parish of Nidd to the common
property of the College.

[Illustration: THE WEST FRONT BEFORE SIR G. G. SCOTT'S RESTORATION.
(From an old print, by the kind permission of the Ripon Museum.)]

As yet, most of the prebends were distinguished by the names of the
Canons who held them, or of Saints; and it was not till 1301 that they
were named after the principal hamlet or township in each--Stanwick,
Monkton, Givendale, Sharow, Nunwick, Studley, Thorp. They were all in
the neighbourhood except Stanwick, which was in the North Riding, near
Richmond. The Church was (as it still is) parochial as well as
collegiate. Each prebend carried with it a cure of souls, yet all
(except Stanwick) were included in the huge parish of Ripon, which
extended to Pateley Bridge, and in 1300 had a radius of nine or ten
miles. Thus the collegiate establishment differed from the usual type in
which each prebend was a separate parish with a church of its own.
Moreover, there was neither Dean nor Chancellor. The Canons may at first
have lived in common, but as early as 1301, and probably earlier, they
were dwelling in separate prebendal houses round the Church. There is no
evidence that they ever resided on their prebends, except in the case of
the Canon of Sharow, whose residence was at that place. The canonries,
having been founded by Archbishops of York, were in the gift of the see,
or of the Crown when the see was vacant. The Canon of Stanwick was _ex
officio_ Ruler of the Choir, whence his obligation to reside in Ripon in
spite of the remoteness of his prebend, which was served by a vicar.
Similarly the Canon of Monkton was always Treasurer, and had charge of
the Chapter-house, the ornaments and plate, and the High Altar.

The revenues of the church may be divided as usual under three heads.
There was a Common Fund, arising from certain rents, tithes, fees, and
oblations; a survival perhaps of a time when the Canons lived in common.
Secondly, there were the revenues drawn by the Canons from their
respective prebends, and consisting partly of rents, but chiefly of
tithes. The prebend of Stanwick was worth about twice as much as any
other. Thirdly, there was the Fabric Fund, arising from certain rents,
oblations,[13] and licences, from the profits of St. Wilfrid's
burning-iron (with which cattle were branded to keep off murrain),[14]
and, in later days, of the pok-stone (which was probably regarded as in
some way a preventive against the 'po