The liberties of Sherburn were divided into two prebends, viz., of Newthorpe and Fenton,* but it appears as if Sherburn Church had been a prebendal church previous to the institution of the Prebend of Fenton. In the Rotuli de Finibus, p. 392, we find "Mandat' Rob' de Veteriponte quod accepta securitate a Johanne fil' domini Regis de centum libr' domino R. reddendis faciat eidem Johanni habere plenariam saisinam de Prebenda de Scyreburn. 9th John, 1207."

15th John, 1213. Dominus S. Cant' Archiepiscopus manucepit per cartam suam quod Morganus propositus Beverlac' domino Regi reddet tres centum et quadraginta marcas de fine quem cum domino Rege fecit. U'n percep't Brieno de Insula quod eidem Morgano sine dilectione plenariam saisinam habere faciat de propositura Beverlac' et de prebenda de Scyreburn et de omnibus aliis redditibus suis in ballia sua.-Rot. de Finibus, p. 476.

17th John, 1216. Dominus Rex concessit Archidiacono Pictav' prebendam Scireburn' si Morganus propositus Beverlac' permoveatur ad Episcopatum, vel alium redditum equivalentem qui primo de ipsius donacione vacaverit.Rot. Lit. Claus., vol 1,

p.

268.

I shall now give the account of Sherburn Church, as published in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of Henry 8th. It gives the yearly value of the income as derived from tythes and possessions.

SHERBURN VICARAGE.-JOHN HALL, INCUMBENT.

The Rectory there is appropriated to the Prebendary of Fenton, and is worth yearly as follows :—

+ Sherburn has once narrowly escaped being under the direct control of the Pope. In 1289, an attempt was made to annex the Prebend of Fenton to the hospital of the Holy Spirit at Rome; and it created no little disturbance in this country. The Pope had given this stall to his nephew, Mathew Rubeus, cardinal deacon of Santa Maria, in Via Lata, a man of considerable learning and distinction; and when possessed of the benefice, the cardinal attempted, by gaining the Pope's consent, to appropriate it to the hospital of the Holy Spirit. This course, however, aroused the hostility and indignation, as well of the ecclesiastics as of the king and nobles. Each estate wrote to the holy Father, informing him that such an arrangement would not be tolerated, and their energetic denunciation of the act of pilfering, caused the Pope to abandon his project.-See Fasti Ebor. p. 841.

This is the value of the Vicarage of Sherburn* in 1535, when Henry sent out his commissioners, to ascertain the value of Church livings throughout England. There is only one Chantry noticed, but we are not told to whom it was dedicated.

* Fenton Vicarage was of considerable less value than that of Sherburn.

Decimæ garb', feni in ortul' et curtil', com ann.

Denar' recept' de oblac' in qualiter dominica per jd. In toto

:::

£vj xiij

THE CHANTRY.-WILLIAM SKELTON, INCUMBENT.

The money annually received from the endowments of William Vavasour,† gent.,

This list of burials is comparatively large, but considering that Sherburn was one of the seats of the Archbishops, and as such, often received a large concourse of eminent people, it is rather singular that Lot one name of eminence is to be found in the list. Of the internal arrangement of the church, however, we gain from it some pleasing information. One Testator leaves directions to be buried before the altar of St. Catherine; another on the north side of the church before the image of St. Mary Magdalene, who appears to have been particularly held in veneration and made the object of much christian love. A third informs us that he wishes to be buried at the south end of the altar in St. Thomas's quire. In addition to this, we find the last resting places of six of the early ministers of the church, and also the name and grave of one of the cantarists, Peter Omphray.

