimonial embarrassments, de¬ 
cided to confiscate their properties, demolish the monasteries, and 
annex the plunder to his own coffers. 
The religious fraternity followed the rule of St. Benedict and 
were habited in black; they used a psalter compiled expressly for 
their own devotion. The Archbishop had the right of an annual 
visitation for the purpose of correcting or reforming, by the assist¬ 
ance of heads of the monastery and a select number of his own 
principal Canons, any abuses that might be introduced. 
The Abbot of St. Mary's was, however, little inferior to the 
Archbishop of York in the splendour of his equipage ; he was 
entitled to wear a mitre, an honour shared only by the Abbot of 
Selby, as also were they entitled to a seat in the King’s Parliament, 
which entitled them to the dignified appellation of “ My lord 
Abbot.’’ The retinue of my lord Abbot of St. Mary’s, York, was 
indeed a sumptuous one whenever he travelled abroad ; he pos¬ 
sessed several splendid country houses, the principal ones being 
at Deighton and Overton, both near York ; and had a spacious 
park always well stocked with game at Beningbrough. In 
addition to these he had a town house in London, near to St. 
Paul’s Wharf, occupied by him when attending his Parliamentary 
duties. 
It is not unnatural that animosity existed between the citizens 
and the monks, relative to their jurisdictions and privileges; acts 
of violence ensued, and by the annals of the Convent we are 
informed that in 1262, during the abbacy of Simon de M arwick, 
the citizens slew several men belonging to the monastery and 
burnt a number of houses beyond Bootham Bar. To effect a 
reconciliation, the Abbot had to pay £100 as a peace-offering to 
the enraged party. He was so alarmed at the state of affairs that 
he absented himself from the Convent for more than a year. It 
thus became apparent that a better protection was required than 
the earthen mound afforded the monastery, and appeal was made 
to the King to allow the Abbot to build a wall on each unprotected 
side of the Abbey. The request was granted, and hence arose the 
high walls we now see enclosing the Museum grounds. They 
were constructed as a complete fortification with towers at certain 
distances, the walls embattled, had a wooden gallery within, the 
corbels for which may yet be seen. The whole circumference of 
the fortified wall and other works of defence were completed in 
1266. They are thus particularized—Bootham Bar to Record 
