Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/268

Rh 2. Most of the Pensions, Synodals, & Procurations, especially within the Archdeaconry of Richmond, were almost lost, till with suit or by other means he recovered them. 3. The Pallace of the Bp: in Chester was in great decay, where he covered the Tower with Lead, & built two Lodging Chambers under the Arch, which support the highest Chamber of the Tower, where never was Chamber before. Those Chambers he new wainscotted, & made a Cabinet of strong Boxes (in a Closet within one of them) for to keep the Bp's Evidences safely ever after. He also bestowed new wainscot on the under great Chamber of the Tower. And he built up two Chambers for the Porter, next to the Porch, at the first entrance into the Pallace. 4. Because the Quire men wanted Houses in the College, & were fain to their charge to hire Houses in the City, he built them up 4 Houses from the Pallace northward, between his Porter's Lodge & his Register's Office: each house containing a Kitchin & Hall & two Middle Chambers, & two upper Lofts, besides the under Cellars. 5. In the Cathedral (which being built with red stone & not finisht, was of the same colour within as it is without) he bestowed 20lib to have it washed all over withinside, within it also he built a fair new Pulpitt at the west end of the Body of the great Church, & boughte wainscot seats, & other Forms for the people to set there, & then removed the Sunday Sermons from St. Oswalds (where the Mayor of Chester claiming a Parish, & usurping chief authority in that Church, had displaced the Pulpit, [and] the seats of the Dean & Prebends) first into the Quire, where he caused the Stalls to be fairly painted, & some of them guilt, & thence into the Body of the Cathedrall.

6. For the encrease of the Bp's yearly Revenue, whereas Ribchester Lease was to be renewed, & the Farmers had offred him 700lib Fine & (as some of the Inhabitants affirmed) would rather give him 1000lib Fine then go without it, there being onely one aged Life remaining in their Lease, he utterly refused to take any mony for a new Lease thereof, but said he would (if ever it fell in his time) better the Vicaridge thereof yearly (which is yet but twenty Marks yearly) & would reserve the rest for succeeding Bpp̃s: And thus he refused their Fine about 10 or 11 years, & when he grew sick & weak, fearing lest his successors might for private gain defeat his good Intention, he made means to the King to