Some Seventeenth Century Letters and Petitions from the Muniments of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury

( 93 ) SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS AND PETITIONS FROM THE MUNIMENTS OF THE DEAN AND CHAPTER OE CANTERBURY. EDITED BY 0. EVELEIGH WOODRUFF, M.A. INTRODUCTION THE thirty-two letters and petitions which, by the courtesy of the Dean and Chapter, I have been permitted to transcribe, and now to offer to the Kent Archaaological Society for pubhcation, were written—with the exception of three or four—in the seventeenth century, on the eve of the troublous times which culminated in the overthrow of Church and King, or in the years immediately fohowing the restoration of the monarchy when deans and chapters, once more in possession of their churches, and estates, were reviving the worship and customs which had been for many years in abeyance. One letter, however, is of earher date than the seventeenth century and three are later. Thus number one is from the pen of Dr. Nicholas Wotton, the first dean of the New Poundation. Wotton, who was much employed in affairs of state, did not spend much time at Canterbury. His letter, which is dated from London, February 11th, 1564-5, is addressed to his brethren the prebendaries of Canterbury, and its purport is to inform them that Sir Thomas Gresham has offered to build, at his own proper cost and charges, a new Royal Exchange in the city of London. Part of the site selected by the City Authorities lay in the parish of St. Michael, CornhiU and was the property of the Church of Canterbury. The Dean, writes that he is in favour of selling the land, since he beheves the erection of the Exchange would be for the common weal, but bids the Chapter meet at once and discuss the question, as Sir Thomas cannot proceed with the work 9 4 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS until he knows what amount of land wih be available, especiaUy as he proposes to have a great part of the materials of his building brought from beyond the seas. Prom the Register of the Church we learn that the sale was effected in the following year, but for some reason or other the purchase money was not received by the dean and chapter until twenty years later, the city authorities in the meantime paying interest at five per cent, on the agreed price—£600. At length, in 1587, the capital sum was paid and was invested by the chapter in the purchase of eighty acres of agricultural land in the parish of Great Chart to which the name of New Purchase is stiU attached. The next letter is from Archbishop Abbot, who writes from Lambeth on June 30th, 1630, to Dr. Isaac Bargrave, dean of Canterbury, bidding him search among the goods of the Cathedral church for a silver font which at one time was preserved, at Canterbury, and was used for royal christenings. If the font should be still in the Dean's custody he should send it up to London for use at the baptism of the young prince who had been born at St. James's Palace just a fortnight earher. If it cannot be found the Dean should certify what had become of it. The Dean's search no doubt was fruitless, since the Elizabethan inventories mention merely : "A Bazon of brasse for Christenynge with a foote of iron to stand upon." But that there was a silver font at Canterbury in earher times, which was used at the baptism of the King's children, is clear from an ordinance of the household of Henry VII or VIII (the document is undated), which—(referring to the christening of princes),—states : " Then must the fonte of silver that is at Canterbury be sent for or els a new fonte to be made of purpose, to be kept in such a place as shaU please the King." If the font was sent up to London in the time of Henry VIII, it was probably retained by that rapacious monarch. At any rate in a hst of that King's jewels the 1 Harleian MS. 6070. Brit. Mus. Quoted by Legg and Hope in Inventories of Christ Church Canterbury. AND PETITIONS. 95 following suspicious entry occurs : " Item a fonte chased with men, beastes and fowls half gilte with a cover gilte poiz together ceiiijxx j oz. ( = 281 ounces). Probably the silver font was acquired during the priorate of John Elham, since the Treasurers' Accounts for the year 1447 contain the fohowing entries : " To John OreweU for making the bowl of the font £14- To Thomas Whytall, goldsmith for a case (cophino) for the bowl of the font 5s. 8d." The third letter relates to the collection of funds for the repair of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. A Royal Commission under the Great Seal had been issued in 1632 to the Justices of the Peace of the several counties, " for taking contributions from his majesty's loving subjects" ; but the clergy were exempted from that commission, and were bidden to make their contributions through their ordinaries and archdeacons. Accordingly, on February 23rd, 1634, the Vicar General, acting under mandate of the archbishop, writes to the dean and chapter of Canterbury bidding them incite the clergy of his Grace's diocese to contribute towards this " pious work," in which the King, by undertaking to rebuild the whole of the western facade of the church at his own cost, had set them an exceUent example. Por the repairs, according to Collier, the enormous sum, in those days, of upwards of £113,000 was raised, but the restored fabric was destroyed in the great Fire of 1666 after a life of httle more than thirty years. A drawing of the west front of the Cathedral as restored by Inigo Jones in classical style is preserved in the Library of St. Paul's Cathedral, and is reproduced in Benham's Old St. Pauls. The next nine letters [Nos. IV to XII inclusive] are from the pen of Archbishop Laud, or are the dean and chapter's rephes to his Grace's letters. Laud's zeal, industry and courage, and his attention to the minutest details, are iUustrated in these letters, which at the same time occasionally indicate a certain lack of the suaviter in modo. 9 6 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS He had attained to the primacy in September, 1633, and almost at once announced his intention of visiting his Cathedral Church, which early in the fohowing year he carried out. In anticipation of his coming the dean and chapter made several additions to the furniture and ornaments of their Church. The Treasurer's Accounts mention :—Two candlesticks and a bowl, or laver (for the ablutions of the priests) " for use at the table of the Holy Eucharist " ; a new Communion Table with steps; a new Bible and prayer-book with silver-plated covers " for the Eucharist " ; a carpet (or frontal) of purple velvet edged with gold lace, and, that the arms of the Archbishop were actually painted on the ancient marble chair I1 Laud, no doubt, noticed and approved at his Visitation, —which he carried out in person—these efforts of the chapter to supply their church with decent and comely furniture, but the answers to his articles of inquiry revealed several things which required amendment. First of ah the Statutes—drawn up by Cranmer in the reign of Henry VIII—required revision to bring them into harmony with the altered conditions of the times. To this task Laud devoted himself with so much energy and industry that, on October 6th, 1635, he was able to submit to the dean and chapter a draft of the revised Statutes, accompanied by a covering letter [No. IV], in which he invites them to offer any comments which might occur to them. Whether they made any suggestions or not we do not know, but early in the fohowing year the Chapter acknowledge the receipt of an official copy of " His Royal Majesty's New Statutes," and ask certain questions as to the manner in which they ought to signify their assent to' the same. [No. VI.] 1 "Pro duobus candelabris et malluvia pro tabula sacrse Eucharistiffl Lxxn". V. v». Pro nova Tabula Communionis et pro gradibus euisdem xxx". Pro nova biblia et libro communium precum pro eucharistia xxvi". Pro argento celato pro eisdem x". miB. Pro tapeto velvet' purpurei xxii1 '. i», et lacinea aurea pro tapeto x'J. v". vjd . Pro pictione insignium eiusdem Arohiepiscopi super cathedram marmoream xxi»." AND PETITIONS. 97 In his reply to these queries there is just a trace of the irritability of temper for which Laud was conspicuous and which was responsible for much of his personal unpopularity. [No. VII.] In another letter the Archbishop caUs the attention of the dean and chapter to two or three minor matters which cahed for amendment, namely the erection within the precincts of the church of houses that were let to tenants who were not members of the foundation; the profanation of the Churchyard by the Michaelmas fair held therein ; and the inadequate stipends of the Lay Clerks. The building of redundant houses within the precincts apparently, had been brought to the notice of the King, who much disliked this encroachment as indeed did others, for Wilham Somner, in his Antiquities of Canterbury,— pubhshed in 1640,—protests strongly against the practice. " It is a disgrace," he writes, " of a Prince's Court not to have scope and elbow room, or to be obscured or encumbered with private or mean structures, and should there not be the same care of such a pubhc Basihca as this ? ShaU not private common and mean edifices be made to keep their distance here ? " The letting of houses to outsiders of course brought considerable pecuniary benefit to the dean and chapter, and it is doubtful whether they took any action to remedy the abuse; at any rate the fair continued to be held in the churchyard for another hundred and seventy nine years, and was not finally expelled from the precincts until 1814. To the stipends of the singing-men, however, an addition was made, but the method adopted was somewhat strange, since it affected the emoluments of only two members of the governing body, viz. the Dean and the Receiver. It was the duty of these officers to make an annual survey of the outlying manors of the church, and for these often long and fatiguing peregrinations—generally on horse-back—they received a fee of twenty pounds a piece. These fees were now renounced by both Dean and Receiver and aUocated to the Choir-fund. i i 9 8 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS The Archbishop thanks the Chapter for their action, especiaUy the officers chiefly concerned, but lest there should be any subsequent withdrawal of the above self-denying ordinance, he directs that the decree be registered. Although in connexion with the above matter Dean Bargrave seems to have acted in a conspicuously amiable and generous manner, his relationship with the chapter was for the most part somewhat strained. To these unhappy differences of opinion Laud refers (No. VIII), but congratulates the chapter that these are now composed.1 In his zeal for reform Laud was certainly no respecter of persons. He does not hesitate to serve on the Archdeacon of Canterbury a canonical monition to reside in his prebendal house during the statutory period of ninety days in each year. [No. IX.] Dr. WiUiam Kingsley, who had been appointed to the archdeaconry as far back as 1619 by Archbishop Abbot, whose niece he had married, was also rector of Ickham, where he preferred to hve rather than in Canterbury. As canon in the eighth stall the house ahotted to him was that immediately opposite the south west transept of the Cathedral, now the residence of Canon J. M. C. Crum who, however, holds the fifth stall, but for some reason or other Kingsley disliked it, and even aheged that it was not the house originally ahotted to his prebend.2 The Archbishop in reply gives exceUent reasons for doubting the Archdeacon's contention, but orders a survey of the prebendal houses to be made and strictly forbids any change of houses by the canons. The monition was issued, but in order to give the Archdeacon an opportunity of complying, Laud instructs the dean and chapter not to register the monition until the fohowing Michaelmas. [No. IX.] At the expiration of the statutable triennial period the Archbishop again visited his Cathedral Church, not, 1 Some account of Bargraves' differences with the Canons is given in Cowper's Lives of the Deans of Canterbury—p. 84 et seq. 2 In this contention Kingsley was wrong as reference to the original Distribution documents will show—printed by Willis in Arch. Cant. Vol. VII, p. 136 AND PETITIONS. . 