Master John de Skyren: Official in the Diocese of
Carlisle, 1324-5
Niall C.E.J. O’Brien
In
the medieval church you had the bishop with his cathedral dignitaries such as
the dean, chancellor, treasurer and precentor. Attached to the cathedral but
also out in the diocese was the archdeacon with a sub archdeacon in each rural
deanery. The rural deanery was a division of the diocese where a group of
parishes managed the church affairs in their area under the rural deanery
archdeacon. At parish level you had the rector, vicar (assistant to a usually
absent rector) and a curate or a combination of these as each parish was
administrated differently depending if it was owned by an abbey, or had a small
or big population. Behind all these people was the backroom staff who kept the
show on the road such as the vicars choral in the cathedral; the seneschal
managing the church estates; and the official who managed the church court
system, granted probate and administrated of wills and oversaw the marriage
laws. The bishop had his own official and the dean and chapter had their
official while each archdeacon had their own official to administrate the law
in each rural deanery. Most officials had a master’s degree from some
university so as to know something about the law. During a vacancy in a diocese
the provincial archbishop would sometimes appoint an official to oversee the
diocese before a new bishop was elected.
Introduction
From
November 1324 to February 1325 Master John de Skyren acted as the chief
official in the diocese of Carlisle during a vacancy in the diocese caused by
the death of John de Halton. His master’s degree from an unknown university
(apparently not Oxford) would have qualified him to oversee the administration
of the diocese and preside over its legal court system.[1]
Master John de Skyren possibly came from the village and civil parish of Skerne
in the East Riding of Yorkshire about one mile south of the River Hull.
Early years in York diocese
We
don’t know much about his early life but that he went to some university and
got a master’s degree with which he entered the service of the Church. In March
1316 Master John de Skyren was a clerk in the diocese of York. In that month he
was given a commission by Archbishop Greenfield to examine with the dean’s
official and the dean’s commissary-general, the transfer of the rectory of
Baddesworth from Sir Robert Passelewe to Walter de Whiteby, clerk.[2] On
16th July 1316 Master John de Skyren, while still a sub-deacon, was
presented to the church of Marton-in-Craven by the prior of Boulton-in-Craven.[3] On
19th September 1316 Master John de Skyren received letters dimissory
to hold Marton even though he was still a sub-deacon.[4] On
30th May 1317 Master John de Skyren, along with Sir John de
Hemmyngburg, rector of St. Wilfrid’s, were given a commission to visit
Arthington nunnery and report to the archbishop on its affairs.[5]
Arthington nunnery was one of only two nunneries of the Cluniac order in
England. In 1307 Archbishop Greenfield had visited the nunnery where he found
two nuns had left without permission and two other nuns, one of whom was a
former prioress, were claiming goods of the nunnery as their personal property.
In 1311 the prioress left the nunnery without leave after an argument with
another nun over who was the boss. In 1315 Archbishop Greenfield visited the
nunnery and issued a number of instructions about keeping proper accounts; restrictions
on visits by lay sisters and secular persons; and nuns could only visit their
families for a maximum of fifteen days before they had to return to the
nunnery. Archbishop Greenfield sent a copy of his instructions to the nunnery
over the succeeding years. Master John de Skyren and Sir John de Hemmyngburg
were therefore sent to see if the instructions were followed which they seem to
be as no further complaints were recorded. At the time of the dissolution of
the monasteries, in the late 1530s, the nine nuns present wished to continue
their religious life.
