Dean at centre of unholy row dies aged 62

They accused the married priest who ran England's oldest cathedral of "conduct unbecoming a clerk in holy orders" and of "serious, persistent or continuous neglect of duty".

Of the 21, at least one alleged that the dean behaved "inappropriately" towards women, and others involved drink.

The charges were about to be put to Dean Methuen at the Consistory Court of Bishop of Ripon and Leeds John Packer. But they never actually were. A behind-the-scenes deal had been done. At the 11th hour, Dean Methuen had agreed to resign and the diocese had agreed to drop the charges.

The deal came as a great relief to both sides. It was the end of five years of bitter wrangling at Ripon Cathedral which brought turmoil as an unholy row raged about the figure of the Very Rev John Albert Robert Methuen.

There were resignations, complaints about the dean's "autocratic style" and, worst of all, allegations of excessive drinking and inappropriate behaviour towards women – one of them said to be a priest.

That such accusations should have been levelled at a figure as senior of the Dean of Ripon was extraordinary; that they should have left the mother church of the diocese of Ripon and Leeds so bruised was grievous.

The heartache at the cathedral church of St Peter and St Wilfrid that eventually led to Dean Methuen's downfall was all the more poignant because of the warmth of his welcome on his arrival in 1995.

He came with a 24-year career behind him in Oxford, Eton, Reading and Manchester. In Manchester he had become something of a hero when for almost two years Dean Methuen gave sanctuary at his church in Hulme to Viraj Mendis, an illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka.

The affair ended when police raided the church and Mr Mendis was eventually returned to Sri Lanka.

So when Dean Methuen arrived with wife Bridget (who, along with two daughters, survives him) he appeared to be a figure of stature. As then Bishop of Ripon David Young said: "His range of experience... will be a strength to both the rural and urban areas of this diocese."

It was all to go horribly wrong. Officials began to complain about "autocratic" behaviour, his inability to work in a team, of wanting things his own way. And the resignations began.

There were ultimately five. First to go was Robert Lambie, clerk to the chapter, the body that supposedly ran the cathedral. Then Neil Clay, the bursar, left. After that Howard Crawshaw, the successor to Mr Lambie as chapter clerk, departed. Next to quit was organist Kerry Beaumont. His successor was Simon Morley. He got out after only six months.

It was in the autumn of 2001 that Mr Clay resigned, admitting to "tensions" between himself and Dean Methuen. Mr Beaumont, organist for seven years, said: "If the Church of England has let a man like him get this far up the hierarchy I really wonder if I'm in the right organisation."

But from his impressive home only yards from the troubled cathedral, Dean Methuen spoke blithely about being "astonished and saddened" by the criticism.

Bishop Packer had to act. He set up a trio of troubleshooters, among them Bishop of Knaresborough Frank Weston, who interviewed scores of people and called on the dean to resign.

He refused. So some of the 150 written statements gathered by the trio became sworn affidavits and eventually Dean Methuen was bluntly told to quit.

When the very reverend dean still did nothing, Bishop Packer suspended him and announced that he would be put on trial on the "conduct unbecoming" charges. Conviction would mean removal from office and possibly even "unfrocking".

But Dean Methuen's protests of innocence were not to be heard, his claims of being wrongly accused never to be tested at a potentially riveting wine, women and evensong trial.