oversy
with Lady Blanche Wake, a daughter of the Earl of Lancaster--the same
lady who afterwards married John of Gaunt and became mother of King
Henry IV. Her estates were contiguous to the bishop's manors in
Huntingdonshire, and frequent disputes arose about their boundaries. The
tenants took violent measures to assert the claims of their respective
landlords, and much litigation ensued. The bishop, by his haughty
behaviour, offended both the courts and the king, to whom he appealed;
and at last he was constrained to escape to Avignon, then the seat of
the pope. Here he had been consecrated; and here, while negotiations
were proceeding for settling the dispute, in 1361 he died; and here he
was buried.

This time the monks elected, not one of their own body, but the Dean of
Lichfield. But once again their nomination was disregarded, and #Simon
Langham# (1362-1366) was appointed bishop. He was Abbot of Westminster
and Treasurer of England. He had lately declined the See of London. He
was afterwards Lord Chancellor, and in 1366 he was translated to
Canterbury; but he only remained archbishop till he was created a
cardinal in 1368. In 1374 he was appointed Bishop of Praeneste. Like his
predecessor, he died and was buried at Avignon. This was in 1376. After
three years his body was removed to Westminster Abbey, where his
handsome monument is well known. The inscription implies that all the
world sorrowed at his death: "Orbe dolente Pater ... ruit."

On his removal to Canterbury, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, #John
Barnet# (1366-1373), was translated to Ely. He had been previously
Bishop of Worcester, and for a time Treasurer of England. He
"beautified" five of the windows in the presbytery. He died at Hatfield
in 1373, but was buried at Ely.

His successor was #Thomas Fitz-Alan# (1374-1388), son of the Earl of
Arundel, Archdeacon of Taunton. He is said at the time not to have been
in holy orders and under twenty-three years of age. The convent had in
vain elected the Archdeacon of Northampton. Bishop Arundel (so he is
generally called) was Chancellor of England in 1386, but resigned that
office in 1389, the year after he was made Archbishop of York. He
ultimately became Archbishop of Canterbury, and died in 1414. He almost
rebuilt the Bishop of Ely's palace in London. He fell into disfavour
with King Richard II., and was banished; but he returned to England on
the accession of King Henry IV. He was buried at Canterbury.