Official of Richmond archdeaconry
On
6th June 1317 Master John de Skyren, rector of Marton, was appointed
official of the archdeacon of Richmond by Archbishop Greenfield. The
archdeacon, Sir Francis Gaytani, was recently deceased and the commission to
his official, Master Michael de Harcla, therefore terminated with his death. On
8th June 1317 Master Michael de Harcla was ask to hand over his
rolls and accounts to the messenger of the dean and chapter. On 24th
September 1317 a new archdeacon, Sir Roger de Northburgh, was sworn into
office.[6]
Rector of Marton-in-Craven
In
1319 Master John de Skyren was rector of Marton-in-Craven and
commissary-general of the archbishop’s court of York.[7] Hugh
de Hertford was rector there in 1305. In late November 1319 Archbishop Melton
of York issued a mandate to the bishops of Durham and Carlisle along with the
dean and official of York to convene a meeting of all their clergy in York
Minster on 20th January 1319/20 to prepare a grant in aid for the
king to repel the Scottish invaders. Many abbots and priors did not attend this
meeting and on 24th February 1319/20 Master John de Skyren was asked
to compile a list of non-attendees in his area.[8]
Official of Carlisle
In
late 1324 Master John de Skyren was given a temporary commission by Master
Robert de Rypplingham, vicar-general of York, during the absence of Archbishop
Melton from the diocese. The nature of this commission is unknown. On 19th
November 1324 Master John de Skyren was still rector of Marton-in-Craven when
he was appointed official of Carlisle following the death of John de Halton,
bishop of Carlisle from 1292 to 1324. As part of his appointment, all acts made
by Master John de Skyren during his temporary commission were ratified by
Archbishop Melton.[9]
On the same 19th November, Master John de Skyren received a mandate
from Archbishop Melton to sequester all the movable goods of the late Bishop
Halton of Carlisle from the time of his death with the exception of the goods
claimed by the king, Edward II.[10]
As official of Carlisle, Master John de Skyren not only managed the estate of
the late bishop and oversaw the workings of the diocese but would also have
presided over the Carlisle diocesan court system.
On
31st December 1324 Master John de Skyren was given a commission to
conduct a visitation of the diocese of Carlisle and report on his findings to
Archbishop Melton.[11]
On the same day Master John de Skyren received a separate commission to conduct
a ‘careful and confidential’ enquiry into the oblations, tithes, monetary dues
and other payments that were formerly paid to the mensa of the bishops of Carlisle from the churches of Askham,
Barton and Dalston. Master John de Skyren was assisted by Alan de Frisington
with this separate commission.[12] Alan
de Frisington was a canon of Carlisle cathedral and in November 1324 was
appointed by Archbishop Melton to report on any cases of heresy, simony,
perjury, manslaughter or other irregularities among the clergy of Carlisle
diocese.[13]
On
26th January 1325 Master John de Skyren, acting as the official of
Carlisle, was to announce the election of Sir William de Ayremynne, canon of
York, as bishop of Carlisle. Master John de Skyren was to discover any persons
knowing of any impediment to the election and to report the same to Archbishop
Melton.[14]
It appears that Master John de Skyren discovered no impediment. Over the
succeeding sixteen days the election of William de Ayremynne as bishop was
confirmed by the sub-prior and canons of Carlisle, with the archbishop’s letter
of confirmation and Ayremynne’s oath of obedience followed by a letter to the
king announcing that all was in proper order.[15] On
11th February 1325 the commission to Master John de Skyren to hold
the office of official of Carlisle, while the diocese was vacant, was revoked
on the confirmation of William de Ayremynne as the new bishop of Carlisle.[16]
On
10th April 1325 Master John de Skyren was commissioned as the late
official of Carlisle to collect all debts and legacies that were due to Archbishop
Melton and in particular a silver or golden cup bequeathed by the late bishop
of Carlisle, John de Halton, to Archbishop Melton.[17] In
April 1325 it was reported that William de Feriby paid thirteen marks from the
spiritualities of the diocese of Carlisle to the treasury of York on behalf of
Master John de Skyren during his time as official of Carlisle. Of this amount
Master John was paid five marks for his tenure as the official.[18] William
de Feriby was parson of Bootle church in Cumbria since November 1319 and before
December 1322 a clerk in the household of Archbishop Melton of York.[19]
Master
John de Skyren was not fully finished with the diocese of Carlisle after his
term as official there ended in February 1325 as on 10th April 1425
he was commissioned to act upon issues arising from his visitation of the
diocese when his was the official.[20]
Four days later William de Ayremynne resigned as bishop of Carlisle on hearing
that the pope had appointed John de Ross as the new bishop to succeed the late
John de Halton.[21]
John de Ross gave his oath of obedience to Archbishop Melton in August 1326 and
appointed Master Robert de Southeayke as his episcopal official.[22]
