34. THE COLLEGE OF LANCHESTER
The church of Lanchester was rectorial till
the year 1283, when Bishop Bek erected it into
a collegiate church consisting of a dean and seven
prebendaries. To the dean were allotted the
altarage of the church and its three chapels, and
the messuages belonging to the chapels, saving
only such room as the prebendaries should require for the storage and sale of their corn.
The fee-farms belonging to the rectory were
divided amongst the prebendaries.
The dean had the cure of souls in the parish,
and was responsible for the repair of the chancel,
and the supply of two chaplains. He was also
bound to provide ministers for the chapels, and
to take special care that mattins was sung daily
for the parishioners to attend before going to
their day's work. Each of the first three prebendaries had to provide at his own charge one
vicar chaplain, and the remaining prebendaries
each one chaplain in holy orders (i.e. a deacon).
Strict rules were made for the conduct of these
vicars both in and out of church. (fn. 1)
In the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, 1291, the
revenues of the college were rated at £90 13s. 4d.;
at the dissolution, £49 3s. 4d.; (fn. 2) and in the
survey returns of 1548, £73 10s. (fn. 3)
About the year 1378 Bishop Hatfield found
fault with the canons of Lanchester for not
paying the salaries of their vicars, (fn. 4) but his admonitions on the subject produced no lasting
effect. In the time of Bishop Langley the dean
was non-resident; (fn. 5) the church, chapels, and
houses of the college were in a ruinous condition; the vicars' places were vacant, and their
salaries went into the pockets of the canons. (fn. 6)
At the dissolution small pensions were reserved for the curates of Lanchester and the
three chapels; the rest of the collegiate possessions were scattered under crown grants. (fn. 7)
Deans of Lanchester
John de Craven, app. 1283 (fn. 8)
William de Marclan, occ. 1311 (fn. 9)
William de Whickham (Quykham), occ.
1313-17 (fn. 10)
Richard de Kilvington, coll. 1339 (fn. 11)
John de Newbiggin, occ. 19 June, 1350 (fn. 12)
John de Derby, coll. 11 August 1369 (fn. 13)
John Burgess, occ. 1383; (fn. 14) 7 June, 1388 (fn. 15)
John Cokyn, occ. 13 May, 1399 (fn. 16)
John Dalton, coll. 15 April, 1408, p.m. J.
Cokyn (fn. 17)
John Hunteman, res. 23 January, 1415-16 (fn. 18)
William Brown (fn. 19)
J. Suthwell, coll. 9 July, 1416, p.r. W.
Brown (fn. 20)
William Pelleson (fn. 21)
William Brown, coll. 1417, by exch. with
W. Pelleson (fn. 22)
William Aslakby, coll. 21 September, 1424,
by exch. with W. Brown (fn. 23)
Stephen Austell, d. 27 February, 1461 (fn. 24)
John Rudd, d. 29 September, 1490 (fn. 25)
Thomas Thomyoo, D.D., coll. 1490, p.m.
J. Rudd (fn. 26)
Laurence Claxton, coll. 7. April, 1496 (fn. 27)
Robert Hyndmer, coll. 2 April, 1532, p.m.
Claxton; (fn. 28) dean at the dissolution (fn. 29)