Register of William Melton, Archbishop of York, 1317-1340

A rare window onto the financial, political and administrative power of an archbishop operating at the heart of royal government in early fourteenth-century England.

William Melton acquired extensive financial skill and experience in the service of Edward II. When he became Archbishop of York in 1317 he applied these abilities in his new role. After a difficult period in his early years he became able to make considerable loans to the crown, his fellow bishops and northern nobility, gentry and religious houses.

The intrinseca camere section of Melton's register covers his financial transactions and documents his dealings with his agents in London, notably the merchant Simon Swanland and Peruzzi bankers based there with the aim of acquiring gold florins for payments to the curia at the most favourable rates of exchange. Entries relate to the re-establishment of the archbishop's Mint and to household and estate procurement. It is important for business and financial historians and reveals aspects of episcopal activity that normally are found neither in the registers nor the estate records of the episcopate.

The volume also covers the war with Scotland and reflects the resultant transfer of government departments to York. Entries relate to an attempt to raise forces against Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer's invasion in 1326 and to Melton's funding of the great West window of York minster.