99 however, in person, but by his Vicar General, who apparently made a claim for procurations which was in excess of what was customary. Whereupon the dean and chapter write to the Archbishop protesting that by their statutes they were required to provide no more than one—or at the most two—meals for the visitor and a retinue of thirty persons, and that by reference to the early registers of the church they had discovered that in former times the prior and chapter had compounded for the entertainment of the visitor by a payment of twenty pounds, and they ask his Grace to accept this sum in heu of all demands. [No. X.] To this letter Laud returned a magnanimous reply, accepting the gift, but assuring the dean and chapter that in future he wiU expect no more of them than a single day's entertainment for his Vicar General or other commissioners. [No. XL] The letter concludes with instructions for the better keeping of the muniments of the church, which apparently were stored in the room above the Treasury, Laud now orders that they should be transferred to the Treasury itself, and that the two doors giving access to that apartment should each be furnished with double locks. So that " neither the dean without the knowledge of some prebend nor any prebend without the knowledge of the dean " should have access to the muniments, and that an inventory of the records should be made by some competent and trustworthy person.1 Probably the troublous times which were now close at hand prevented these wise suggestions from being carried out. Something of what was coming is foreshadowed in the next letter [No. XII] in which the Archbishop bids his Vicar General, the Dean, and the Archdeacon, to appeal to the clergy of the diocese for subscriptions to the Benevolence which the King claimed from his faithful subjects for the purpose of raising an army to resist the Scots, who 1 In addition to the door opening into St. Andrew's chapel, which is now the sole means of approach to the Treasury, there was formerly another in the west-wall giving access to the Audit room and thence by a passage and gallery to the deanery. 100 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS were threatening to invade his kingdom. Laud suggests that the beneficed clergy, and " abler "—(that is wealthier), —schoolmasters, should contribute at least three shihings and tenpence in the pound, on the value of their hvings, or emoluments, but from this crushing imposition poor curates and stipendaries are mercifuUy exempted. A year or two later Wentworth's iron rule in Ireland resulted in the insurrection of the Cathohc population and the massacre of the English settlers. Those who escaped death fled to England where they wandered about the country in a destitute condition. The dean and chapter of Canterbury were anxious to do what they could for the rehef of these unfortunate people, but owing to the unsettlement of the times their tenants were holding back their rents, with the result that the common fund of the church was so much depleted that it was insufficient to meet any extraordinary cah upon it. Whereupon the governing body decided to sell some of the church goods for the above charitable purpose. The goods selected were a "great gilt bason, two fair gilt candlesticks and one piece of rich imbrodered work." The candlesticks and basin were doubtless those which had been acquired only eight years earher in anticipation of Laud's primary visitation, but what was " the piece of rich imbrodered work " ? Possibly it may be another name for the tapestry-hangings—the gift of Prior Goldstone II and brother Richard Dering, which adorned the waUs of the Cathedral choir, and which are,—in part,—stiU preserved in the Cathedral Church of Aix in Provence.1 It has generaUy been supposed that these hangings were ahenated at the time of the Commonwealth, but it may be that they left Canterbury a few years earher as the result of an Act of Chapter which at anyrate was well intentioned. The financial straits of the dean and chapter at the November audit of 1642 were so serious that the funds at their disposal were insufficient to pay the salaries of the 1 See an article by Dr. M. R. James—The Tapestries at Aix in Provence. Cambs. Antiquarian Soc. Vol. XI. AND PETITIONS. 101 humbler members of the foundation, viz. King's scholars, choir, porters, behringers and almsmen. Whereupon the Dean and Canons generously advanced the money required out of their own pockets, the Dean contributing £80, and the Canons £40 a piece. In the fohowing year the Receiver had sufficient money in hand to aUow repayment of a quarter of the money advanced; [No. XV], but it is extremely unUkely that any further repayment was made. Dean Bargrave died in January, 1643, and his successor, Dr. Aglionby, in the fohowing November. Although by this time civil war had broken out, the King appointed Dr. Turner to the Deanery of Canterbury, and on January 2, 1644, wrote from Oxford to the Chapter dispensing the new dean from a personal installation since he could not come to Canterbury without hazard to his person. [No. XIV.] Of the post-Restoration letters the most important are those relating to the revival of the claim that no bishop of the southern province might receive consecration, except in the metropolitical church, without a hcence from the governing body of that church. In a letter to Archbishop Juxon, the dean and chapter make a full statement of their case, which may be summed up briefly as follows : The privilege was granted originaUy by Archbishop Becket.1 All rights and privileges enjoyed by the Christ Church monks were transferred by the Incorporation Charter of Henry VIII to the dean and chapter of his new foundation; the church registers show that in post-dissolution times the hcence was issued, and the Treasurer's accounts that a fee for the hcence was paid; both licence and fee are expressly mentioned in Parker's Antiquitates Britannicce. Apparently the claims of the Canterbury Chapter were recognised by Juxon, and later by his successor, Archbishop Sheldon.2 But when the same arguments were submitted to Archbishop Sancroft—about twenty years later—by Dr. George Thorpe, a canon of Canterbury, who, 1A copy of Becket's Charter is in Register I, but the original is not now among the Canterbury muniments. 8 See No. XXII. 102 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS probably, had been deputed by the chapter to approach his Grace on the subject since he had formerly been his chaplain, the Archbishop indignantly repudiated any attempt to hmit the time or place he might select for the consecration of his suffragans. It was a matter of order, he writes, not of jurisdiction. Becket had no right to bind his successors in this matter. That he had attempted to do so was an act worthy of one whom he does not scruple to cah a traitor and "that great instrument and foolish martyr of the pope's pretensions." And he ends by warning his correspondent "never to pretend to inhibit the bishop to consecrate where he thinks good within his province lest it be said you fight Thomas a Becket's and the pope's battles." [No. XXL] Dr. Thorpe in his reply assures his Grace that there was no intention on the part of the Chapter to trespass upon his inherent rights, "much less to abet Thomas a Becket's rebellious practices or the pope's insufferable usurpations." But although he is ready to admit that there may have been something faulty about the original grant, the privilege had been constantly confirmed by sufficient authority and was therefore one for which the Chapter were bound to contend. Whether or no Sancroft's attitude towards the Canterbury claim was modified by the pleadings of his ex-chaplain we do not know, but both hcence and fee continued to be regarded as the privilege of the metropolitical church, and indeed even in the present day the hcence is issued and the fee paid. The last letter of our series is one from Dr. Geekie, a canon of Canterbury to Dean Lynch—dated March 2, 1744, when Enghsh people generahy and Kentish folk in particular were expecting a French invasion in favour of the Stuarts. An army of 15,000 men under Marshal Saxe was at Dunkirk, and French fleets were assembled at Toulon and Brest for the invasion of England. Geekie, who writes from London, communicates to the Dean a rumour which, oddly enough, had reached him in Henry Vllth's Chapel at Westminster, that Admiral Matthews AND PETITIONS. 103 had gained a complete victory over the French fleet off Toulon, " bang'd them very soundly " as he expresses it. Unfortunately the action proved to have been by no means the glorious victory that the Canon supposed. The engagement, which is sometimes caUed the Battle of Hyeres, was indecisive, though Matthews retreated and later was dismissed the service. The seven Petitions which I have placed after the letters do not demand much comment. They relate—with one or two exceptions—to the harsh treatment of the clergy during the commonwealth period, and give a hvely picture of their sufferings. OccasionaUy the Auditor has noted on the Petition the amount of rehef given, but one would hope that the absence of any note does not necessarUy mean that the dean and chapter turned a deaf ear to these piteous appeals to their charity. An earher and very curious Petition is that of John Shepherd, minor canon and sacrist, who, in 1633 asks to be rewarded for certain special services. He had, he writes, devised a way in which to repair one of the pinnacles of the Bell Harry Steeple,—a dangerous task which no one else would undertake, he had also carried out at a very moderate cost other repairs to the church, and had discovered therein a hidden chamber containing a number of ancient documents. He estimates the value of his services at the modest sum of £3, and we can only hope that he got it, though there is no indication on the Petition that he did. I. 1564. DEAN WOTTON TO THE CHAPTER. Concerning the sale of land in the City of London, as a site for the new Boyal Exchange, which Sir Thomas Gresham has offered to build at his own expense. London. After hearty commendacons &o. The city of London lacketh a convenient place for merchant-men to meet daily together to commune of their busines, woh is a great lacke and fault in such a 1 0 4 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS