separately. Stubbs adds that in addition he did many other acts of piety.1 With the object of establishing an obit in the minster he made a grant to the vicars there of 13s 4d a year from land in Gutherumgate, lying next the messuages of the prebends of South Newbald and Wistow2, payable by the canons of those prebends; and of Ios a year which Adam de Sunderlathwyk had given him from land in Garton. These rents were to be paid to the succentor and vicechancellor of the Minster.3 Of the parentage of his more illustrious son and namesake on the female side we only have a contemptuous reference by Henry Knighton, who describes her as a waitingwoman (pedissequa). The date of his birth is also not given. At that time his father was still a subdeacon,5 and as in 1284 the archbishop had held the church of Bolton-le-Sands for over 33 years we may infer he was born about 1230. He was educated at Oxford, and in after life looked back with great regard to the place in which he had commenced his studies. From Oxford he proceeded to Paris, where in due course he taught theology. This probably accounts for his owning a house in that city.9 He was still at the university, probably Paris, in 1256, when he had a licence from the pope to pursue his studies for five years, serving his church of Wallop in the diocese of Winchester by a vicar. In the meantime he was not to be compelled to take orders or reside. At the same time he had a further indult to hold a benefice with cure of souls in addition to Nether Wallop and Bolton.10 This last is Boltonle-Sands where he must have succeeded his father, to whom it was granted in 1249 in right of his archdeaconry.11 A dispensation from Honorius iv to Master John called 1Hist. of the Church of York, ii, 409. 2Susneubalde and Wyvestowe. Domesday Book, fo. 82, and Registrum Magnum Album, iii, 11d. The witnesses are Roger the dean, Geoffrey the precentor, William, the treasurer, Walter, the archdeacon of the East Riding, Godard, Erard, Robert de Arenis, Bernard, Maurice, canons, Master John, Walter, Ralph, chaplains, Walter de Revestiario, Geoffrey Brito, John de Norfolch, canons of the Chapel, John de Burgo, Philip, Peter Romanus, Geoffrey, William de Jakelai, William de Insula, Nicho las, Robert, Thomas, Thomas the "Reg. Romeyn, no. 107. Knyghton. Reg. Romeyn, nos. 1457, 1495. 10C.P.L. i, 332. 11 Reg. Gray, p. 204n. Romanus, precentor of Lincoln and canon of York, granted on Feb. 5, 1285-6 (shortly before the pope confirmed his election as archbishop), to retain his benefices with fruits received, and to be promoted to the episcopal or archiepiscopal dignity, gives the previous dispensations and consequent preferments : (1) Dispensation on account of illegitimacy to be ordained and hold benefices, but not a bishopric without special papal licence. Granted by Otto of Montferrat, bishop of Porto, when cardinal of St. Nicholas in Carcere.1 On which Romanus had the church of Bolton-in-Lonsdale.2 which he held for 33 years. (2) Licence from Innocent iv. (1243-1254), to hold the church of Wallop, dioc. Winton (i.e., Nether Wallop, deanery of Andover, afterwards appropriated to the sub-chanter and vicars choral of York), which he held for 28 years. (3) Dispensation from Alexander iv (1254-1261), to hold the church of Melling, dioc. York, which he held for seven years. (4) Dispensation from Gregory x (1271-6) to hold the chancellorship and prebend of Kelsey in Lincoln, on resigning Melling he held these for six years. Le Neve (ii, 92) notes him as chancellor in 1275, and (ii, 196) as voiding the prebend of Kelsey by accepting Nassington in 1258, which must be an error for 1278. (5) Licence from John xxi (1276-7) to be promoted to episcopal dignity, and, on resigning the chancellorship and prebend of Kelsey to accept the precentorship and prebend of Nassington in Lincoln, together with the other abovenamed churches (? Bolton and Wallop). Le Neve (ii, 83) notes his tenure of the precentorship as from 1279, and (ii, 191) notes him as prebendary of Nassington in 1284. (6) Licence from Martin iv (1281-5) to retain the same with the fruits received, and also to be promoted to the archiepiscopal dignity. 