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ALEXANDER NEVILLE,

ARCHBISHOP OF YORK.

OB. 1392.

EARLY a century after the gift recorded in our fifth chapter, Beverley received a still more magnificent donative from Alexander Neville, Archbishop of York. We refer to the gift of

those 500 acres of beautiful and undulating ground so well known to us as the Westwood, a place much frequented in the summer months by pleasure parties from the neighbouring towns and villages. A more charming resort for a picnic it would indeed be difficult to find, the views are so varied and extensive, and the air so delightfully pure. A ramble through the shady retreats and pleasant glades of "Burton Bushes" will not easily be effaced from the tablets of memory.

The calm serenity of these peaceful shades offer a striking contrast to the chequered career of their donor. It was the misfortune of Alexander Neville that his lot was cast in troublous times. Not only in the kingdom, but in the church also, dissensions prevailed-dissensions which were not without their effect on the life of our prelate.

We have failed to discover the date of Neville's birth, but we may safely assume it to have been in the first half of the 14th century. He was successively a Canon of York, Archdeacon of Durham, and Archbishop of York, being raised to the archiepiscopal dignity by the Pope's provisionary Bull, which was received and read in the Chapter on May 30th, 1374. On the 4th of June following, he was consecrated at Westminster Abbey by the hands of Thomas, Bishop of Durham; Thomas, Bishop of Ely; and William, Bishop of Winchester.

Upon the accession of the weak and unfortunate Richard II., Neville became one of his chief favourites, and from him he obtained a license to convey "all the soil and wood called Westwood, in Beverley, containing 400 acres of land, with all the appurtenances, to Richard de Walkyngton and others, burgesses of the said town of Beverley, and to all and singular the burgesses and their successors, and to the commonalty of the same town for ever." Having procured this license from the king, Neville proceeded to make the grant therein referred to, which he did by an instrument dated the 2nd day of April, 1379, in the third year of the reign of King Richard II. This grant was confirmed by the Chapter of York (the dean being absent in foreign parts) by deed dated two days afterwards; and thus Beverley secured one of its principal privileges, and one of the most beautifully-situated pastures in Yorkshire.

About a year after the date of these valuable docu

ments, an event occurred in the history of England which, as it was not without its effects on the history of Beverley, we shall offer no apology for briefly narrating. Richard being only a boy of eleven years old when the crown devolved upon him by the death of his grandfather, the affairs of the kingdom were conducted by a council of regency. This council was not very wise in matters financial. The truce or armed peace between England and France had expired before the death of Edward III., and the war had re-commenced. The supplies continually renewed to carry on the war occasioned great discontent. The Scots, too, violated their truce, and some petty engagements were fought at sea; but everywhere the result was disappointment to the English. The jewels of the crown had been pledged to defray the expenses, and still the necessities of the State required fresh aids, and a capitation tax was granted, which graduated according to each person's rank and estate. But these means proving insufficient, it was resolved to impose a tax of three groats per head "on every person of the kingdom, male and female, of the age of 15, of what state or condition soever." When we reflect upon the value of money at that time, a shilling (three groats) being at least equal in purchasing power to one pound now, the iniquity of such an impost almost staggers belief. The collection of this tax took place in December, 1380, when the poor people were, we may suppose, anticipating enjoying the festivities of the Christmas season, and would require the little money they had to

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spare to purchase such modestly dainty fare as they required. The tax, we need scarcely say, was very unpopular-as all taxes are-and gave rise to an insurrection which threatened the life of the king and the very existence of the government.

The people soon grew obstinate, and boldly declared they would not pay. In a few days the commons of Essex were in a general insurrection, and had found a leader in a priest calling himself Jack Straw; but probably a worthy man. By letters and messengers their proceedings were soon made known through the neighbouring counties, and not only the peasantry of Kent, but of Norfolk and Suffolk, were soon up in arms. The incident which caused the whole immediately to break into a flame was this:-One of the collectors of the tax at Dartford, in Kent, went to the house of one Wat Tyler, a smith, and demanded the tax for a daughter of Wat's, whom the mother contended was under fifteen, the age fixed by the law. The insolent tax-gatherer declared he would prove that, and was proceeding to the grossest outrage, when Wat came running in, at the outcries of his wife and daughter, and knocked out the scoundrel's brains with his hammer. The neighbours applauded Wat's spirit, and vowed to stand by him, " for," says the chronicler, "the rude officers had in many places made the like trial." The news of this exciting occurrence, and the insurrection of the men of Kent, spread rapidly over the whole country, from the Thames to the Humber, through the counties of Hertford, Surrey, Suffolk,