famous city as London is. The woh thing Sir Thomas Gresham considering, to beautify and sett forth his country and city is content to build at his oun costs and charges a house and place like unto the new burse at Andwerp. Mary, the city must deliver him a place to sett it in. For the wch act the said Mr. Gresham deserveth great commendacons and continual fame. And now the Lord Mayor and Aldermen having considered their city throughout, find none so convenient a place as this wch shall appear to you by ye bill herein enclosed, in the compasse and circuit whereof we have divers tenements, the rents whereof I suppose do amount to about 20 " by the year, the woh they require to have of us for the purpose aforesaid, they recompensing us for the value of the same in such sort as by the said bill more largely doth appear. Therefore I require you, that upon the receipt hereof you will gather together and debate this matter substantially together, and hereupon to return your answer with such speed as conveniently may be done, for indeed they are pressed by Mr. Gresham to declare the place where it shall be sett, for because he doth cause a great part of the workmanship to be made beyond the seas, the woh work cannot well be made till he be assured how large and long the roome shall be that shall be thereto appointed, and for my part, if we may provide so for ourselves as we be not loosers by it, I would wish we did grant them their request lending to such a good purpose, for because I did consider that it is likely in all such matters you would use the advice of your learned counsell, as reason is, I have acquainted Mr. Lovelace1 and Mr. Hide2 with this matter as shall appear to you by a letter from Mr. Hide, and now if you think the request meet to be granted, I think you shall do well to declare your consent to it, as farre and in such sort as shall be devised by your learned counsell directing your letter for that purpose to Mr. Lovelace and Mr. Hide, and requiring them so to provide for the house in this matter as we be no loosers by it, and thus I will you right heartily well to fare, From London the 11 day of February 1564. Yor loving brother N. WOTTON. To my loving brethren Mr. Vicedean and the chapiter of Christ Church in Canterbury there to be delivered. 1 Sir William Lovelace Knt. and Sergeant at law, was counsel for the Dean and Chapter, he died in 1576 j a brass to his memory formerly existed in the nave of the cathedral but has long since disappeared. 2 Gilbert Hyde, Auditor to the Dean and Chapter. AND PETITIONS. 105 II. 1630. AEOHBISHOP ABBOT TO THE DEAN OP CANTERBURY, Concerning the Silver-Font, formerly used for the baptism of the King's children. After my hearty commendacons, the Lordes commissioners for the Baptizing of the Young Prince have been informed that there is with you a font of sylver wherein the King's children of ancient times have been christened, woh causeth them to require me to direct by Letters unto you that you should with all speed search out if there be any such thing in your custody, and to send it up safely by this messenger of the Chamber, who is sent of purpose for it. And if you have no such thing you are to certify me speedily what you find in any records or register hath been done therewithal, or how your predecessors parted with it, that their Lordships may receive true satisfaction both for that woh is past and for the present. And so not doubting of your speed and diligence herein I leave you to ye Almighty Your very loving friend G. CANT. From Lambeth June 20th. 1630. III. Feb. 23,1634. SUA NATHANIEL BRENT, VICAR GENEEAL, TO THE DEAN & CHAPTER. Asking for contributions from the clergy of the diocese towards the repair of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. After my hearty commendacons, whereas by the tenor of his Mato8 Commission under the great seal dated, the XXt h of December 1632 directed to the Justices of the peace of the several counties of the realm for taking the contributions of his Matie!> loving subjects towards the accomplishing of that great and necessarie work of repairing St. Paul's church, the Clergie are exempted from ye proceeding upon y* commission, being referred to their several ordinaries and Archdeacons on that behalf, I am required thereupon by my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury upon direction from the Lords of his Ma^8 privie counsell to signifie 106 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS unto you that his Grace doth commit to your care & charge, and accordinglie doth praie you to treat and deal effectually with the clergie within his Grace's diocese, of Canterbury for their contribution toward this pious work, In which proceeding you are to take knowledge of such former contributions as have bin yealded by any of the clergie there intermixedly with the Layetie before this separation as also of such as have given a part, before or since, that where the guifts appear to be too meane (as upon view of particulars is so observed for some of known estates) they may be enlarged by present or annual payments. Further I am to signifie unto you from his Grace (whereof you are to put the clergie in mind) that the reasons moving their exemplarie oblacons to this important work are the more evident by their relacon to his Grace, and of his grace to y* (that) work. But chiefly they are to understand the Roiall example of his Maties great bountie and pietie, by undertaking the entire charge of reedyfying and adorning the whole west end of that costly fabrique for their exceeding comfort, on behalf of the Church in general (being happie in so gratious a Protector and Fosterer), and for their due acknowledgment thereof upon this pious occasion tending to the honor of his Matle and his government. Also you are to understand that the monies rising by these contribucons and all Arrearages to and for this year 1634, (if anie you find) are to be collected with convenient speed and paid by your direction into the Chamber of London . . . and for the ensuing times at the feast of Easter yearly . . . Lastly I am to signifie that his Grace expecteth to be advertized from you of your proceeding, and especiallie of such occurrences as you find to give impediment thereunto that where your good endeavours miss their effect (which I hope will not be) some other course may be taken to move a better regard & example, and for a work so pious this is all I have to say unto you at this present but onely that I am yr verie ffaithfull friend of whom you may dispose NA. BRENT. London Feb. 23. 1634. To the right worp11 my very much honored Friends the Dean and Prebendaries of the Cathedral & metropoliticall church of Canterbury. AND PETITIONS. 107 IV. Oct. 6. 1635. ARCHBISHOP LAUD TO THE DEAN AND CHAPTER With the draft of the revised Statutes. After my very harty commendacons &c. I have by God's blessing after much labor and pains spent in vising and revising your Statutes, brought ym (them) at last, I hope, to good perfeccon. However if any omission be, I am sure it is not great, and upon notice given shall quickly be amended. And to y* end I have herewith sent a Draught of ym down unto you, and do hartily pray you, sometyme this Terme (and ye sooner ye better) seriously to peruse them, and having done so, and made such observacons as you shall find fitt, in a Paper apart to return them to me carefully again. And therefore I shall not fail, God willing, to make some further Addicons, if those notes woh you shall send me be thought any wayes considerable, and for ye good of your Church. So not doubting of your care herein I leave you all to God's grace & rest. Your very loving Friend Croydon Oct 6. W: CANT: . 1635. V. 17 Dec. 1635. THE SAME TO THE DEAN AND CHAPTER Concerning encroachments in the precincts and fairs in the churchyard. After my very hearty commendacons &c. His Ma*y out of his Princely affeccon to ye good and Honor of ye Church hath been graciously pleased to take care for ye removing of a great Abuse, caused by the Incroachm* of diverse Buildings and other Tenemta upon ye Church and Churchyard as you will fully see by the inclosed. And I hartily pray you not to fayle in usinge all Diligence to give his Ma*y satisfaccon according to the Tenor of ye same. When you have perused these his Mat s Lr8 I am commanded to require you to see them written into yor Register booke, and to send me a copye of ym that as occasion serves I may give his Ma*y notice of yo1 ready obedyence to his Commands. Another thinge I must put you in mynde of, and y* is concerninge the Fayre which is often kept in the Churchyard 108 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS and concerning which I spake wth you at yor last being with me. And soe soone as I shall understand by you the particulars of this abuse, and what way you think fittest for remedying thereof without prejudice to yor libertyes I shall be ready to give you what help I can. In the meantime I leave you to ye Grace of God, and rest Your very lovinge Friend W. CANT. Lambeth Decemb 17 1635. VI. 28 Jan. [1636]. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO ARCHBISHOP LAUD on receipt of the New Statutes. (Draft) May it please yr Grace Having this present 28 of Jan. received his Royal Maiesties new statutes by an expresse messenger sent from the Dean of Lichfield 1 we could not delay to present to yor Grace our most humble thanckes for yr most gracious and continuall care (as in all things) so in particular for the perfecting of this so good and pious a work. And we acknowledge y* yr Grace's vigilance may most justly condemn us, if we shall not answer it with all possible obedience. And whereas nothing now remayneth but our care for the due execution of them we must humbly crave yor Grace's direction in some doubts. First whether we being now so straightened that we can not obtayne a full chapter yr Grace do not think fit that we deferred the taking of our oathes to these new statutes till we may procure a full company. 2ndly whether we who have been formerly installed are obliged to use those forms of Prayer or of promise prescribed in the 2nd & 11th statutes. 3rdly whom yr Grace shall please to command to administer the oath to the Dean & Prebends. And in whatever as yr Grace shall please to direct us, we shall give all ready obedience, being still more and more obliged to pray for yr Grace's happines Yr Graces most humble and faithfull servants. 1 Dr. John Warner, a prebendary of Canterbury and afterwards, bishop of Rochester. AND PETITIONS. 109 VII. Feb. 4. 