The earliest notice of the Boy Bishop at York, or for the matter of that, in England, is in a statute (before 1221), which lays on him the duty of finding rushes for the Nativity and Epiphany feasts[1268]. After this, there is nothing further until the second half of the fourteenth century, when some interesting documents become available. The chapter register for 1367 requires that in future the ‘bishop’ shall be the boy who has served longest and proved most useful in the cathedral. A saving clause is added: _dum tamen competenter sit corpore formosus_[1269]. This shows a sense of humour in the chapter, for at York, as at Salisbury, _Corpore enim formosus es, O fili_ was a respond for the day. In 1390, was added a further qualification that the ‘bishop’ must be a lad in good voice[1270]. Doubtless the office was much coveted, for it was a very remunerative one. The visitation forbidden at Salisbury by Roger de Mortival was permitted at York, and the profits were considerable. Robert de Holme, who was ‘bishop’ in 1369, received from the choirmaster, John Gisson, who acted as his treasurer, no less a sum than £3 15_s._ 1¹⁄₂_d._[1271] In 1396 the amount was only £2 0_s._ 6¹⁄₂_d._ But this was only a small portion of the total receipts. The complete _Computus_ for this year happens to be preserved, and shows that the Boy Bishop made a _quête_ at intervals during the weeks between Christmas and Candlemas, travelling with a ‘seneschal,’ four singers and a servant to such distant places as Bridlington, Leeds, Beverley, Fountains abbey and Allerton. Their principal journey lasted a fortnight. The oblations on Christmas and Innocents’ days and the collection from the dignitaries in the cloister realized £2 15_s._ 5_d._ In the city they got 10_s._ and abroad £5 10_s._ Out of this there were heavy expenses. The supper given by the ‘bishop’ cost 15_s._ 6¹⁄₂_d._ Purchased meals had to supplement hospitality at home and abroad. Horse hire and stable expenses had to be met. There were the ‘bishop’s’ outfit, candles to be borne in procession, fees to the minor cathedral officials, gloves for presents to the vicars and schoolmasters. There was the ‘bishop’s’ own company to be rewarded for its services. The £2 0_s._ 6¹⁄₂_d._ represents the balance available for his private use[1272]. The most generous contributor to the _quête_ was the countess of Northumberland, who gave 20s. and a gold ring. This is precisely the amount of the reward prescribed about 1522 for the ‘barne bishop’ of York, as well as for his brother of Beverley in the _Household Book_ of the fifth earl of Northumberland[1273].