1Oddo Candido or Bianco, of the family of the Marquess of Montferrat, was created cardinal deacon of San Nicolo' in Carcere in 1227 and bishop of Porto in 1244. He was legate in England in 1237, when this dispensation may have been granted (Cardella, Memorie Storiche de' Cardinali (Roma, 1792), i, 249). If so, Romeyn must have been quite young. "He held Bolton and Wallop in 1256 (C.P.L., i, 332) April 12 (Good Friday), 1286. Custody of Nether Wallop, committed to Richard de Buris, on the pres. of Bogo (de Clare), treasurer of York (Reg. of John de Pontissara, bishop of Winchester, p. 22). The treasurer of York was patron of this church, which was subsequently appropriated to the Bedern. On his election to the see of York, some doubt was thrown on the dispensation fitting him for the episcopal dignity. He prayed Honorius iv to supply whatever defect there might be. Honorius therefore granted the indult, considering that he had taught theology at Paris for several years, and had given proof of good life and approved morals. (C. P. L., i, 484). The dates given above seem to indicate the following list of preferments: 1252. Instituted to the church of Bolton-le-Sands. C. 1278-9. Precentor of Lincoln and Prebendary of Nassington. On February 22, 1285-6, Honorius iv granted the archbishop a faculty to give to some fit person the church of Bolton-in-Lonsdale, although archbishop Wickwane and the dean and chapter had ordered it, on his death or resignation, to be united to the archdeaconry of Richmond (Cal. P. L., i, u. s.). He also held at York the prebend of Warthill which had been collated to him by archbishop Wickwane in December, 1279,11 which he held till he became archbishop. Except that he was a professor of theology at Paris, very little is known of him before he became archbishop. He was in Paris in 1273, and on Friday before the Ascension in that year (May 12) he wrote to the king informing him that he had taken the attornment of John called Paris, the attorney of Anthony de Camilla, canon of St. Paul's, London, in an assize of novel disseisin which he was bringing before Robert Fulconis, the king's justice, against Robert de Crevecur, about a tenement in Checham.2 With the death of archbishop William Wickwane at Pontigny in Burgundy, late in August, 1285, a new era opened in Romeyn's life. The chapter of York3 made no delay in their choice of a successor. On the morrow of St. Simon and St. Jude (Oct. 29), in the same year they elected 1Reg. Wickwane, nos. 9, 10. 'P.R.O. Ancient Correspondence, xx, 42. 3The day of the licence from the king to the dean and chapter to elect is not given, but was probably sent out late in September, 1285. The news of archbishop Wickwane's death was brought by Master Thomas of Grimston, archdeacon of Cleveland, and Master Thomas de Hedon, canons of York (C. P. R., 1281-1292, p. 194). Romeyn as their archbishop1 and the next day informed the king of their choice.2 No delay seems to have occurred in sending the letter with this information to the king; perhaps it was conveyed by the archbishop himself, as on Nov. 15, the king, then at Beaulieu, in Hampshire, signified to the pope his assent to the election.3 Authorized by this assent Romeyn hastened to Rome. On his arrival the pope, Honorius iv, (Giacomo Savelli), ordered an examination to be made of his election, from which it appears that four beneficiaries and ten canons voted for him, the other votes being dispersed, on which Master John de Craucumbe, archdeacon of the East Riding, one of the three scrutators, declared him elected. Doubts having arisen, to avoid delay and expense, Romeyn resigned, whereupon the pope appointed certain commissioners to elect for this turn without prejudice to the church of York. As most of them occur in the register it will not be out of place to give their names. They were Ancher of Troyes, cardinal priest of Sta. Prassede, Hugh of Evesham, cardinal priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Giordano Orsini, cardinal deacon of Sant' Eustacio, B. the chamberlain, Percival