Ancient_and_modern_York_a_guide
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98 ANCIENT AND<br />
his retinue was extremely numerous, little inferior even to<br />
that of the archbishop of <strong>York</strong>. He had several country<br />
houses to retire to at pleasure ; of which, those at<br />
Deighton <strong>and</strong> Overton were the chief. Those houses were<br />
situated about five miles distant from the city of<strong>York</strong>, north<br />
<strong>and</strong> south of it. The abbot of <strong>York</strong>'s residence in Lon<br />
don, was in the parish of St. Peter, near St. Paul's wharf.<br />
It was granted in the 35th of Henry VIII., to Thomas<br />
Lord Wriothesley. The early patronage of royalty rapidly<br />
increased this foundation in importance, <strong>and</strong> it soon had<br />
the following six cells, or smaller religious houses attached<br />
to it, viz. : St. Beez or St. Bega, <strong>and</strong> also Wetherall in<br />
Cumberl<strong>and</strong>, St. Martin's at Richmond, Romburch in Cam<br />
bridgeshire, Santoft <strong>and</strong> Henes in Lincolnshire, <strong>and</strong> St.<br />
Mary Magdalene, near the city of Lincoln. The annual<br />
revenue of the abbey at the time of its suppression was<br />
about £2,000; an immense sum considering the relative<br />
value ofmoney, though much less than the revenue of Glostonbury,<br />
St. Peter's, Westminster, or St. Albans. The<br />
dispersed religious fraternity were black monks of the order<br />
of St. Benedict, <strong>and</strong> had a psalter <strong>and</strong> missal compiled<br />
particularly for their devotions ; though the archbishop<br />
of <strong>York</strong> had the power of visiting them for the purpose of<br />
correcting or reforming abuses that might be introduced.<br />
At the reformation the monastery of St. Mary was retained<br />
by the crown ; yet it shared the fate of the greater part of<br />
the religious houses. When its inmates were dispersed,<br />
the church <strong>and</strong> offices attached to it became useless. In<br />
many parts of Engl<strong>and</strong> monasteries were converted into<br />
cathedral <strong>and</strong> parish churches ; but <strong>York</strong> possessed its Min<br />
ster <strong>and</strong> was crowded with churches. The parish of St.<br />
Olave had a church adjoining the monastery; it was there<br />
fore voted to be useless, <strong>and</strong> an order was issued soon after<br />
the dissolution, to erect on the site of the abbey, a palace,<br />
as a residence for the Lord Presidents of the north : for the<br />
construction of which, the church <strong>and</strong> offices of the abbey<br />
were ruthlessly dismantled!—The palace So built was
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