1636. ARCHBISHOP LAUD TO THE DEAN AND CHAPTER, Concerning the New Statutes—in reply to the last latter. After my hearty recommendacons &c. I thank you for yor letters & am very glad that yor statutes are come well and safe into yoT hands. If now you shall be as carefull to observe them as (I dare say) I have been to alter them & settle them, I make no doubt but they will turn to the honor & profit of the Church & yor selves, and my great hope is that you will be carefull. Now concerning yor doubts, they are but 3, and such as I wonder why you should make : yet since ye have made I shall as ye desire, resolve them. Yor first doubt, about the taking of yor oathes to the said statutes, whether ye should take them as many as there are present, or expect a full chapter. To this I can say no more, but that if it were more solemn it should be in a full chapter. But if that cannot now be had, it is not amiss that they won are present at the Church should presently take it, but congregated together when they took it, and an act made and registered who they are that have taken it, where & when, and then the rest may take their oath in Chapter when they come. Yor second doubt is, whether you that are already installed are obliged to use those forms of prayer or of promise prescribed in the 2"d and 11th statute. To this the answer is easy. Ye shall not need to use any new solemnity in repeating those prayers. But for the promises prescribed in those places, ye are entirely bound to the performance of them, & as much as, if the prayers had been used over you at the time of yor installment, For having taken yor oathes to all the statutes, how can ye but be bound to the promises made in those ? To the third who shall administer the oath to the D & Chapter ? The course is as plain, & this is to be done in that order we take our oathes to the High Commission, where the Archbp takes it first himself, but in the presence of 2 or 3 Commissioners & the Register of the Court, & then the rest take it before him himself or the Register administering it. So the Dean is to take the oath himself in the presence of the prebends, & then to administer it to the prebends, the chapter clerk being present and making the act. 1 1 0 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS Besides these there is a particular doubt made by Dr Jackson, & it is concerning the Lecturer's1 preaching upon those holidaies woh are not named in statute, & yet are commended to be observed by the church of England. To this I pray let Dr Jackson know that the reason why I did not alter the statute in that point was because I held it to be a greater burden upon the Prebend that reads the Lecture to have him bound by statute & so by oath, whereas now he stands bound only by a Chapter Act, & that way I would have him bound still, but not otherwise, for there ye have power to ease him & divide the burden, woh ye cannot do if he were bound by Statute. These are all the things I have to write unto you concerning yor Statutes. So wishing you all health & contentment & agreement among yor selves I leave you to the grace of God & rest Yor very loving freind Lambeth Febr. 4. 1636. W. CANT. VIII. July 15. 1636. THE SAME TO THE SAME The Archbishop approves the action of the Dean & Chapter in increasing the stipends of the Lay-clerics, and informs them that he intends to give the Archdeacon a Canonical monition, to reside in his prebendal house. * * * * After my hearty commendacons &c. These are not onely to lett you know that I have received yor Letters, but to thank 1 The Divinity Lecturer received a stipend of £20 per annum and the produce of half an acre of underwood for fuel. His duties,—as defined by a Chapter Act passed 25th November, 1610, were as follows : " to perform three sermons in the Quire before the Communions upon Christmas day, Easter day and Whit-sunday, and on those three days the ordinary sermon is to be deferred to the afternoon and then performed by that preacher upon Christmas day, and by that prebendary upon Easter day and Whit-sunday unto whose course it belongeth." It was also provided that the Lecturer should preach on the following saints' days: St. Matthias, Annunciation, St. Mark, SS. Philip and James, St. Peter, St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Michael, St. Luke, SS. Simon and Jude, St. Andrew and St. Thomas. Sermons were also to be preached by "the Dean, Prebendaries, and Preachers in extraordinary courses as they shall fall," on the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John Evang. and the Holy Innocents, the Session's day after Christmas day, the accession of King James I. (24th March), Monday in Whitsun week, the Session's day about St. James' day and the fifth of November for the " powder treason." The Lectureship was not revived after the restoration of the monarchy. AND PETITIONS. I l l you for them. And I am heartily glad to read in them, that some of yor differences were composed before my Letters came, and that the rest are so well settled since the receipt of them, I hope you will all hereafter be so kind one to another & so carefull of the common good as that you will in wisdom prevent the arising of any the like differences amongst you. It will be a great honor to the Church and as great a safety to yor selves in the midst of them (if any such be) woh malign the prosperity of both. For the decree concerning the addition to the maintenance of the Quire, I like it very well, & thank you all for yor voluntary concurrence in it & hereby give you my approbacon & require that it be registered, onely one thing I think will be necessary to be added, for I do not find any day or time expressed therein in or from woh it shall take effect, woh I pray you to add to the decree. And for my part I will clearly express to you what I think : If you shall defer it to the beginning of another year, & so of another Receiver's time, both the Quire will stay too long for the addition of their meanes, & he that is next Receiver (that office I perceive being to come among the junior Prebends) may perhaps think it the harder it should begin upon him. Therefore I suppose it may be thought fitt to begin presently from the day of the date of the decree as such acts are usually interpreted to do when no day is exprest. And yet because Dr Jeffries1 the now Receiver is a man that hath a charge, and is none of the wealthiest amongst you, & that he hath so conscionably & willingly yielded to this Decree, against his present profitt, it may be fitt to take no more from him for this half year remaining than 20 marks, if you shall so think requisite. In this business I thank Mr Dean heartily who to the great good of the Church hath so freely remitted his whole share. And though I take it very well from the whole Body, yet I do in a special! manner thank those Prebends for their free consent to the Decree, who have not yet been Receivers at all, & so not partakers of the profit of that office. I am sorry I must end with that woh may be some matter of unkindness but I see Mr Archdeacon slights too much that wol> I have fairly & privately said unto him, And therefore I mean to make you witnesses of what I shall now say, woh is, that I do hereby give him a Canonicall monition to remove to his prebendal house before Michaelmas day next & so to continue to reside 1 John Jeffreys or Jefferay, Canon of the Vlth Stall. 112 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS there. Wc h monition if he shall not obey I shall then proceed as the ecclesiasticall Lawes of this Realm shall warrant me. So wishing you all health & happiness through these sickly times, I leave you to God's blessed proteccon So rest Yor very loving freind W: CANT: Croydon July 15 1636. IX. Aug. 6. 1636. THE SAME TO THE SAME The Archbishop informs the Dean & Chapter that he has issued to the Archdeacon a canonical monition to reside in his prebendal house, but desires that its registration be delayed for a time in order to give the recipient an opportunity of complying with the same. After my hearty commendacons &c. These are to let you know that since my last letters written unto you in won I required that a Canonical admonicon in them given by me to the Archdeacon of Cant, should be registered concerning his residing in his prebendal house, I have received very respective (sic) letters from him, the answer whereof I thought fitter to direct to you, then to himselfe that so they might be the more publicke warrant both for you & him. In those letters (not to meddle with any thing upon the by) there are these two main particulars. First he professeth all readiness to obey my direccons for the keeping his residence in his canonical house. That therefore he kept his last years residence in winter & at Easter removed to his Parsonage house at Ickham, & hath there continued ever since. And that he purposes to return at Michmas to keep his residence again in winter. But in all this I observe that there is not any one word mentioned of keeping his last yeares residence, or this woh is to come in his prebendal house, wch is the main thing in question, not his residence or dwelling but the house wherein (sic) Secondly he seems to infer that the prebendal house originally allotted him hath been changed by negligence, connivance, or some other bad dealing of his Predecessors, and that if it shall so appeare by the survey of the Deane & Prebendaries, then he hopes I will consider of him for his future accommodacon. To this AND PETITIONS. 113 I can at present say no more but this : that I intended by the survey woh I have ordered to be made thus much only : that they should settle the boundes of every house with appurtenances & easements belonging to it; but not the change from one house to another upon any pretensions. Neither is it probable that any of the Archdeacons predecessors would forsake a better house to go to a worse. And if they have done it by connivance yet it was certainly in time of their non residence, woh I will not releive. Besides Mr Archdeacon hath lett his house go to decay all his time, for the space, as I thinke, of better then twenty yeares, & all by not inhabiting it, and therefore shall not now after so much wealth gotten in this time, take a better house repaired to his hand & leave his that is ruinous to a younger and poorer prebend. And tis not unlikely, if another house did originally belong to his archdeaconry, but that his predecessors seized upon this he now hath as then the better house, and then if by his or their negligence it become ruinous & worse, I do not meane to releive that neither. In the end of his letter he makes an earnest suite unto me, that the Canonical admonicon formerly given him may not be registered, and so stand recorded against him. To w<* suite of his I shall most whlingly agree, so he performe the obedience he promises. These are therefore to pray & require you not to register the aforesaid monicon till after Michmas next, at woh time if he keep his residence in his prebendal house as he ought, & continue there during his abode in Canterbury, it shall not be registered at all. But if he do not performe, then I require it be registered, and I shall God willing proceed accordingly. So I leave you to the grace of God & rest Yor very loving freind Croydon August 6 W: CANT : 1636. X. [1637] Draft of a letter from the DEAN AND CHAPTER TO ARCHBISHOP LAUD concerning procurations. May it please yor Grace To receive or humble information that after diligent search we have not found in our Records any sum of money paid unto any of yor Grace's Predecessors, our visitors, under the title of Procurations. 