We have seen the difficulties involved in supposing that the Pope’s action was prompted by any person or party among the other councillors of the Crown. Can it have been prompted--on the broad ground of the interest of public order and stable government, irrespective of persons and parties--by the Archbishop of Canterbury? NOTE VIII THE ROYAL CASTLES IN 1223–1224 The entries in the Patent Roll concerning the changes which took place in the custody of royal castles from November, 1223, to March, 1224, have been collected by Dr. Shirley in Appendix ii. to his edition of _Royal Letters_, vol. i. pp. 508–516. They are there given in the form and the order in which they appear on the Roll, and accompanied by some other entries which have no direct bearing on the general surrender and redistribution of castles after Christmas, 1223. The entries whose date is earlier than 29th December, 1223, have of course also no bearing upon that subject. A summary analysis, in chronological order, of those which do relate to it may therefore be useful to elucidate and check the statements in my text, pp. 210–212. My references are to the printed Patent Rolls of Henry III, vol. i. From 30th December, 1223, to 13th March, 1224, (after which no further important changes seem to have taken place for some time) orders were issued for the transfer of the custody of thirty-three castles, viz: Shrewsbury, Bridgenorth, Lancaster, Kenilworth, Windsor, Odiham, Knaresborough, the Peak, Bolsover, Salisbury, Devizes, Corfe, Bristol, Sherborne, Lincoln, S. Briavel’s, Oxford, Northampton, Hertford, Rochester, Norwich, Orford, Dover, Canterbury, Hereford, Winchester, Porchester, Southampton, Carisbrook, Christchurch, Plympton, Marlborough, Luggershall. On 30th December Earl Ranulf of Chester was bidden to deliver the castles of Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth, and the shires of Salop and Stafford, to Hugh le Despenser. In the custody of Lancaster castle, county, and honour Ranulf was to be superseded by Earl Ferrers. Kenilworth castle and the shires of Leicester and Warwick were transferred from William de Cantelupe to John Russell; Windsor and Odiham from Engelard de Cigogné to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Brian de Lisle was ordered to deliver Knaresborough to the Archbishop of York, the Peak and Bolsover to Robert of Lexington, who was however to receive the latter fortress not for himself, but to hand it over to William Brewer (_Pat. Rolls_, vol. i. p. 418). Earl William Longsword was to deliver the castle of Salisbury, William Brewer that of Devizes and Ralf Gernon that of Corfe, to the Bishop of Salisbury. Bristol castle was to pass from the Bishop of Norwich (Pandulf), Sherborne castle and the sheriffdom of Somerset from John Russell, to the Bishop of Bath; Lincoln castle from Stephen de Sedgrave to the bishop of the diocese (_ib._ p. 419. It is not quite clear whether at this time Stephen de Sedgrave was castellan of Lincoln in his own person, or as