ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY Another episode of Richard's episcopate, which affected the whole province of Canterbury, but must have been of special importance to London and the district, was an attempt at the reform of the Court of Arches, perhaps as a result of the petition sent to the king in 1290 by men of the diocese of London, who complained of the many vexatious citations and exactions of the officials and ministers of the Church by which more was extorted from the people than by all the lay courts.^'"' The king ordered the chancellor to amend the grievance as far as lay in his power, and the archbishop to do the same in spiritual matters. Archiepiscopal statutes for the court were issued in 1295 and 1342 with the object of improving the administration and procedure, to make the course of justice easier and quicker.^" Richard Gravesend died in December 1303, and Ralph Baldock was elected"^ as his successor early in the following year, but was not consecrated till July 1306. During his episcopate occurred the dissolution of the Order of Knights Templars, of which an account is given under ' Religious Houses.' Stephen Gravesend was unpopular in London, probably because of his ad- herence to Edward 11,'^' and it was said that if the populace could have caught him at the time of the outrage on the Bishop of Exeter in 1326 he also would have been murdered. ^'"' At the beginning of his episcopate Archbishop Walter wished to visit his diocese armed with extraordinary powers from the pope ; Stephen opposed him and appealed to Rome, but in the end the archbishop was triumphant and the visitation took place. ^'^ An interesting description of the enthronement of Richard Bintworth (1338-9), probably typical of that of all Bishops of London at this period, is given by the author of the Annales Paulini. On the day of his consecra- tion, having celebrated mass, he rode through the city and dismounted at St. Michael's in the market place ; there taking ofFhis shoes and being met by the procession of the choir he entered his cathedral barefoot and was led up to the high altar. After making prayer and oblation he proceeded to the vestry where he was robed in his pontifical garments. Thence he was led by the arch- deacon of Canterbury, to whom the office of enthronement belongs, to the seat prepared for him in a high place near the high altar, where he was enthroned by the archdeacon. And when prayers had been said by the dean and Te Deum sung he kissed all the canons and others in the quire. The chronicle goes on to tell how Bishop Bintworth celebrated mass in St. Paul's and was present there at all the great feasts, ' because he greatly loved and honoured his church and the whole city,' ^^^ During the first half of the 14th century there are many notices of those processions on occasions of national rejoicing or sorrow which were a noticeable feature of London life down to the Reformation. Thus in 131 5, on account of the great rains and scarcity of food, the archbishop ordained that all the clerks and monks of the city every Friday should go with bare "« Pari. R. (Rec. Com.), i, 6ob. '" Wilkins, Cond/ia, ii, 204, 681. "' The order of the succeeding bishops is as follows : — Ralph Baldock consecrated 1306, Gilbert Segrave 1313, Richard Newport 1317, Stephen Gravesend 1319, Richard Bintworth 1338, Ralph Stratford 1340. '-' Diet. Nat. Biog. "" French Chron. of Lond. (Camd. Soc), 54. "' Wharton, Hist, de Epis. Lond. 121, from archives of Canterbury. '" Chron. Edzv. I and Edtv. II (Rolls Ser.) i, 367—8. He appears to have been held in high estimation by the king, who requested that he might be consecrated elsewhere than at Canterbury, as he could not dispense with his services ; Lit. Cant. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 185. 197