12 114 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS Our. Statutes, both old and new, injoynes " Ut Decanus (communibus Ecclesiae nostrae sumptibus) Archiepiscopo visitanti triginta personis comitato, unam aut ad summam duas refectiones intra ecclesiae aedes praeparet et apponat." [Cap. 40 De Visitatione Ecclesiae.] We have had the sight of a precedent whereby it appears that the Prior & Convent did pay pro dieta dni Arohiepiscopi Cant' servientium, tarn pro esculentis quampoculentis, et prebendis equorum, et aliis necessariis &c 20u. That of entertainment we have in some measure presented to yor Grace's worthy visitor, and to supply our defects in that, we have moreover delivered into his hands 2011 wch, in all humility, we desire yor Grace to receive from us, as a weak expression of our many due thanks for yor Grace's most fatherly goodness towards us, submitting both this and all our actions to yor most gracious interpretation and direction. Praying for the constant increase of yor Grace's health & happines we rest yor Grace's most humble & thankful servants. (Unsigned and undated.) XI. May 9th 1637. ARCHBISHOP LAUD TO THE-DEAN AND CHAPTER, accepting their offer with regard to procurations, and adding certain instructions for the better keeping of the muniments of the Church. # * $ - $ After my hearty commendacons &c. It is not long since I found leisure to take an Accompt from my Vicar generall concerning my triennial visitation, and amongst other particulars he tells me that he received twenty pounds from that Church, for my Procurations from whom also I received yor owne letters, I cannot but take this expression of yor love very kindly from your whole company. And therefore I do not onely hereby give you all very hearty thanks, but shall desire you henceforwards, if it please God I live to visit again to putt yor selves no more to such charge with me. For all I shall expect is only that you will give my Vicar Generall & other commissioners entertainment for that day for woh I shall thank you, and that the business itself may proceed to the good of the Church. And having this opportunity, there is one thing more, woh I must desire you to AND PETITIONS. 115 take present care of, wch is that a true Inventory be made with all convenient speed of all the muniments & records belonging to that Church, & that the Records themselves together with the Inventory aforesaid be thereupon brought down from the upper into the inner room of the Treasury, & there carefully & safely laid up, to be kept under three keyes, as is directed by statute. And it were very fitting upon this removall you would employ some skilfull & trusty person to digest them all into some apt & good order, that you may upon any occasion with very little trouble make use of them, as oft as you shall need. And whereas to the outer room of the Treasury aforesaid there are two doors, the common door woh is ordered by statute to have 2 locks & keyes, & another private dore, leading to the Dean's lodgings, I think it very requisite, & I doubt not but Mr Dean that now is will freely give consent, that his dore likewise have two locks & keyes of a different making, to be kept as the former : his Maties pleasure being that neither the Dean without the knowledge of some Prebend, nor any Prebend without the knowledge of the Dean, should have access to things of that nature. So not doubting of yor care herein, I leave you all to God's blessed protection and rest Yor very loving friend W CANT. Lambeth May 9th 1637. [The above letter is printed amongst Laud's works in Vol. VII of the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology.] XII. [1639] ARCHBISHOP LAUD TO Sra NATHANIEL BRENT, VICAR GENERAL, DR. BARGRAVE, DEAN OE CANTERBURY AND DR. KINGSLEY, ARCHDEACON OE THE SAME, bidding them call together the clergy of the diocese and incite them to make a contribution of at least 3s. IOd. in the pound on the value of their benefices in aid of the King who is raising an army to resist the Scots. . . . I have received an order from the Lords of his Matie8 most honourable privy counsell giving me notice of the 116 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS great preparacons made by some in Scotland both of armes and all other necessaryes for warre, and that this can have no other end than to invade or annoy this his Maties Kingdom of England. For his Matie having a good while since most graciously yeelded to their demands for securing the religion by law established & amongst them hath made it appeare to the world, that it is not religion but sedition that stirrs in them and fills them with this most irrelegious disobedience which at last breaks forth into a high degree of treason against their lawful Soveraigne. In this case of so great danger both to the state and church of England, I doubt not but the clergy of my Diocese will, not only be vigilant against the close workings of any pretenders in that kind but very free also, to their powers and property, of meanes left to the Church to contribute towards the raising of such an Army, as by God's blessing & his Maties care, may secure the Church & Kingdom from all intended violence, And according to the order sent to me by the Lords (a coppy whereof you shall herewith receive), These are to pray you to give good example in your own person, and with all convenient speed to call the clergy of my Diocese (as well those that are in peculier as others), together with the abler Schoolmasters and excite them by your self or such commission as you will answer for, to contribute to the great and necessary service in which, if they give not a good example, they will be much to blame, but you are to call no poor curates nor stipendaries, but such as in other legal wayes . . . payments have been and are by order of law bound to pay. The proportion I know not well how to prescribe to you but I hope they of the clergy whom God hath blessed with better estates than ordinary will give freely and thereby help the want of means in others. And I hope also you will so order it that every man will at the least give after the proportion of three shillings and tenpence in the pound of the valuation of his livings or other preferments in the King's books. And this I thought fitt to lett you further know, that if any man have double benefices or a benefice and prebend or the like in divers diocesses yet you will call upon them only for such preferments as they have within my diocese and leave them to pay for any other which they hold in those parts where their said preferments are. As for the time you must use all the diligence you can, and send up the moneys if it be possible by the first of May next. And for your indemnity the Lord Treasurer is commanded to give you such discharge by striking a Talley or AND PETITIONS. 117 Tallyes upon your several payments into the Exchequer as shall be fit to secure you without your charge. And of this service you must not fail. So to God's blessed protection I leave you and rest Yor very loving friend W: CANT. You must further take care to send up a list of ye names of such as refuse this service within my Diocese but I hope none will put you to that trouble. (Addressed) : To my very loving freinds Sr Nathaniell Brent, Knight, my vicar general, Dr Bargrave, dean of Canterbury, and Dr Kingsly, Archdeacon there. XIII. [1641] An order of the DEAN AND CHAPTER for the sale of Church Plate and " a piece of rich embroidered work " for the relief of the poor Irish protestants. Whereas the bleeding estate of the Kingdom of Ireland together wt h the lamentable condicon of this Kingdom of England do call for the help and assistance of all his Ma*'8 loyall and obedient subjects, We the Dean and Chapter being willing to expresse ourselves therein according to the utmost of our power, and finding that the Church is much indebted by reason of divers arrears of rent and quit rents and other great expenses, occasioned by severall late accidents, do now order and decree that in this case of extremity, The great guilt bason and two fair guilt candlesticks wt h one peice of rich imbrodered work belonging unto this Church shalbe sold to the best advantage, as shall be thought fit by Mr Dean, the Vice Dean, and Dor Jackson, and the greater number of the Prebendaryes at home. And that thirty pounds of the money receaved by them for the said plate and work, shalbe allowed in one grosse sum towards the releif of our distressed Brethren in Ireland when the same shall be lawfully demaunded, over and above such severall sums as have been formerly bestowed upon that occasion by the Dean and Prebendaryes at their severall cures or habitacons or the dayly 118 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS almes given to such Ireish persons as do repaire to our church. And that the rest of the money receaved for the said plate and embrodery-work shalbe ordered and disposed of, as shalbe thought most convenient by the Dean and the Chapter or greater part of them being w*hin the precincts of the Church when any urgent occasion shall require the disposall thereof. ISAAC BARGRAVE, MERIO CASAUBON, THOM: JACSON, THOMAS PASKE, JOHN JEFFERAY, WrLLiAM KINGSLEY, SA: BAKER.1 XIV. 2 Jan. 164|. KING CHARLES I TO THE DEAN & CHAPTER. Dispensing Dr. Thomas Turner, the new dean from a personal installation, on account of the dangers of the times, and bidding the Chapter to admit him by proxy.2 Trusty and well beloved we greet you well. Whereas we have been graciously pleased to confer the Deanery of Canterbury upon Dr Thomas Turner, late dean of Rochester, and one of our chaplains in ordinary, and are informed that the Statutes of the said Church of Canterbury in the manner and form of the installation of a new Dean require a personall presence and a distinct and appointed habit, and other circumstances, which these times of public danger will not permit to be performed without hazard to his person. We have graciously thought fit to dispense and do hereby dispense with the strictness of those statutes in his case, charging and commanding you forthwith to install the said Dr Turner into the said Deanery by his lawful Procurator. Given at our Court at Oxford the second day of January, 1643. 1 Samuel Baker was admitted to the seventh stall 20th May, 1639. Dean Bargrave died in Jan. 1642$, so the letter must have been written between these years. 2 Dr. Turner was installed in person nineteen years later. AND PETITIONS. 119 XV. 21 Nov. 1643. Chapter Act for the repayment of money advanced by the Dean and Prebendaries to pay the stipends of the humbler members of the foundation. Whereas the Dean and Prebendaries of Christ Church Canterburie, then within the Realme, did in November last past at the generall Auditt, lend unto the Church : the Dean fourscore, pounds, and each of the said Prebendaries fourtie pounds a peece, or thereabouts, wherewith to pay the poor Almesmen, the King's Schollers, the Quire, the Porters, Belringers, and other poor officers their wages, and the Students in the Universities mayntayned by the Church ; and other poor Inhabitants in the cittie of Canterburie their pensions, which must all have wanted their said wages and pensions, and by this time likewise in all probabilitie have wanted bread, if we had not lent the said moneyes for their present relief, our receipts falling the last year extream short by occasion of ye unexpected death of divers of our Beadles, and by the slackness of our Tenants payments who were divers of them willing to take any occasion to deteyne their moneyes, and by reason of our extraordinarie reparations of the said Church. It is now agreed, that Dr Jefferay, our Receiver general for the tyme being, having in his hands fivescore and odd pounds due unto the Church upon his receipt, shall issue the same in manner and form following. That is to say. To the Executors of Dr Bargrave, the Deane, that then was, twentie pounds, and to everie prebendarie that then was or his Assigns ten pounds a peece towards their satisfaction in part of the sd money above, mentioned by them lent into ye church respectively : Dr Bargrave late Dean D' D' D^ Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr Dr Casaubon Jackson Kingsley Frewen Paske Jefferay . Peake Blechinden Bray Baker 10" 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 120 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS XVI. 13 July, 1661. