the rebellion, headed by Scrope, the archbishop. After
he had been trapped and captured, the king had great difficulty in
bringing him to trial, as the Chief Justice, Gascoyne, refused to try
him. He was finally condemned in his own palace, at Bishopthorpe, and
executed near to the walls of the city. Henry IV. withdrew also the
liberties and privileges of the city, and the citizens had to beg for
pardon on their knees with ropes round their necks. The archbishop was
buried in the minster, and his tomb was much frequented by pilgrims in
the north.

In 1407 the rebellion broke out again, and the citizens of York were
again severely punished. In the fifteenth century the importance of York
began to decline, and from that time it owes the position it still holds
chiefly to its ecclesiastical eminence. Richard III. visited York
several times, and gave a great cross to the minster, standing on six
steps, each of which was ornamented with the figure of an angel. The
figures were all of silver, and the whole was decorated with precious
stones. Richard also planned the establishment of a college of 100
chaplains, and in 1485 six altars were erected for their use. But the
scheme came to an end on the death of the king. York had been greatly
devoted to Richard, but it submitted to Henry VII. when he made a state
entry into the city in 1486, and it remained loyal in the rebellion of
Lambert Simnel, when the rebels besieged the city, but were repulsed.

In the reign of Henry VIII. the importance of York was steadily
declining. He only visited the city once. The whole of Yorkshire, which
was no doubt poorer and more ignorant than most other counties, was much
disturbed by the abolition of the monasteries and the spoiling of the
churches, especially by the seizing of the head of St. William, the
chief treasure of the minster. In 1536 the insurrection known as the
Pilgrimage of Grace broke out, and the city willingly received the
rebels. Aske, their leader, made a proclamation that all the "religions"
should be reinstated in their old places: and the friars sang matins the
same night. In 1557 Aske was hanged on a gallows set upon one of the
bars of York. Henry entered York, and the citizens sued for pardon,
which was not granted to them until 1560. Henry ordered the removal of
such shrines as had not already been destroyed, and fragments of these
have been found buried near the minster. Henry determined to establish
his authority fir