Joint Official of Norwich
Most
of the time history is just a collection of dry facts giving little insight
into the personalities behind the stories. As in our own time where things
happen or don’t happen because we know somebody, or think we know someone, so
it was in the past. It would appear that Master John de Skyren impressed
William de Ayremynne with his management of the diocese of Carlisle because
shortly after resigning Carlisle, William de Ayremynne was made bishop of
Norwich and took John de Skyren with him there. Officials often passed from one
diocese to another as their legal training was much in demand. A contemporary
of John de Skyren called Thomas de Nassington was official of the archdeacon of
Nottingham in 1311 and official of Exeter in 1329 before becoming in 1345 a
commissary in the court of the archbishop of York.[23]
Another contemporary, William de Nassington was official of Durham in 1345 and
official of Salisbury in 1355.[24] On
13th October 1326 John de Skyren was rector of Rollesby, when he was
appointed joint official and vicars-general of the diocese of Norwich with Sir
Adam de Ayremynne, brother of William de Ayremynne, the newly appointed bishop
of Norwich.[25]
Elsewhere it is said that John de Skyren only became rector of Rollesby in
Norfolk in 1327 by the appointment of Bishop William and continued as rector
until 1337 when replaced by Gilbert de Welleton.[26]
Conclusion
After
1327 the records go silent on Master John de Skyren. Did he died in 1337 to be
replaced by Gilbert de Welleton or retired about that time and lived out his
retirement for some unknown number of years is not recorded. Instead this
article recovers some of the life of Master John de Skyren who acted as an
official in the diocese of York and was appointed by the archbishop of York to
act as official in the diocese of Carlisle during a vacancy. Master John
appears to have done a good job at Carlisle that impressed the brief bishop of
Carlisle, William de Ayremynne; that resulted in John moving to the diocese of
Norwich to act as an official there. His position as rector in York and Norwich
was possibly as a source of income rather than performing the spiritual duties
to the parishioners there. As an official Master John de Skyren was one of
those backroom people who kept the administration of the church and its laws
going within the church and society. In the modern world the church court
system has being taken over by the civil court system and the administration
duties within the church has come to the desk of other people. Thus Master John
de Skyren was a person of his time whose life can give us a window into his
age.
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[1] Emden, A.B., A biographical
register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500 (3 vols. Oxford, 1957,
reprint 1989), p. 1711
[2] Brown, Wm., & Thompson, A.H. (eds.), The Register of William Greenfield, Lord Archbishop of York, 1306-1316,
Part V (Surtees Society, Vol. 153, 1938), p. 245, no. 2791
[3] Brown & Thompson (eds.), The
Register of William Greenfield, Lord Archbishop of York, 1306-1316, Part V,
p. 249, no. 2801.
Master Hugh de Hereford was rector of Marton in 1307 = Ibid, p. 179, no. 2655
[4] Brown & Thompson (eds.), The
Register of William Greenfield, Lord Archbishop of York, 1306-1316, Part V,
p. 249, note 1
[5] Brown & Thompson (eds.), The
Register of William Greenfield, Lord Archbishop of York, 1306-1316, Part V,
p. 256, no. 2820
[6] Brown & Thompson (eds.), The
Register of William Greenfield, Lord Archbishop of York, 1306-1316, Part V,
p. 279, no. 2888
[7] Hill, R. (ed.), The Register
of William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1 (Canterbury
& York Society, vol. LXX, 1977), no. 204
[8] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, nos. 201, 204
[9] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 249
[10] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 250
[11] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 253
[12] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 254
[13] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, nos. 251, 254
[14] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 255
[15] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 257
[16] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 258
[17] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 263
[18] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 262
[19] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, nos. 24, 67
[20] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 265
[21] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, no. 264
[22] Hill (ed.), The Register of
William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340, volume 1, nos. 270, 272
[23] Emden, A.B., A biographical
register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500, p. 1339
[24] Emden, A.B., A biographical
register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500, p. 1339
[25] Miller, W., An Essays Towards
A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 3, the History of the
City and County of Norwich, Part 1 (London, 1806), p. 503
[26] Miller, W., An Essays Towards
A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 11 (London, 1810),
p. 187
