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staircase, on the south-west of the building, is doubtless in situ, as in Abbot Sever's time.

At a short distance south-west of the main building is a stone-vaulted cellar, at one time called "The King's Cellar", now designated by the ominous term, "The Dungeon". The origin of this structure is thus related by the late Mr. Davies :-" For political reasons Henry VIII, soon after he had appointed Bishop Holgate to be LordPresident, formed the intention of making a progress to the North, and sojourning awhile in York. In contemplation of this visit the King ordered that a new palace should be built for his reception upon that part of the site of St. Mary's Abbey which lay between the Abbot's house and the river. It was not until the month of September 1541 that the wayward monarch came to York, accompanied by his unfortunate Queen, Catherine Howard, and attended by a brilliant suite. The King took up his residence in the newly erected palace,—an edifice that had been hastily raised, and was doomed as suddenly to disappear. Within a few years after Henry's visit the royal palace became as total a ruin as the sacred Abbey itself."

One or two items with regard to this royal visit are interesting.

It was in June that the Corporation of the city were informed of the intended visit. "Like loyal citizens they at once decided that £20 should be laid out at London in the purchase of two cups of gold and silver, of the best fashion, to be presented to the King and Queen." Platforms were erected at Micklegate Bar, and on "the 12th my Lord Mayor called certain joiners and painters, and commanded them immediately to take their council and devices together to make a show at Micklegate Bar."

On the 13th of September the final resolution respecting the present was passed. A cup of gold, with £100, was to be presented to the King, and another cup, with £40 therein, to the Queen's grace, for the worship of the city.

On the 15th of September the King, with twelve members of his Council and retinue, entered the city, and we may well imagine that York put on its best gala

dress. Here the King waited until the 26th for the King of the Scots, but no Scotch monarch came from the North to greet his royal uncle. Probably the Scots could not trust their King in Henry's hands. This would put Henry in no pleasant mood. His Queen left him at York, and went on to Pontefract Castle, and thence to London, where, when Henry arrived, a charge was brought against her which cost the poor Queen her head.

One measure of the King's, which dates from York, all archæologists will regret. Many of the beautiful shrines in the churches of the North still remained undefaced, with their minute sculpture and fine goldsmith's work, creations of the highest artistic skill of the Middle Ages. On September 22 the King issued his commands to the Archbishop to cause all these shrines to be taken down, and the places where they stood to be made even and plain.' Henry left York, Sept. 26.

Thomas Radcliffe, the Earl of Sussex, was the first Lord-President who expended anything on the repair of the Manor House. He seems to have expended, by grants from the Crown, not much less than £600. Probably so large an amount was not all spent in repairs; but there are no means of ascertaining what additions, if any, were made by him.

The successor of the Earl of Sussex was Henry Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon, who from 1572 to 1595 presided over the Northern Council, and with his wife, who was sister of the Earl of Leicester, the Queen's favourite, spent several months of each year at the Manor, during which time considerable and important additions were made to the palace. The greater part of the north-west portion of the house was, doubtless, erected at this time. In one of the largest rooms are heraldic achievements connected with the Earl, who seems to have been in good favour with the citizens, for we find him preferring a request to the Corporation that North Street postern might be enlarged so that his great horse might go through. With this request the Corporation at once complied.

When James I came to England to assume the crown he was received at the Manor by the famous Thomas

1 Mins. of Priv. Coun.

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