Biography of Archbishop William Zouche -1352

Adam Murimuth Continuation. In this same year, on 24th April, in the year of the Lord 1342, in the eighth year of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XII, after he had governed the Church for seven years, three months, and five days, that same Pope Benedict died in his palace at Avignon, which he had enlarged at great expense; and he was buried in the church of Avignon. The Apostolic See was vacant for thirteen days, for on the sixth day of the following month of May the cardinal of Rouen was elected pope. He was by origin from Limousin, a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict, a master of theology and a distinguished preacher, formerly abbot of Fécamp in Normandy, later archbishop of Rouen, and afterward cardinal priest of Saints Nereus and Achilleus. On that sixth day of May he was unanimously elected pope; and he took the name Pope Clement VI, and was solemnly crowned on the following feast of Pentecost. He also, on the 26th day of the following June, provided for the church of York with Master William la Zouche, who had been elected amid dispute, and for the church of Lincoln with Master Thomas Bek, who had previously been unanimously elected but had long been delayed because of a claimed papal reservation, as mentioned above.

Item, hoc anno, XXIIIJ die Aprilis, anno Domini MCCCXLII, pontificatus Benedicti papæ XII anno VIIJ, postquam idem papa ecclesiam rexerat annis VIJ, mensibus IIIJ, diebus V, obiit idem Benedictus papa in palatio suo Avinoniæ, quod ipse magnis sumptibus dilatavit; et in ecclesia Avinoniæ fuit sepultus. Et vacavit sedes apostolica diebus XIIJ, quia sexto die mensis Maii sequentis fuit electus cardinalis Rothomagensis, qui fuit natione Lemovicensis, monachus ordinis sancti Benedicti, magister theologiæ et prædicator solempnis et abbas Fescamensis in Normannia, ac postmodum archiepiscopus Rothomagensis et subsequenter cardinalis tituli sanctorum Nerei et Achillei, et demum dicto die VJ Maii concorditer electus in papam ; qui se fecit nominari Clementem sextum, et in die Pentecostes sequentis solempniter coronari. Qui etiam XXVJ die mensis Junii tune sequenti providit ecclesiæ Eboracensi de magistro Willelmo la Zouche, in discordia electo, et ecclesiæ Lincolniensi de magistro Thoma de Bek, prius concorditer electo, sed propter reservationem prætensam, ut præmittitur, diutius impedito.