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO SIR EDWARD NICHOLAS, KNT., principal Secretary of State, informing him that a section of the congregation of Walloons worshipping in the Crypt of the Cathedral have conformed to the Church of England, and asking him to bring the matter to the King's notice.1 May it please yor Honour. We the Dean & Chapter of Christ Church Canterbury being commanded to certify how we have proceeded about the reference directed to us by his Ma*y in composing the differences between the two divided parties of the Walloon Church in Canterbury (the one adhering to Mr Le Keeux, the other to Mr Jannon have thought it our duty to give this following account. That upon the whole matter we have reason to apprehend them irreconcieable, as having found them still ready after all attempts of reconcilement to break unhappily forth into more distempers, & we have in vain laboured to make them friends. But (as God many times bringeth good out of evill) so it is that one part, to wit the followers of Mr Jannon) have declared themselves for the Church of England & their minister desireth to receive Episcopal ordination, using already the English Liturgy (lately translated into French) in his congregation consisting of above 500 persons. Now because this party wch professeth conformity to the Church of England is somewhat poorer than the other & hardly able to maintain their minister, we hope yor honor will be pleased to give his Ma*y an accompt of this happy change, & that his Royal Zeal, will be moved to afford them those encouragements, whereby they may be strengthened in their present good way, & others of their countrymen invited to the same. This is the sense and desire of, Yor Honors most humble servants, THOMAS TURNER, Dean. WILL BARKER. JOHN AUCHER, Vice-Dean. JOHN READING. MERIC CASAUBON. JOHN CASTILLION. PETER DU MOULIN. THOMAS PIERCE. WILLIAM BELKE. EDWARD ALDEY. Cant. 13 July, 1661. For the right honorble Sr Edward Nicholas K*., principall Secretary of State at Whitehall. 1 An account of the schism is to be found in Crosse's History of the Walloon and Huguenot Church at Canterbury, pp. 134-137. AND PETITIONS. 121 XVII. 6 Dec, 1661. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO ARCHBISHOP JUXON. In the Margin is written in the hand of William Somner : " About the Quiremen's augmentation and the 2 old chapells at Dr Belke's1 and Dr Aucher's."z MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD & Or MOST GRACIOUS VISITOR. After the remembrance of Or humble duty to yor grace. May it please yor grace to be informed, that or predecessors the late Dean and Chapter, in compliance with a motion & proposition from yor Graces immediate most reverend predecessors signified unto them by His Grace's letters, did for the augmentacon & improvement of the Quiremen's maintenance (wo h by press of time, bringing along with it an inhancement on the prices of all provision, wanted some supply) convert and sett apart to that use, the best part of that entertaimnent money woh formerly belonged, & was annually paid, to the Dean & Receiver generall, in recompense of their paines, care & travell in the Visitation & Survey of or Churches, Manors, & other fermes : a Provision in itself somewhat uncertain, & (besides) in the consequence of it of much damage & detriment to or Church, resulting from the slackness & remisnes, of those Visitation Officers, from the withdrawing of so great a part of their accustomed reward. For consideracon whereof & out of a desire to accommodate or Quire-men with a more certain & better supply & yet of less prejudice to or Church, We have thought fitt, in lieu of that Entertainment money to be placed where it was before, to sett apart for the improvement of their maintenance the yearly rent & revenue of a Manor of ours, of greater value now by the expiracon of the Lease falling into or hands. But being (as behoveth) very tender of innovating or altering anything (although for the better) settled by advice of or founder without consultacon 1 William Belk, as Canon in the third prebendal stall occupied the house which until the end of the last century stood near the postern gate —in the south east corner of the precincts, and so was close to the ruined church of St. Michael, Burgate. The Steeple of the church appears to have been standing in 1684, in which year the Dean and Chapter let to John Mills a tenement lately built where the church of St. Michael sometime stood, reserving to themselves the late steeple belonging to the said church and the ground under the same steeple and the way at the west end of it as it is now used." 2 John Aucher occupied the house belonging to the sixth stall which was situated at the north east corner of the ruins of the chapel of the monastic infirmary. The house was pulled down in the sixties of the last century. 122 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS & consent of or present Visitor, these are humbly to acquaint yor Grace with or intencon & design & to crave yor Graces approbacon of it, resolving either to proceed or desist according as yor Grace in yor wisdom shall think fitt to direct us. Upon this occasion we crave leave to move yor G. also concerning two ancient buildings being the Remaines of 2 old Churches or Chapells belonging to some of or Prebendal houses, & time out of mind misemployed, & put to profane, unseemly & scandalous uses, such as, with the present occupiers of them, we cannot but with one common vote dislike, & therefore humbly crave yor Grace's leave and licence (for preventing all scandalous abuse of them in future) to demolish them, & convert the materials, either to the repairing of or church or some such other not profane or common use. And thus, with hearty prayers unto God for yor Graces long life & happiness, to the good of our & the whole English Church we subscribe orselves (as in duty bounden). Most Reverend Yor Graces Most humble servants THE D. & CHAP, OE C.C.C. Cant. 6 Decemb., 1661. XVIII. 23 Septr, 1662. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO ARCHBISHOP JUXON. Concerning the rights of the Church of Canterbury in the matter of the consecration of suffragan bishops of the Province. May it please yor Grace. Finding by or Lieger-books & other Records of or Church that by an ancient both Priviledge & Custom no Bishop of, or within, yor Grace's Province may or ought to be consecrated but in the Church of Canterbury, without or express leave & licence in writing under or common seal first had & obtained & the payment of a small fee to us of XXs , whereof (both one and tother) yor Grace's predecessor, ArchBp Parker, in his Antiquitates Britannicce expressly taketh notice, And considering as well the utter disuse & discontinuance of this priviledge in these times, both in point of Licence & Fee ; as that obligacon w°h lies upon us both by oath & statute to maintain & preserve AND PETITIONS. 123 the rights & priviledges of our Church, wherof we conceive this to be none of the meanest. We have thought it our duty to state our case, woh is particular, in writing, & humbly to present it to yor Grace, craving that if we cannot have redresse and recompence for what is past, as in the one point, that of a Licence, we doubt, we cannot; although as to the Fee (by yor Grace's help & favor at least) we think & hope we may; yet that in future yor Grace would vouchsafe us so much of yor favor & assistance, that we may be relieved & attain or own & the Church's right in both. In a matter of such concernment (in point of honor) to the Church of Canterbury, we are now very confident it may suffice that we become yoT Grace's remembrancers, & shall think it a very great fault in us to doubt of a gratious answer & return. In humble expectation whereof, after the remembrance of or joynt & severall duties to yor Grace we remain Most Reverend Father, Yor Grace's most obedient Sonns & humble servants THE DEAN & CHAPTER OE CHRIST CHURCH, CANTERBURY. Cant., 23 Sept. 1662. XIX. 5 Oct. 1663. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO DR WARNER, BISHOP OP ROCHESTER. The font which the Bishop gave in 1639, and which was destroyed by the puritans had been re-erected, and the D. & C. suggest that the Bishop might like to add a fence for its better protection. Bight Rev. Father in God, The pious and noble work of your Font's restoring, as to the severall undertakers, the carvers both in wood and stone being now quite finished and completed in every point (for ought we can discover) according to,their contract and covenant with yor lordship, wherewith we have compared it, and, by the same opportunity in our own, and our absent Brethren's names, to present to your lordship with that tribute of our thanks . . . for the high love and favor done both to us and our church (we must also say yourseh, to all posterity) in this restoring to her one of the principal badges of a mother church, a piece indeed so 124 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS elegant, and of such singular both use and ornament as well deserves all possible care, and to preserve and shelter from the rude, unhallowed and sacrilegious hands and approaches of a sordid and malignant generation in these licentious times, whose meat and drink it is to invade, abuse, and violate all that ever may adorn either the house or service of God. Upon this consideration we are at present inforced for want of that strong and comely fence it once had, and now is purloined, so to inclose it with a fence of boards as quite obscures, and keeps it from common and public view, insomuch as the glory of it is in a manner lost by yor Lordship and our Church. Rather than woh might not or intermeddling in such a case be considered (as we doubt it may) a declination from yor LorPs honor of the sole foundacon, we should not be unwilling to bestow that fence about it, where of in order to its preservation from abuse it stands in so much need. But desiring that yor LOP may (as formerly) receive the whole & sole honor of the work, we are humble suitors to yor LOP to compleat and perfect what you have so laudably begun & woh without the addition of such a fence to prevent invaders will soon become the prey of the fanatick and sacrilegious rabble. Whereof not doubting & humbly craving (as the case requires) yor LoP8 speedy answer we bless God for yor LOP8 singular piety and rest Right reverend Father, & or renowned Benefactor. Yo1 LOP8 most thankfully devoted THOMAS TURNER, Dean. PETER DU MOULIN, Vice-dean. MERIC CASAUBON. JO: AUCHER. PETER HARDRES. JOHN BARGRAVE. Jo: CASTILLION. Cant. 5 Octob. 1663. XX. Jan: 1663. THE DEAN AND CHAPTER TO ABP JUXON Stating their case concerning the rights of their Church in the matter of the consecration of suffragan bishops. For asserting the Dean and Chapter of Canterburies claim to the Licensing of all the Suffragan BB of the Province to receive AND PETITIONS. 