Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/89

 66 HISTORY OF BISHOP AUGELANB. In 1428, Bishop Langley made some alterations in the establishment, equalising the incomes of the canons. He also repaired and enlarged the church by building the upper stage of the tower, raising the side walls, and placing a clerestory upon it In the account rolls of his episcopate we find the following entry : — Paid to the stewards of the Chnich of St. Andrew, and the parishioners there, to build the belfry of the said Church, of my Lord's gift, by my Lord's letters of warrant, and by the oath of Bichaid Buckley, made upon the account, X6 13s.4d. As times altered, the before-mentioned allowances for the vicars were found insufficient for their maintenance, and 'therefore, none that were fit for it could be found to serve the same; and though some of the prebends were sufficient to bear double their expense, others could scarce do it, and some not at all ; therefore, he (Bishop Langley) resolved to amend the sama" Accordingly, the revenues of the three prebends of Bishop Auckland, Eldon the Greater, and Eldon the Lesser, being each of them £20 per annum, he ordained, that as they became vacant, each of them should be divided into two prebends, so as to constitute six, and the revenues of each to be equally divided between the two possessors. There being, also, seven prebends belonging to the said Church, whose produce was not sufficient, he directed that they should be joined, so as to make but three Prebends — one of them worth ten pounds, and the other two only 100s. per annum." In Bishop Booth's time (1470), the Deanery seems to have been an educational establishment, as in his roll of expenses we find the following entry* : — Paid to John Robson, carpenter, for niaking two beds of '' bord" at the *' Demy," by my Lord's order, for the boys of Lord Fezhew and Lord Loyel, 9d. Soon after this, however, the Dean and his Prebendaries seem to have left the Deanery of St Andrew's, and to have taken up their residence at what was called in the documents of those days, the " New Colledge," in the immediate vicinity of the Castle at Aucklanit In the year 1499, Bishop Fox made important alterations, appointing the Priest of the Chantiy of the Blessed Virgin in the Parish Church the Sacrist in the College Chapel, within the Manor of Auckland — ^making him personally answerable for the performance of daily service, and giviDg him also a seat at the Dean's table, with other Vicars choral In Bishop Ruthall's time (1513) we find the following entry : — To Robert Longford, master of the choristers of the College of Aokeland, for his good attendance in chanting the Divine service daily, and for his diligent observance of the mass of the blessed Virgin Miry there, by command of the treasurer, 408. 1522-3. The fee of Bartholomew Langefford, chanter of the college of Aukeland and master of the scholars there, 408. perann. Leland, who visited the North in 1538, says, in his " Itinerary," that " nothing remained near the parish church itself, save the Dean's great house and bams, and other houses of husbandry,'' but at Auckland he found " a Colledge with Dene and Pebends yin it, and a quadrant on the Bouth-west side of the castle, for ministers of the coUedga'' It may not be out of place here to give a description of the college of Auckland, as it is said to have been left in 1660, casual mention having only been made of it when writing of the castla The building appears to have consisted of a quadrangla In the front, towards the town, was a large arched gateway, with windows on each side. The eastern side of the square was called the " Eilne f the western, the '' Bam." In the north-western comer were the stables, and on the eastern there was a door-way, and two pointed windows, with tracery. This, probably, was the chapeL Prom The ton of Lord Level was Fimnois (afterwards the Lord Level), liien eiffht yean of age. *' What ooold be so natnnL*' says Rains^ resident)— ^hoold be devoted to ednoational pnrposes f t Leland attributes the establishment of the Oolleffe at Anckland Oastle to Bishop Beck. Hatohinson says this is a mistake^ and that he oonfonnded the Deanery of St. Andrew (whidi was ondonbtedly established by him) with it. Digitized by Google
 * The aons of Lord Fitzhn^^ in the above year, were Richard, then twelve yean of age ; and John, Thomas, GeoiM and Edward.
 * * as that, in an institution of this natar^ the leisare time of the poorly-endowed Vioan-* (the Dean and his Canons wen only periodically