THE KING’S MANOR, YORK. 
Plate I. 
By A. B. Norwood, M.A. 
^JpHE King’s Manor is the name given to the irregular pile of 
building now occupied by the Yorkshire School for the 
Blind, and the Manor School for boys. 
A considerable portion of the edifice stands upon the site, and 
indeed, in some details, actually forms part of what was originally 
the residence of the Lord Abbot of St. Mary's. 
The story of the founding of St. Mary’s Abbey is connected with 
two of the most famous monasteries of Saxon times—Whitby and 
Lastingham. 
In 1074, the ancient Abbey of Whitby was refounded, Stephen, 
a monk of Whitby, being created Prior. In 1078, however, 
having incurred the displeasure of his patron, Earl William de 
Percy, Stephen had to abandon the Priory, and found his way to 
Lastingham, the place for ever famous as the old home of 
SS. Cedd and Chadd. An appeal to the King from Stephen for 
help resulted in the old monastery, or what was left of it, being 
given to him. The work of restoration at once began, and Stephen 
was consecrated Abbot of Lastingham by Thomas Bayeux, Arch¬ 
bishop of York. But his former patron, Earl Percy, still pursued 
him with relentless enmity, and in 1087 he was driven from 
Lastingham. 
Stephen now found a friend in Alan of Bretagne, Earl of 
Richmond, into whose hands the Church of St. Olave in 
York, together with a large number of Manors, had passed for 
services rendered to the Norman Conqueror at the siege of York. 
Earl Alan gave to Stephen and his monks this Church dedicated 
to St. Olave, with four acres of land adjoining to build offices 
thereon. When, however, Stephen came to take possession of his 
new grant, he found it claimed by Archbishop Thomas, who only 
relinquished liis pretension on receiving from the King a grant of 
the Church of St. Stephen. 
Now that this difficulty was settled, the work of erecting 
the various buildings necessary for a Religious Foundation 