125 their consecration elsewhere than in their Cathedral his Grace (the Ld Archbp) & all others, that now are, or hereafter shall be concerned, may please to know. 1. That, by a Charter of Archbp Beckett, in Hen. 2 time almost 500 yeares agon, this priviledge (amongst other) was granted to the then Prior & Monks, in these words: " Prohibemus ne Episcopi Cant' eccliaa Suffraganei alibi consecrentur quam in ecclesia Cantuar' cui tenentur ex professione et debita subiectione, nisi de communi consensu totius Capituli monachorum Cant'." 2. From that time downwards uninterrupted practice (exemplifiable from a multitude of registered Licences obtained, some of them, by the King's own mediaton with the Prior and Covent) from time to time ratified this priviledge, throughout the Prior & Covent's time, & untill the dissolucon by Hen. 8, who, changing the Prior & Monks into a Dean & Canons, did by his Charter or Instrument of Incorporation, transf erre & transmitt all the ancient rights & priviledges of & belonging to the late Prior & Covent, to & upon the Dean & Canons & their successors in these words : "Et quia volumus dictam eccliam Cathem Xpi Cant' ad laudem et honorem Omnipotentis Deihonorifice dotari, de ampliori gratia nfa dedimus et concessimus, et per presentes damus et concedimus prefatis Decano & Capitulo ecclise Cathis Xpi Cant' predictse totum predictum situm, septum, circuitum, ambitum, & precinctum supradieti nuper coenobii sive monasterii Xpi Cant', cum omnibus antiquis privilegiis, libertatibus ac liberis consuetudinibus euisdem nuper coenobii sive monasterii, ac totam eccliam ibidem &c." 3. In pursuance hereof the Dean & Chapter from that time downwards were owned in that right & priviledge by severall licences of that nature registered in their chartularies, such as (among the rest) Dr Godwyn, elect of Bath & Wells, in the year 1584. Dr Redman, elect of Norwich, in the year 1594. Since w<* time, although indeed their Register-books are silent of such licences, as through some neglect, it seems not entered, yet other Records of theirs, such as Treasurer's Accompts, and the like, do from time to time make mencon of a 20s fee received of every Suffragan Bp of the Province, as due & paid to the Dean and Chapter, in the way & notion of his owning and acknowledging that priviledge of theirs. 1 2 6 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS 4. Herein both as to Licence & Fee they did no more than what by Archbp Parker's own confession they ought to do, whereof in his Antiquitates Britannicoz, pag. 25 Edit Hanov'. "Ecclesia Metropolitica Cantuariensis quaedam habet jura cum cseteris communia legibusque descripta quaedam obsoluta sibique singularia quse legibus expressa non sunt. Prsescripta legibus definita jura sunt hujusmodi: Provinciahum Episcorum post electionem et Regni approbationem confirmatio et consecratio in qua tamen est aliquid singulare. Nam in ecclesia Xpi Cant' celebranda est, nee in quocumque alio loco quantumvis celeberrimo legitime id fieri potest quamvis ut alibi fiat Decani et Capituli Cant' consensus de consuetudine accedere debeat. Ad hanc rem Episcopi Sacrati grandia olim tributa praestabant . . .* quse tarn copiosa quondam largitas . . . . ad modicam decern librarum summam Archiepiscopo jam contracta est aliqua prseterea sed pertenui in famulatum liberalitate diffusa. Pro cappis autem professionalibus XX8t)1 in uniuscujusque episcopi consecratione Cantuariensi ecclesiae prsestantur" &c. 5. As the Dean & Chapter do ingenuously acknowledge the non appearance of a formal licence granted in latter times, so withal they contract the payment, of that 20s fee (the badge & result of that priviledge) until the very year of their expulsion by the late Usurpers ; an accompt being given by the Treasurer in the year 1642 of 511 received from 5 Bishops : Winnef, Prideaux, Westfield, Brownrigg, and King,2 upon that accompt. For the acceptance whereof, without the Licence, whether they then, or any of their former predecessors, might not be to blame, as (from their oath to maintain their Churches priviledges, whereof this both by charter & Custom was and is clearly one), it seemeth to them they were, they humbly submitt to their 1 The words omitted here (in the letter) are " Veluti consecraciones die qui Dominicus esse debet, nocteque antegressa, omnes familisB Archiepiscopi sumptus sacratus lautissimo instructo convivio sustinebat, & in sacratione cappam professionalem Archiepiscopo dabat. Tapeta sua atque vestes soluta pecunia ab Archiepiscopi Capellanis redimebat, pecuniam etiam largam inter Archiepiscopi famulos distribuebat Crucifero Archiepiscopi quadraginta solidos, totidemque Mariscallo donabat. 2 Thos Winniffe of Lincoln •) Consecrated May 15th, 1642, Henry King of Chichester (_ in Henry Vllth Chapel, at Thos Westfield, of Bristol j" Westminster, by the Arch- Ralph Brownrigg of Exeter J bishop of York and others. AND PETITIONS. 127 serious judgment who shall examine it. But in case discontinuance & disusage shall be conceived a just & sufficient barre to that of the Licence, woh (for the honor of their Church & the conscience of their oathes) they are unwilling to forgo, yet having so clear & undoubted a title to the Fee, they cannot doubt of all due care to be taken by his Grace (lying under the same sacred obligation with them of an oath to promote the honor & maintain the priviledges of the Church) for the continuance & securing hereof unto them & their successors ; lest all the foot steppes of such a considerable priviledge (both in point of honor & antiquity) being utterly defaced, posterity may take occasion to condemn them, as they their predecessors, of want due care & zeal in their church's prime & most notable concernments. XXI. Nov. 29, 1683. ARCHBISHOP SANCROET TO Dr THORPE, CANON OE CANTERBURY. Concerning the consecration of suffragan bishops of the Province. Sir, you do me right when you promise yourself my assistance (to my power) in asserting the priviledges of your church— which are your Rights too. But certainly of common Right every Bishop may consecrate his suffragans in any church or chapell within his province, as well as every Bishop may ordain his priests, and deacons in any holy place wthin his diocesse ; and both without licence from any ecclesiasticall person naturall or corporate. This was not introduced de novo (for it is an originall and inherent Right) but very well declared and acknowledged by King Henry ye first who having recovered the Investiture of Bishops from ye pope, and some thereupon insisting that all Bishops ought to be consecrated in the Chapell Royall, the King answered Nee ego vel quilibet alter potest Archiepiscopum constringere aliquo modo ut Episcopos Britannia alibi consecret quam velit ipse, quapropter viderii, suum est. Consecret episcopum suum ubi voluerit. and accordingly he resolved to consecrate Barnard (the Queen's Chaplain) elect of St. Davids at his house in Lambeth ; but performed it at Westminster at ye Queen's request who desired to see the solemnity. [Ead. Hist. Nov. L.5 p. 116.] Some years before this in the same King's 128 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS reign S* Anselme consecrated Richard, Bishop of London, in his chapell at Pagham in Sussex, Bad. Hist. Nov., L. 4, p. 97. All privilidges pretended to the contrary hereof are parts of that mistery of Iniquity, by woh the pope by degrees lessened the power of Kings and Bishops with design to aggrandize his own : and so are all his exemptions of Deans and Chapters (and at last the whole clergy) from their respective superiors ; of woh kind of popery (properly so called) I am sorry to see so much still remaining amongst us. It was therefore an act worthy of the Traitor Beckett (that great instrument and foolish martir of the pope's usurpations) to take upon him to prohibit his successors to consecrate Bishops any where but at Cant without the consent of the Monks there : that so if the King should name any Archbishop woh ye pope fancied not he might make use of the monks to hinder the proceeding, but the pope could work in his own creature. But fryer John Peckham (who understood things better than Becket did), in the time of Edward the first, consecrated Walter1 Bishop of Salisbury where he happened to be without licence from ye monks, who thereupon interposed an appeale, and would forsooth have bin ambling to Rome; but ye Archbishop soon brought them to renounce their appeal expressly (Begister Peckham, fol. 112). The truth is the consecration of Bishops, (with all its appurtenances) being matter of order (not iurisdiction), Beckett had no power to limitt his successors as to the circumstances of time or place, or any part of ye execution thereof. But then after Hen. 8 had made 3^e Statute An0 25, ch. 20, woh obliges the Bishop forthwith upon receipt of the King's mandate to consecrate, and that upon pain of premunire, it were madness to think that the monks of Canterbury tramp upon Kings and Bishops, and stop proceedings at their pleasure. Tis true ye collector of Matthew Parker's Antiquities of Cant. (p. 26, Edit. Hanoviai) doth mention the pretended privileges of the monks. But it is not I conceive a legall proof, and were it argumentative I should enjoy severall privilidges (of woh there is mention made) which now I want, and dare not pretend to. Upon the whole matter, lett me advise you never to pretend to inhibit the Bishop to consecrate where he thinks good within his province, lest it be said you fight Tho. a Beckett's and the pope's Battles. For my part I will be tender of your now privilidges, but those woh are surreptitious and not founded 1 Walter Scammell consecd at Sunning 1284. AND PETITIONS. 