Wickwane's background is unknown, as is his place of education, but he was referred to as
magister so he probably attended a university. He was
prebendary of North Newald in Yorkshire by 1265 and also held the prebend of Ripon. He was elected Archbishop of York on 22 June 1279, and consecrated on 17 September 1279 by Pope
Nicholas III at
Viterbo. On his return to England, he had his primatial cross carried in front of him through the
see of Canterbury, thus reviving a centuries-old controversy between York and Canterbury. He was enthroned at
York Minster on Christmas Day 1279. The matter of the cross involved Wickwane in a dispute with Archbishop
John Peckham of Canterbury. He also wrote to
Bogo de Clare while the later was still a
canon of York Minster, taking Bogo to task for the state of the vestments and other liturgical items in the cathedral. Wickwane also attempted to keep clergy who kept concubines from performing clerical functions in the
diocese of York. Wickwane died on 26 August or 27 August 1285 at
Pontigny Abbey in Burgundy while on his way to the papal curia to plead his case against the monks of Durham. He was buried at the
Cistercian abbey there in
Pontigny. ==Citations==