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 of York on 23 Oct. 1218, and on 1 March 1226 received a dispensation from Honorius III, removing the defect of his doubtful legitimacy, in consideration of his devotion to the Roman see (Cal. Papal Reg. i. 59, 100;, Hist. of Church of York, iii. 125). He was a friend of Archbishop Gray, who made him first subdean of York in 1228, and was constantly employed by the papal see on various commissions in England (, iii. 218, iv. 251; Cal. Papal Reg. i. 59, 76, 88, 160, 188, 193, 225). He was archdeacon of Richmond in 1241, but resigned that post before 15 July 1247, when he received a dispensation to hold the treasurership of York with his other benefices (ib. i. 225, 319;, Fasti Eccl. Angl. iii. 104, 136, 159). He died before 2 Jan. 1256, when John Mansel [q. v.] became treasurer of York. Matthew Paris speaks of him as very rich and avaricious (v. 534, 544). He held quit-rents and other property in the city of London (Hist. MSS. Comm. 9th Rep. App. pp. 4, 5, 15, 26, 37–8). There are two letters addressed to him by Robert Grosseteste (, Epistolæ, 65, 203–4, Rolls Ser.). He built the north transept and central tower of York Cathedral. He also founded a chantry in the minster for the souls of the donor and his parents, John and Mary, and gave land to the vicars-choral to provide for his obit (Fasti Eboracenses, p. 328 n.; Hist. of Church of York, iii. 152). The archbishop was his son by a servant girl (, ii. 70).

John Romanus, the future archbishop, received a dispensation from his illegitimacy, so far as regarded ordination and the holding of benefices, from Otho, cardinal of St. Nicholas in Carcere, presumably in 1237–8, when Otho was papal legate in England (Cal. Papal Reg. i. 484). A bull of Innocent IV, in which he is styled remembrancer of the papal penitentiary, specially forbade John to accept a bishopric without papal permission (, Misc. i. 211). John was, by his own account, educated at Oxford (cf., Concilia, ii. 214). He received the livings of Bolton-in-Lunesdale in 1253, and Wallop in Hampshire about 1254, and on 7 July 1256 had license of absence for five years while pursuing his studies (Cal. Papal Reg. i. 332, 484). Afterwards he received the living of Melling, by dispensation from Alexander IV; in 1258 he obtained the prebend of North Kelsey, Lincoln, and in 1275 became chancellor of Lincoln. On 9 Dec. 1276, when he is described as chaplain to Matthew de Ursinis, cardinal of St. Mary in Porticu, he had dispensation to retain the benefices which he held, and to accept a bishopric, having been appointed to a professorship of theology at Paris. He taught theology at Paris for several years (ib. i. 451, 484; see, Cartularium Univ. Paris, i. 599, for a reference to the house of Master John Romanus in 1282). In 1279 he exchanged the chancellorship and prebend of North Kelsey for the precentorship and prebend of Nassington, and on 7 Dec. 1279 was collated to the prebend of Warthill, York (, ii. 83, 92, 191, 196, iii. 220). After the death of Archbishop Wickwane, he was elected archbishop of York on 29 Oct. 1285, and received the royal assent on 15 Nov. (, iii. 104; Cal. Pat. Rolls, Edward I, 1281–92, p. 199). He at once went to Rome to receive papal confirmation. On 3 Feb. he obtained a renewed dispensation for his illegitimacy, and, the validity of his election being questioned, was re-elected under a papal mandate, and consecrated by the bishop of Ostia on 10 Feb. (Cal. Papal Reg. i. 483–4;, iii. 104). He returned to England in March, and received the temporalities on 12 April. Archbishop Peckham made the usual protest against the bearing of the cross by Romanus in the southern province (Letters from Northern Registers, 82–4; Cal. Pat. Rolls, Edward I, 1281–92, pp. 198–9, 229–30).

Romanus was enthroned at York on Trinity Sunday, 9 June 1286. He was chiefly concerned with the government of his diocese, and took little part in public affairs. He was with the king in Gascony in the summer of 1288. In 1291 he was summoned to render military service against Scotland, and was also occasionally summoned to parliament (Fœdera, i. 753, 762, 802, 808–10, 832; Parl. Writs, i. 25, 30–2, 261). In August 1295 he was summoned to meet the cardinals at London (Cont., ii. 213). In his diocese Romanus had disputes with the dean of York, Robert de Scarburgh, and the chapter of Durham (Hist. Church of York, iii. 212). Of more importance was a dispute with Anthony Bek [see I], bishop of Durham, as to the relations of the see of Durham to that of York. The king in vain endeavoured to arrange the dispute when the bishops were present at the funeral of Queen Eleanor in December 1290. An attempt at arbitration in the following July failed, and in November 1291 Romanus obtained leave to plead his cause at Rome (Cal. Papal Reg. i. 443, 450). He was abroad as late as September 1292 (ib. i. 497, 508), but his suit does not seem to have been successful. During his absence Bek imprisoned two of the archbishop's officials, and in consequence Romanus ordered Bek to be excommunicated