25th January, 1441. Robert Rawden, of Aberford, Esq.,

* William, second son of the first Sir Henry Vavasour, of Hazlewood, seems to have settled at Friston, for in the Compotus of the Honor of Pontefract, p. 19, he is said to have paid £3 to the Honour, 82, Edw. 3rd, 1857. Relief for one Knight's Fee in Friston after the death of his brother Henry. In the 7th Henry 4th, 1405, Sir Henry Vavasour paid £10 relief for two Knights fees in Water Friston, at the death of Elizabeth, his mother. In the 19th Eliz., 1576, John Vavasour paid 6s. 8d. fine and homage for the estate in Ferry Friston, and 20d. for a tenth part of a Knight's fee in Leeds and Newstead.-Wilson's MSS., in the Leeds Library, Jany. 1st, 1800, Robert de Vavasour, subdeacon, son of Sir William de Vavasour, was appointed to the church of Friston.

made his will nuncupative, proved 26th July, 1442, whereby he commended his soul to God Almighty, his Creator, and gave his body to be buried in the parish church of Sherburn-in-Elmete.

24th October, 1445. Richard Burton, of South Milford, juxta Sherburn-in-Elmete, gent., made his will, proved 19th Nov., 1445, bequeathing his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and All Saints in heaven, and his body to be buried before the altar of St. Catherine, in the parish church of All Saints, Sherburn.

10th July, 1447. Magister Robert Torre, vicar of Sherburn, dying intestate, administration of his goods was granted to Thomas Torre, clerk.

27th August, 1455. William Haxby, vicar of the parish church of Sherburn in-Elmete, made his will, proved 25th Nov., 1445, giving his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and all saints in heaven, and his body to be buried in the church of Sherburn.

9th January, 1475. Thomas Worthington, M.A., vicar of the parish church of Sherburn-in-Elmete, made his will, proved penult January, 1475, giving his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and all saints in heaven, and his body to be buried in the quire of the parish church of Sherburn.

10th April, 1481. Katherine Calverley, of Milford, made her will, proved August 31st, 1484, bequeathing her soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and all saints, and her body to be buried in the north side of the parish church of Sherburn before the image of St. Mary Magdalene.

6th April, 1485. Peter Omphray, of Sherburn-in-Elmete, chaplain, dying, administration of his goods was granted to William Sympson, of Huddleston, Esq., made his will, proved 20th Feb., 1517, (1518) giving his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and all the saints, and his body to be buried in the parish church of Sherburn.

Apud Aberford, 17th October, 1483. John Lincoln, of Aberford, made his will, proved 1st Feb., 1483-4, giving

his soul to God Almighty, his Creator, and his body to be buried in the parish church of Sherburn.

1st April, 1542, William Fenteman, clerk, vicar of Sherburn, made his will, proved 18th July, 1542, giving his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and All Saints, and his body to be buried in the quire of the church of All Hallows, in Sherburn, under the stone of the Worthingtons, and to have the day of his burial set in brass according to the memory of the said Mr. Worthington.

16th August, 1556. Edward Barkeston, of ye parish of Sherburn-in-Elmete, made his will, proved 12th October, 1556, giving his soul to God Almighty, St. Mary and All Saints, and his body to be buried in the south end of the altar of St. Thomas's quire, in the parish church of Sherburn.

28th August, 1556, Anne Barkeston, of Barkston, in the parish of Sherburn, widow, late wife unto Edward Barkeston, made her will, proved 10th October, giving her soul to God Almighty, St. Mary, and All Saints, and her body to be buried in the quire where her husband lyeth, in the parish church of Sherburn.

26th September, 1557. Margaret Coplay, of Steveton, in the parish of Sherburn, made her will, proved 4th October, 1558, giving her soul to God Almighty, hoping through Jesus Christ. to be saved, and her body to be buried in the chancel of the church of Sherburn, before the sacrament.

19th September, 1557. Sir Richard Hemeslay, vicar of Sherburn, made his will, proved 15th October, 1587, giving his soul to God Almighty and All Saints, and his body to be buried in the church of All Hallows, of Sherburn.

25th February, 1590. William Rishworth, of Sherburn, made his will, proved 10th March, 1590, whereby he commended his soul to God Almighty, hoping through the merits of Jesus Christ to be saved, and gave his body to be buried in the church of Sherburn,

29th April, 1594. Edward Marsh, of Sherburn-in-Elmete, clerk, made his will, proved 2nd April, 1595, whereby he

D