The five lower figures of the East Window are those of Yorkshire Saints: St. Paulinus (Sanctus Paulinus) in the centre, St. Wilfrid and St. William of York (Scus Willmus Ebor.) being on the south, St. John of Beverley (Scs. Johanes Bevlac) and St Hilda (Sancta Hilda) on the north. The dark line above certain letters shows that the word below is given in a contracted form.
St. Paulinus was the first Archbishop of York. He was a disciple of St. Gregory the Great, and was sent by him to assist St. Augustine in extending Christianity in this country. He was the means of converting Eadwine, the King of Northumbria, the Christian Ethelburge's husband, and with him his nobles and many thousands of his subjects, the king being baptized at York (Latin, Eboracum, Celtic, "Eborac", "the town at the meeting of the waters,") on Easter Day, A.D. 627. Immediately after his baptism, King Eadwine commenced the Cathedral of York, of which St. Paulinus was made the first bishop. He is commemorated in the English Calendar on Oct. 10. (Bede: Eccl: Hist: Bk. II., c. 14, 16.)
St. Wilfrid was the third Archbishop of York, succeeding St. Chad A.D. 669, and was one of the most celebrated Saxon bishops. He was buried in the Monastery which he had founded at Ripon, now the Cathedral, which is dedicated to God in the joint names of St. Peter and St. Wilfrid. He is commemorated on Oct. 12th.
St. William of York was chosen Archbishop of York on the death of Thurstan in A.D. 1140, being a son of King Stephen's sister Emma. He died in 1154, and, according to tradition, from drinking a poisoned chalice. There is a large window in the north end of the Choir Transept of York Minster to his memory, put up about the middle of the fifteenth century, representing in the numerous compartments of its five lights some miracle or subject from his history. He was commemorated on June 8th.
St. John of Beverley (i.e. Beaver-lea) was born at Harpham near Driffield, was educated under St. Hilda and was himself the teacher of the Venerable Bede, whom he ordained to the priesthood. He was first the Bishop of Hexham, and afterwards (in 705) Archbishop
