Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/33

 16 mSTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 1494; Receiver's BolL Paid on the 23rd of March to divers persons of the bishopriok for their wages and expenses, being assembled to resist and impede the Lord Clyfford at the head of 1500 men, upon Stanemore, in warlike manner, from entering into the bishoprick, in prejudice of its liberties, and taking possession of Hert and Herthelpole, £106 88. lOd. From the following extract of a letter written by Bishop William Sever to his chancellor, Mr. Chambers, it appears there were bucks not only in the Park of Auckland, but also in those of Wolsingham and Stanhopa This letter is also highly characteristic of the period in which it was written : — Also my pleasur is, in soo mych as I had this yere non venyson owt of my parks, now I wyll appoynt owt of Awklande ij. buks of the beste, and owt of Hulsyngham ij. in lyk wyse, and from Stanhope iij., and they all to be at York with me uppon Monday next, oon tym of that day, except that oon of the best of theym shall be lef te wyth my cosyn Banff Nevyll, at Thornton Brygs. Than my mynd is, that my brother, the Prior of Duresme, and hys breder, har oon ootheyr, wher ye thynks best, and than yourselff and John Bakett to have on in lyk wyse to make you mery. Thus Bominus vobiscum. Yours, W. DUKKSMB. " Auckland Castle," as it had then begun to be called, seems to have been characterised by a profuse and reckless hospitality and extravaganca Bishop Thomas RuthaU thus writes to Mr. Almoner (afterwards Cardinal) Wolsey : — I broght hider with me viij. tunne of wyne, and, our Lord be thankyd, I hafe not two tunne left at this howre, and this is faire utteraunce in two moneths ; and schame it is to saye how many befs and motons have bene spent in my hous, besids other fresh meats, whete, malt, fysche, and such baggags : on my f ayth, ye wold marvayle if my pastures had not been sum what stockyt byfore behynd, for coc. parsons (persons) some day is but a small numbre, and of these days have I many, besids 60 or 80 beggers at the gate ; and this is the way to keepe a man poore. Aukland, 24 Oct. (1513.) The following entry will give some idea of the state of the coinage of the days of which we are writing. The sum below alluded to was the Bishop's contribution to the Earl of Surrey, then on his road to the borders: The battle of Modden-field was fought immediately afterwards : — 1513. Paid 20 Oct. to William Glenny of Durham (20s.) for the carriage of £800 of money to Newcastle, with 3 horses, together with 6s. 8d. paid for the expenses of William Bichboume, Robert Wright, and Robert Bentley, servants of John Rakett, being at Newcastle in delivering the said money to the Lord Surrey, and the telling it for 4 days, by command of my Lord Bishop. . . . To Robert Longford, master of the choristers of the College of Aukeland, for his good attendance in chanting the Divine service daily, and for his diligent observance of the mass of the blessed Virgin Mary there, by command of the treasurer, 40s. — ^Seventeen tenants of my Lord fined for cutting down and carrying away fuel from the park of Aukeland. Yme forgiven by my Lord. 1513-4. Stock-keeper. Rec^ £A 10s. of John Parkynson, my Lord's escheator, being the price of 11 oxen and 1 cow, the goods of one Rolland Huddesmaugh, late of Fissheboume, a felon, for a felony committed by him. The price of an ox 8s., of a cow 2s. — ^Allowed to the computant for his expenses, and those of three servants to London, with cattle for the use of my Lord's house, in going, remaining, and returning, £7 6s. — Oxen and stirks, delivered at London for the use of my Lord's house, 229 ; price of each 10s. 6d. 1516-7. Sent to London this year, for my Lord's use, 42 fat oxen, at 16s. — ^£31 10s. 40 fat cows, at lis. — £22. Expenses of Stock-keeper and three servants in driving, &a, three weeks, 49s. 7d. Of the oxen sent to London one was sold on the road to certain poor people at Newport, and another was stolen at Bramham. Stolen this year by thieves, upon the oath of my Lord's Stock-keeper and Shepherd in Weardale, 132 sheep, worth 20d. each. — ^Paid to my Lord's Shepherds in Weardale for their expenses when they went to Hexham in quest of the stolen sheep, 3s. 4d. 1526-7. Rec* of Richard Downes, farmer, of the herbage of the Park of Auckland, £12 17s. 8d.— Paid to Richard Downes, parker of the Park of Auckland, at the rate of £4. 1 Is. per ann., by letters patent, by Richard, late Bishop of Durham, for term of life, £4 lis. — ^To Miles Forest, keeper of the Manor-house, by letters patent, for term of life, granted by Thomas Lord .Cardinal, 40s.— To Oiles Hopper and Richard Downes, paliciars of the Park of Auckland, per ann., 30s. 4d. The Bishopric was held, between the year 1522-1530, by Cardinal Wolsey, one of the most remarkable men of that age, though he is said to have never resided at Auckland Caatle, nor even visited his northern diocesa It, however, forms no part of the province of the local Digitized by Google