 Gerard died suddenly on 21 May 1108 , at Southwell , on his way to London to attend a council . His body was found in an orchard , next to a book of " curious arts " , his copy of Julius Firmicus . His canons refused to allow his burial within his cathedral , but their hostility probably owed more to Gerard 's attempts to reform their lifestyle than to his alleged interest in sorcery . Gerard was at first buried beside the porch at York Minster , but his successor , Thomas , moved the remains inside the cathedral church . 
