▁to ▁a ▁superior . ▁However , ▁a ▁main ▁influence ▁was ▁probably ▁the ▁so - called ▁False ▁Dec ret als , ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁decre es ▁and ▁can ons ▁from ▁the ▁nin th ▁century , ▁which ▁mentioned ▁prim ates ▁as ▁the ▁equivalent ▁of ▁patri arch s ▁and ▁placed ▁them ▁between ▁the ▁po pe ▁and ▁the ▁metropol itan ▁b ish ops ▁in ▁the ▁hierarchy . ▁ ▁When ▁Lan fran c ▁attempted ▁to ▁find ▁document ary ▁proof ▁to ▁re but ▁York ' s ▁ref us al , ▁it ▁was ▁discovered ▁that ▁no ▁explicit ▁statement ▁of ▁such ▁a ▁prim acy ▁existed . ▁This ▁involved ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁letters ▁of ▁Pope ▁Gregory ▁the ▁Great , ▁which ▁were ▁repeated ▁in ▁B ede ' s ▁Historia , ▁but ▁a ▁comp lication ▁was ▁that ▁Gregory ' s ▁plan ▁for ▁the ▁Greg or ian ▁mission ▁had ▁specified ▁that ▁the ▁southern ▁province ▁would ▁be ▁based ▁at ▁London , ▁not ▁Can ter bury . ▁There ▁was ▁document ary ▁evidence ▁from ▁the ▁pap acy ▁that ▁stated ▁that ▁Can ter bury ▁had ▁a ▁prim acy ▁over ▁the ▁island , ▁but ▁these ▁dated ▁from ▁before ▁York ▁had ▁been ▁raised ▁to ▁an ▁arch bishop ric . ▁During ▁the ▁council ▁of ▁Win chester ▁in ▁ 1 0 7 2 , ▁pap al ▁letters ▁were ▁produced ▁which ▁may ▁or ▁may ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁for ger ies . ▁A ▁bi ograph er ▁of ▁Lan fran c , ▁Margaret ▁Gib son , ▁arg ues ▁that ▁they ▁already ▁existed ▁before ▁Lan fran c ▁used ▁them . ▁Another ▁historian , ▁Richard ▁Southern , ▁holds