COUNTY SESSIONS RECORDS. (continued 2)

"The information of Edward Raynolls, of Kitherminster, taken uppon oath the 28th of March, 1651, before Gervase Bucke and John Latham, Esqs., two of the Justices of the Peace for the county aforesaid.

"Hee saith and doth informe that Edward Broad of Duncklin, Esq., about the time of the beginning of the warre betwixt the late kinge and the Parliament did raise a troope of horse for his sonne Edmond to engage in the king's service. That afterwards about the time when Sir Gilbert Garret, the gov'nor of Worcester for the kinge went to beseige Sturton Castle—a garrison for the Parliament—the said Edward Broade sollicited and earnestly pressed the contry thereaboute to rise together and to goe along with the said Sir Gilbert Garrett, telling and threatening divers of the country people that they should be hanged at their owne doores if they would not goe with him against the said Castle: That many of the country people came in to the said Edward Broade accordingly and hee was himselfe captaine over them and furnished them with arms and amunition and marched before them to Sturton Castle and continued before that Castle untill the governor whoe held the same for the Parliament was inforced, beinge overpowred by the enemye to yeeld yt upp. That afterwards, about 7 dayes before Sir Henry Lyngum did rise against the Parliament and surprised and tooke the county troope of Hereford, the said Edward Broade spake to this informer, beinge his tenant and his warriner, to goe to John Brancill, dwelling at Kidderminster, beinge a joyner and well skilled in stockinge of guns, to come with all speede to stock gunnes for him. And willing this informer alsoe himselfe to be in redinesse. And this informer askinge him what use there would be for soe many gunnes the said Edward Broade answered there would be use for them verry speedily, and further said that Mr. Hugh Vicaridge of Comberton and Mr. Thomas Wannerton, other Roundheaded Rogues, should be hanged to beginn withall. And the said Brancill came to Duncklyn accordingly, but how many gunnes he stocked this informer knoweth not. And afterwards when the newes was fresh that Sir Henry Lingin had surprised the Hereford county troope, the said Edward Broade asked this informer whether Sir Henry Lyngin was gone, whereunto this informer answering that hee did not know, the said Edward Broade replyed and said Sir Henry Lingin was not as good as his word; and about a weeke after Sir Henry Lingin was surprised the said Edward Broade hid divers gunnes which hee had provided as aforesaid under a rick of hay and afterwards remooved them thence and hid them under a corne mowe in one of the barnes att Duncklin where they weare seene within a yeare and a halfe last past by one Thomas Lovell, a workman belonging to that house, as he tould this informer.

"And this informer doth further informe upon his oath that about a year last past beinge att Bridgnorth in company with Edward Powys, of the citty of Worcester, bookbinder, and others drinking together, hee this informer heard the said Powys begin A health to the good proceeding of the king's army in Scotland, likewise A health to the queene his mother, and the third health to the confusion of the Parliament, and that hee began all these 3 healths together, but none of the company would pledge the same, some of them answering that they would drinke to ye conversion but not to the confusion of any. And that Steephen Dowty of the Morphe and his servant William Lawde were then in company, and further doth not informe."

"Articles" were "exhibited" (that is, an information was laid) in the year 1655, against Walter Moyle, of Ombersley, yeoman, for being a profane man, and for that "one day he publicly drank the health of the devil, and fell down as one dead, to ye amazement and terrour of ye beholders; and that in the time of the late war he did threaten his neighbours, when the king's forces were in rendevouze at Oddingley Heath, with plunder unlesse they would repaire in armes to that randezvooze."

On the 5th of October, 1685, John Bartlam, of Whitbourne, laid an information that "in hay harvest last (before this neighbourhood heard that Monmouth was routed), this informant, riding upon the road near Knightsford bridge, there met a man that tould him that Monmouth was then the head man in England, and that it was in every man's mouth in Worcester, and that any man might speak it, and that he would proclaim it at Knightsford bridge (as he had at Broadheath, Martley, and other places, as he came along), although it was so near Captain Clent's; and that if any one questioned it he would be at Knightsford bridge to answer it; that his name was Kent, and he lived in Powick's Lane, Worcester." In 1687, Thomas Knight, of Castlemorton, was summoned to appear at the Sessions, and to give evidence against Charles Jakeman for drinking the Duke of Monmouth's health.

