Historic%20Yorkshire

ST. JOHN OF BEVERLEY.
Bosa, fourth Archbishop of York, dyingin705, John of
Harpham was elected to succeed him, and for twelve
years held the archiepiscopal crosier, at the end of which
time, being far advanced in years, he resigned his see.
Some years before, it is said in 700, while perambulating
his diocese, he had come across a cleared space in the
forest of Deira, where stood a little wooden church.
Charmed with the retirementand beauty of the situation,
so well fitted in every way for a life of devotion, he had
formed then a planof rebuilding the church, and erecting
in conjunction with it a double cloistered establishment.
In 704, in accordance with this design, he erected a
college for secular canons, an oratorycalled the Oratory
of Saint Martin, and dedicated the church, which he
rebuilt, to St. John
the Baptist. The locality was then
known as Inderawood, from its situation in the Silva
Deirorum, or Wood of the Deirans. The monastery he
endowedwith estates at Middleton,Welwick, Bilton, and
Patrington. The ancient church which we have mentioned
had been destroyed byHengist and Horsa,in their
incursions during the year 450.
As the first prior of his monastery,John
installed his
pupil Brithune,or Berthun,who afterwards wrote a life of
his master. On his retirement from the high and onerous
positionof ArchbishopofYorkhe retired to the monastery
he had erected. Here he died, in 721. Many remarkable
deeds are put to the credit of St. John of Beverley,' and
many strange miraclesare recordedof him. He restored
to life,it is said, the wife of Earl Puch,of South Burton,
and also a person in the employof Earl Addie,of North
Burton, both in the neighbourhood of Beverley; whilst
such was the powerexercised by his shrine, such was the
number of wonders worked there for the benefit of
supplicants, and his claim to canonisation became so
pronounced thathe was enrolled among the Saints of the
Church by the Pope (Benedict IX.) under the title of
Saint John ofBeverley. Numerous interestingparticulars
are on record of his manners and character. Following
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