Biography of William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick 1237-1298

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. [1305] The bishop himself was summoned to appear before the king on a set day to answer in person concerning various charges laid against him. But because he refused to come, and, without the king's permission, crossed over to the pope, even though the king had forbidden him to leave the realm, the liberty of his church of Durham was, by judicial process, seized into the king's hand. The king placed there his own justices and his own chancellor to answer on its behalf. In the following year he levied from the inhabitants of the bishopric a thirtieth penny, and they were further burdened with various carting duties while the king stayed at Lanercost for nearly two years. The king also gave to the Earl of Warwick Barnard Castle [Map], which the bishop had held as though from an escheat after the forfeiture of John de Balliol, sometime king of Scotland; and he seized into his own hand Penrith with its appurtenances. The king wrote to the pope on behalf of Richard, Prior of Durham, who, at the bishop's instigation, had been summoned before the papal court, asking that full justice might be done for him. When the pope saw him, and found him to be a prudent and discreet man in his replies, and after hearing and examining the case on both sides, he declared in full consistory that he had been deceived by false suggestion regarding so worthy a man. He restored him to his former position, committing to him the care and administration of his house, as he had before, both in spiritual and temporal matters. He remained there until after the death of the king, and never returned again to his own home. Meanwhile, Henry of Luceby, whom the bishop had appointed in place of the prior, as previously mentioned, died. And in the following year, namely 1307, Prior Richard himself died in the papal court; and, at the request of the new king of England and the Bishop of Durham, the pope gave the priory of Durham to a certain monk of St Mary's Abbey, York, Sir William de Tanfield, appointing him prior.

Ipse vero episcopus citatus est, ut coram domino rege super diversis sibi objiendis certo die personaliter responderet. Et quia venire contempsit, et, irrequisito rege, transfretavit ad papam, cum dominus rex ejus transfretationem inhibuerat, capta est libertas sua ecclesiæ Dunolmensis judicialiter in manum domini regis; posuitque rex ibi justitiarios suos et cancellarium suum, qui responderent ei; et in anno sequenti exegit ab incolis episcopatus tricesimum denarium, et in diversis cariagiis vexabantur dum maneret rex apud Lanercost, fere per duos annos. Deditque rex comiti de Warwyk Castrum Bernardi, quod episcopus quasi ex exchaeta habuerat in forisfactura Johannis de Balliolo quondam regis Scotia; et Penerith cum pertinentiis in manu sua seisivit. Scripsitque rex domino papæ pro Ricardo priore Dunolmensi, qui, ad instantiam domini episcopi, ad tribunal papæ citatus fuerat, ut sibi justitiæ fieret complementum. Quem cum vidisset papa, et virum providum atque discretum in responsionibus suis invenisset, audito et examinato negotio hinc et inde, pronunciavit in pleno consistorio se falsa suggestione fuisse deceptum de tanto viro, restituitque eum ad statum pristinum, committens ei curam et administrationem domus suæ, ut prius habuerat, tam in spiritualibus quam in temporalibus; mansitque ibi usque post obitum regis, nec ad solum proprium ulterius est reversus. Interim vero obiit ille Henricus de Luceby, quem loco prioris episcopus præfecerat, ut prædictum est: et in anno sequenti, scilicet MCCCVII, obiit ipse prior Ricardus in ipsa curia, et, ad rogatum novi regis Angliæ et episcopi Dunolmensis, dedit dominus papa prioratum Dunolmensem cuidam monacho monasterii beatæ the Prior Mariæ Eborum, domino Willelmo de Tanfeld, eum præficiens in priorem.