A Traveller's Passport.

The following document, included among the rolls, is dated 1680, from Whitehall:

"Dame Mary Yate, having asked his majesty's permission to pass beyond the seas, for the recovery of her health, his majesty was most graciously pleased to grant her request, under the usual clauses and provisoes, according to which ye said Dame Mary Yate having given security not to enter into any plott or conspiracy against his majesty or his realms, or behave herself in any such manner as may be prejudicial to his majesty's government, or the religion here by law established, and that she will not repaire to the city of Roome, or return unto this kingdome without first acquainting one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, and obtaining leave for the same, in pursuance of his majesty's commands in council hereby will and require you to permit and suffer the said Dame Mary Yate to imbarque with her trunkes of apparel and other necessaries not prohibited at any port of this kingdom, and from thence to pass beyond the seas, provided that shee departe this kingdom within 14 days after the date hereof"—April 14.

If the above refers to the celebrated Lady Mary Yate (a daughter of the house of Pakington) who is commemorated on a monument in Chaddesley Church as having died in 1696, at the age of 86, she must have been 70 years old when these precautions were taken by the Government against the poor old lady attempting to invade the country or to comfort the Pope with her presence and support. Dame Mary Yate was no doubt a Roman Catholic, and the permission above referred to was granted under the 7th section of the statute 3rd James I, chap. 5, which was virtually repealed by the statute 43rd George III, chap. 30, which exempted Roman Catholics from all the penalties and restrictions mentioned and enjoined in the older acts, if in one of the Courts at Westminster or at the Quarter Sessions they made a declaration which to them was unobjectionable.

Bridges and Highways.

Upton bridge seems to have been a nuisance to the county ever since the time of the Civil Wars, when one of its arches was destroyed for purposes of defence. Frequent complaint was made of its dilapidations, and in 1757 the Sessions ordered that a frigate should be bought "for carrying workmen, stone, and other purposes, about the said repairs." Mr. Sheward was appointed superintendent of the said bridge in 1775, at the salary of one guinea a year.

A presentment was made in 1661, that "the causeways and horse bridges leading from the city of Worcester to London, and towards the city of Gloucester, which ought, as wee humbly conceave, to be mayntayned and repaired by the Dean and Chapter, are very defective and out of repaire." About five years later the capitular body were again presented "for not repairing a certain causeway leading from a certain messuage called or known by the name of ye Three Crowns, St. Peter's, to a place called Red Hill Cross, in the said parish, and soe from thence to a place called Whitton Pound, thence to a place called Staple Cross in the parish of Norton, being the London road, and likewise one other causeway leading from the newly-erected inn called ye White House, through the parish of St. Peter's, at a place called Clarken Lipp, in the parish of Kempsey, being the road leading to Bristol." And for the third time, in 1689, the Dean and Chapter were presented "for not repairing their causeways from outside Sidbury gate to the further end of Clarkenlip, upon ye Gloster road." In the Townsend Manuscript (elsewhere alluded to) it is recorded that "by virtue of a commission dated March, 1652, out of Chancery for charitable uses, the Commissioners sat on the 12th January, 1653, and by the oaths of 12 men on the inquiry, did order and decree that the several manors and lands of the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Worcester were charged by way of repriz. for the payment of £40 yearly towards the repayres of the several highways therein expressed, and should so continue for ever. The like for £106. 13s. 4d. for 40 poor schollers of the grammar school at the Colledg unto every of them four marks per annum, the high master 40 marks, the under master 10 marks, £52. 10s. per ann. towards ye releefe of ten poore old men, and £40 yerely to the poore of Worcester and St. Michael's, by 7s. 3d. in money and 7s. 8d. in bread to be distributed weekly; and it was ordered, 3 June, 10 Car., for the Clerk of the Peace to see the £40 for the Dean and Chapter to be imployed for the use of the causeys, one from Worcester to Redhill Cross, and the other towards Kempsey, and he to pay the same to the surveyors." The Dean and Chapter were liable to repair these roads ratione tenuræ, that is by reason of their being the owners of certain lands. These roads are now repaired by the turnpike tolls; but if the tolls became inadequate, and the Dean and Chapter were before liable to the repair, they would still continue to to be so now.