of Lavagna, Pietro Savelli, the pope's nephew, Neapoleone Orsini, papal chaplains, Romeyn himself, Master John de Craucumbe, and Master Thomas of Adderbury (Abberbyri), canons of York, who were then in Rome. The pope confirmed the election on Feb. 17,6 and ordered Romeyn to be consecrated by Latino Malabranca Orsini, cardinal bishop of Ostia, and the pallium to be given him. The consecration took place on Feb. 10, Septuagesima Sunday." The archbishop set off with all convenient speed for England, and by means of his register we are enabled to trace the homeward route. Altopascio, near Lucca, Vienne, in southern France, and Dover, places to which he granted 1Cott. MS. Vitellius H. iii, fo. 111d., and Hist. of the church of York, iii, 408. Le Neve's Fasti, iii, 104, quoting Lett. in Turr. Lond. H. 9. 3C. P. R., 1281-1292, p. 199. "The beneficiaries were the holders of personatus or parsonages with cure of souls in the church, namely, the dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, subdean, and the five archdeacons, as distinct from the canonici prebendati to whose prebends no cure of souls was attached. "Ancher, Evesham, Orsini, and Lavagna were all canons of York, and Pietro Savelli became one in 1287, as did Napoleone Orsini at a later date. 6C. P. L., i, 483. From this it might be thought the archbishop was consecrated on 13 kal. Martii (Feb. 17), but the earlier date, 4 idus Feb. (Feb. 10) is proved by the itinerary to be correct. "Hist. of the church of York, ii, 408. indulgences, were probably steps on his way north.1 Pavia, where he left a horse, must have been another resting place.2 News of the expected arrival of the archbishop at once revived the quarrel between the primates of the northern and southern provinces as to the right of the former to carry his cross erect before him in the South. The archbishop of Canterbury, John Peckham, on March 26, sent orders to the rural dean of Dover to do all in his power to prevent this, and on April 6, hearing that Romeyn was expected to land at Dover the next day, Palm Sunday, he sent similar orders to the dean of the Arches and Master William de Haverberg or Haleberg (now Harborough), who were to stop Romeyn on his way to London to see the king. All who should shew any reverence to Romeyn were threatened with excommunication, and the places he passed through subjected to interdict. Hearing that the archbishop of York was staying in Bermondsey priory, Peckham issued further stringent orders to prevent anyone going to that house, even on pilgrimage to pay their devotions, as long as Romeyn was there. Romeyn, who attached very considerable importance to his right to carry his cross erect, as is evidenced by his letters on the subject to Rome,4 was equally resolute, and by the help of the king, who ordered that victuals should be sold to him and his household whilst on his way to the royal presence, he was enabled to proceed on his journey. This order was to continue in force till Ascension day (May 23).5 Under the protection of this safe conduct the archbishop seems to have made some stay at Bermondsey, which he left on April 14, and journeyed on to St. Albans the same day. Two days later he was at King's Langley, in Hertfordshire, where it is probable that the order to Malcolm de Harle, who had had the custody of the archbishopric of York during the vacancy of the see, to restore the temporalities to Romeyn was issued.6 1Nos. 9, 12, 16. 2No. 1424. Letters from Northern Registers (Rolls Series), p. 82, and Wickwane's Register, p. 338. For similar denunciations for the same reason by archbishop Peckham in 1287 and by archbishop Winchelsey in 1295, see Wilkins' Concilia, ii, 128, 216, 284. Nos. 1427, 1428, 1530. 5C. P. R., 1281-1292, p. 229. In his letter of thanks (no. 1435) for this safe conduct with a request for its extension, the archbishop has a hit at the malice of his rivals who raised up the populace against him in contempt of the cross of Christ. 6C. P. R., 1281-1292, p. 230. The day is not given, but it must have been some time in April. Harle or Harele was only deputy of Otto de |