vered by a trick. At a later time,
fearing again an attack from the Danes, the Abbot of S. Albans sent to
Ely a chest containing (so he said) the relics of the martyr for safe
custody. When the troubles were over, the monks of Ely sent back the
chest, but with other bones in it, supposing that they had thereby
secured the true relics for their own church. So the Abbot of S. Albans
declared that they were not the true relics that he had sent to Ely, but
that he had buried them in a fresh place in his own church. The king, in
1314, decided the matter in favour of S. Albans.

At the death of Bishop Keeton in 1316 the bishopric was conferred upon
#John Hotham# (1316-1337), Chancellor of the Exchequer. Bentham calls
him Prebendary of York and Rector of Collingham; Browne Willis calls him
Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, and Chancellor of the University,
and S.T.P., being the first bishop in his list who is credited with any
university degree. He was a man of great eminence both as a bishop and
as a statesman. In his political capacity he was Lord Chancellor. He was
employed more than once on foreign embassies. He was one of the
commissioners to arrange a truce between England and Scotland after the
Battle of Myton in 1319, at which he had been present. He was made
special commissioner to settle the troubles in Gascony. In his
ecclesiastical capacity he added much landed property both to the see
and the monastery. He erected the choir, providing for the building of
the western bays after the fall of the tower. He obtained confirmatory
charters from the king, and also a grant giving to the prior and convent
the custody of the temporalities of the see during a vacancy, upon
paying to the king, as long as their custody lasted, at the rate of
L2000 a year. He died, "vir prudens, Justus, et munificus," in 1337.

The monks desired that their prior, John Crauden, should become bishop;
but the king translated hither #Simon Montacute# (1337-1345), Bishop
of Worcester. In a letter to the pope about him, in 1318, King Edward
II. calls him his cousin (_consanguineus_). He materially assisted the
buildings at the church, particularly the lady-chapel. He died in 1345.

Again the nomination of the monks, in favour of their prior, Alan de
Walsingham, was set aside, and #Thomas De Lisle# (1345-1361) became
bishop. He was prior of the Dominican Friars at Winchester. For nearly
the whole of his episcopate he was engaged in a prolonged contr