The Plague.

Redditch is stated as having been visited with this scourge in 1625, when the poor people being thrown out of work, it was ordered, under the statute of 1st James I, that Bromsgrove pay 12s. per week, Belbroughton 6s., Cofton Hackett 1s., Northfield 4s., Kingsnorton 9s., Alvechurch 5s., Beoley 6s., Feckenham 7s., Inkberrow 5s., Stoke Prior 4s., Upton Warren and Cookesey 3s. towards the relief of the said poor.

Theatres.

Were somewhat numerous in the county towards the close of the last century. It is recorded in 1789, that, "upon the application of John Boles Watson, of Cheltenham, comedian, ordered that a licence be granted for the performance of such tragedies, comedies, interludes, operas, plays, or farces, as now are or hereafter shall be acted, performed, or represented at either of the patent or licenced theatres in the city of Westminster, or shall have been submitted to the inspection of the Lord Chamberlain of the King's household for the time being, in the town of Stourbridge for the space of sixty days." William Meill, of Worcester, comedian, who in 1794 held the theatres of Worcester, Wolverhampton, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, and Stourbridge, obtained similar licences for Bromsgrove and Malvern.

Compositions to the King's Household.

On the 20th of November, 1613, a certificate was sent down from Whitehall to "our very loving friends, the Justices of the Peace and compounders for the county of Worcester," which, after the usual "heartey commendations," &c., set forth that "Thomas Gunner, his Majesty's servant, under-tacker for the countie of Worcester, hath delivered for the service of his Majestie and his most hon. house, for the compost of the 11th yere of his Highnes raigne, 20 fatt oxen, 20 fatt muttons, 20 stirks, and 40 lambs, all good and serviceable, and soe wee bid you heartily farewell." There were two certificates in the year 1640—the one "that Thomas Hill, your undertaker for the composition of lambes, hath, on behalfe of the country, delivered into the office of his Majesty's Poultry at the Court, the full number of 150 lambes," due for the year ending the last day of September; and the other, for 20 fat oxen, 200 fat muttons, and 20 stirks, due for the year ending the last day of December. Nash states that the purveyance for this county in 1660 was—20 oxen, or a composition of £4 a head, to be paid June 16th; 200 muttons, or 6s. 8d. a head, paid July 10th; 150 lambs, or 1s. a head, August 15th; and 20 stirks, or 10s. a head, October 8th.

These compositions arose out of the prerogative of purveyance. Mr. John Bruce, F.S.A., in his "Verney Papers," published by the Camden Society (p. 86), says:

"The prerogative of purveyance was one of those ancient rights of sovereignty which in practice were most annoying to the people. It consisted of the power of taking, at certain fixed low prices and with or without the consent of the owner, for the use of the royal household, any provisions which an officer called a purveyor thought proper to select. With that wisdom which distinguished the government of Queen Elizabeth, we find that this ancient right was not harshly enforced, but made the subject of a clear arrangement, which avoided in practice all the heartburnings and contentions which are sure to follow from carrying out an indefinite authority."

The powers of purveyance having been suspended during the time of the Commonwealth, Charles II at his Restoration consented to resign entirely these branches of his revenue and power, and they were abolished by the statute 12th Charles II, chap. 24, Parliament granting him in lieu an excise duty on beer and ale of 15d. a barrel and a proportionate sum for other liquors. But temporary acts were subsequently passed suspending this statute in favour of the King's royal progresses, and in favour of the navy and ordnance.