129 you will give me leave to postpone to my own won are originall and fundamental!. Your fee is already receaved to your use from both ye late Bishops ; and in truth I think more then was due. But ye Bishop of Rochester shall give you account thereof when he returns hither from Oxford. In the meantime and ever I am your affectionate friend W. Cant. Lambeth, Nov. 29, 1683. Having finished my letter, I have scarce time to read it over, much less to take a copy of it. I desire you therefore to send it me back with your objections; that at least we may settle the whole matter by common accord and . . . of all occations of future questions herein. Mr Agar hath not been with me yett. God have you all in his blessed keeping, Amen. Lambeth H. Nov. 29, 1683. For ye Reverend Dr Thorp prebendary of Canterbury. XXII. Dec. 5, 1683. GEORGE THORPE, CANON OE CANTERBURY TO ARCHBISHOP SANDOROET, in reply to the last. May i t please your Grace your Grace's letter of the 29th past I communicated to our Dean and Chapter who, (with their most humble duty presented), order me to lett your Grace know that in this their application to your Grace for ye security of their ancient priviledge of granting licenses to BPPS consecrated elsewhere then in Canterbury they had not the least thought of invading your Grace's inherent and originall right much less to abette Thomas a Bekett's Rebellious practises or the popes insufferable usurpations. With what ill designs the now claym'd priviledge in its originall was, or might be, introduct they think themselves not now chargeable, if it were since confirm'd by sufficient Autority, continued after by unexceptionable practice, and also guarded for the time to come from almost all possibility of former abuses many priviledges of other churches are as lyable to ye same charge, severall of woh have Episcopall Jurisdicion 13 130 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS and other exemptions it may be more incongruous, and your Grace knows it is one of the strictest parts of an oath taken at our admission to maintain the priviledges and imunityes of our church wcl1 were we negligent in we must justly fear a severe censure from your Grace as our particular visitor and guardian. Henry the 8t h in our charter, confirms to our church as the prime Metropoliticall Church of England all the priviledges enjoyed by the pryor and monks at least (as must be suppos'd) not inconsistent with any law of the land or originall law of God and if it may not look like presumption for them to judge in their own cause, they are apt to suppose this is not especially as claym'd. They hope their humble address to your Grace's patronage and protection may not be interpreted for least pretence to any intention to inhibit your Grace's proceedings, woh never entred into any of their thoughts and since your Grace's wisdom, justice and affectionate concern for the true honor and prosperity of your own church will prevent all occasions for it, weare it in their power. This same dispute was begun soon after his Matles happy restauration, and upon the Chapter's application to Archbishop Juxon it was, they thought, settled in their favour, it was however renewed again under Archbishop Sheldon who upon the full hearing of the matter determined for us, and as some of our company say gave D1 Thompson order that there should be no controversy afterward, but that upon occasion licences should be sent for, of woh we have severall records from the first reformation, tho' through the unhappy accident of a fire1 amongst our writings some of them be lost: and possibly some by the carelessness of officers. They humbly thank your Grace for the care of preserving ye fees, yet they cannot but profess themselves more concern'd for the Licence whether only as a matter of form or rather as an honorary respect paid to your Grace's prime church, woh we have all the greatest reason to be most tender of, and rest assured of your Grace's favourable assistance in its consideration. I am most humbly to begg your Grace's blessing for all our company as particularly for your Grace's dutifull chaplayne and most obedient servant GEORGE THORPE. X* Church, December 5th, 1683. 1 In 1669. AND PETITIONS. 131 XXIII. RICHARD COBBE TO THE CATHEDRAL TREASURER. All Saints day, 1723. Revd Sir, Out of a grateful sense of yr Almighty's Protection and conducting me safely out & home this is to request your favourable acceptance of ye inclosed six Gold Mohurs alias Rupees the current coin of India, for ye use of ye Metropolitical Church aforesaid, as a small acknowledgment for so great a mercy and as a small amends for ye meanness of my offering made at ye Cathedral on Easter Day 1714 the day before I set sail for Bombay in ye East Indies ; the reception of woh (if worthy receiving) will entirely oblige Yr most obet* humble servant RICHARD COBBE. XXIV. Oct. 4.1737. DEAN LYNCH TO THE BISHOP OF LONDON (EDMUND GIBSON). The Dean is anxious to restrain irreverent behaviour in the cathedral and asks the Bishop to send him a copy of the notice set up in St. Paul's for this purpose. (Draft) Groves, Oct. 4 1737. My Lord, I remember soon after yr Lordship came to the see of London, a Paper was published & placed up in the Body of S* Paul's Church & in many other parts of the Cathedral forbidding idle people to walk about it in time of divine service and threatning to punish such as the Law directs, & as I was then a city minister & used then frequently to go to S* Paul's on Sundays in the afternoon, I well remember the good effect this order had. Now this practice has too much obtained in our Church at Canterbury & I doubt is growing still more upon us; but if ye method woh was taken at S* Paul's answered so well as I think it then did, I apprehend it must have at least as good an effect in a Country Town where no one can pass off undiscovered & where tis probable many will of themselves avoid this practice when they find it offends, & more will be affirighten'd from it when they know tis 1 3 2 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS against Law. I therefore beg ye favour of yor Lordship (if you have any of these papers still by you) to send one of them & at ye same time I would wish to be informed whether Publishing them was the act of any order given upon yor visitation or by ye Dean & Chapter of S* Paul's & without ye knowledge or direction of their visitor. I am now at my own house in the country about 8 miles beyond Canterbury1 & rather nearer to my Livings than that is, where I have fixed my Family ever since their removal from Lambeth, Our fears of the Small Pox for the chUdren has led me to remove them here & ye continuance of that Distemper, and my Family enjoying perfect health here, & our being well pleased with this retirement will keep me here till towards ye November Chapter, so that if yor Lordship favour me with an answer I beg it may be directed to me at Groves by Wingham bay, Kent. I hope this will find yor Lordship in perfect health, I heartily wish you a long continuance of it & with great truth & respect my Lord yr Ldships Most Faithfull & Most Obedient Servant J(OHN) L(YNCH). XXV. March 2. 1744. DR. GEEKIE, CANON IN THE FIRST STALL, 1731- 1767, TO DEAN LYNCH. Giving an account of a supposed victory of the English fleet off Toulon. * * * . * * * We have been under no small concern of late for our Kentish Friends who seemed to be nearest danger from a French invasion, but we hope you may now sleep quietly in your beds without any further apprehension of disturbance there, especially if what I heard this morning in Harry the VIIth8 chapel be true : that Admiral Matthews has quite destroyed the combined Fleets of France and Spain off Toulon. There is no express of this yet from the Admiral, but there are several private letters in town 1 Dr. John Lynch, Dean of Canterbury (1734-1760) was a son-in-law of Archbishop Wake who loaded him with preferments; in addition to his deanery he held also the rectories of Ickham and Bishopsbourne, and spent much of his time at his manor house of Grove in the parish of Staple. AND PETITIONS. 133 from Jews to Jews here all agreeing in the same account, viz. that Matthews has burnt, sunk &c. thirty two of their ships with the loss of fourteen of his own. Tis now said they fought three days successively and that the first two days the enemy had the advantage but that the third concluded with a complete victory on our side. If this be so (for an engagement there certainly has been and there is great reason to believe that we have bang'd 'em very soundly) God be praised and I wish you joy dear Sir with all my heart. The two houses of Convocation met this morning to agree upon an address to his Majesty in this critical juncture of affairs, and we are ordered to attend therewith at S* James's tomorrow one o'clock. The King was at the House to-day to pass the suspension of the Habeas Corpus, which probably will soon begin to operate, but upon whom I cannot presume to say . . . London March 2. 174| [The action was by no means the glorious victory Dr. Geekie supposed. The engagement which is sometimes called the battle of Hyeres was indecisive though Mathews retreated and later was dismissed the service. Only two officers " emerged with distinction from the general discredit " the one was Captain Edward Hawke, who took a Spanish ship of sixty guns, the sole prize of the day. The other was James Cornwall, captain of the Marlborough of 90 guns who fell in action, deserted by Mathews, in his retreat. His valour is commemorated by a huge effigy erected by parliament in Westminster Abbey. Political Hist, of Eng. 1702-1760. L. S. Leadam.] XXVI. 1633. THE PETITION OF JOHN SHEPHERD, MINOR CANON, AND SOMETIME SACRIST OE THE CATHEDRAL, TO THE D. AND C. Asking for a reward for special services. To the Right worshippfull the Deane and prebens. This is to let you understand what good I have done to the Church since I came hether, and never had peny recompence. First I made a cradell that have saved the church a great deale of money. Then I mended one of the pinnackells of belhary steple, very like to fall downe, it was a very dangerous peece of worke noe man wold take upon him to mend it till I devized a way to 134 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS make it fast. And many more profetabell things that I have done, espeshally this I founde a chamber where theare was a great many ould writtinges and when I had made it cleene I went to the Deane and prebens and tould of it, and they came to see them but none of them could Reed them but Dor Simpson,1 they were not found by Deane Wottens tyme, nor Deane Godwyhens tyeme, nor Deane Rogers tyme—for the place was made up with breke, and whitlym'd over I being then Sackherst (Sacrist) Deane Nevell had a letter sent him to Cambrigge that I was very neclygent to look to the decayed places of the church, and that there was a place it would take a hundred pound to mend, but it was not so, for I did mend it for fower nobles. Now I will shewe you how I found i t : I took a hamer andknockt a bought the walls and I found a place that was hollowe. I sent White the belringer for a spett, and beate him thorow the wall and hitt upon the Doore. Dr Simpson found in those writtinges a greate deale of land that was not knowne before, and composition be twyne the King and Covent for the water in the parke, and att that tyme my lord Wotton wold have taken the water a way exsept they shew theare actorytes, it was God's will that I should find those writtings. Nowe for all this I desier you of your gentelle curttesye to bestowe 11111 upon me and I wilbe very thankfull to you for it, and pray for you as long as I lived Yours to command JOHN SHEPHERD Endorsed 25 Nov. 1633 XXVII. THE HUMBLE PETITION OF FRANCIS ELY, SON TO NATHANIEL ELY, LATE MINISTER OF BIDDENDEN. Sheweth, That yor Worship's most humble petitioner for his faithful! allegiance and constant service to his Matie, was imprisoned in Whitney near Oxford sent into Ireland and there almost famished for their hatred to him for his affection to his Mat ie and that after his return he fell into long sicknes, and now in his old age is fallen into extreme want not able to provide anything for his poor familie. May it therefore please yor Worpps &c. 2s 6d 1 Dr. John Simpson, Canon in the seventh prebend. He died, 1630. AND PETITIONS. 135 XXVIII. THE HUMBLE PETITION OF JOHN ROGERS1 Mr OF ARTS AND CURAT OE YE PARISH OF ST NICHOLAS THANINGTON. TO YE REVEREND DEANE & CHAPTER OF CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST. Humbly. His wife for many years together hath lost Annualties of three and twenty pounds a year, insomuch that ye Arrears which are behind come almost to three hundred pounds. In ye meantime we poorly subsisted upon ye yearly Income of my Curats-place of twenty pd 8 per arih., out of woh we yearly payde four pounds for ye Rent of an house wherein we live. And of late for three years together received I not a penny for ye serving of ye sd cure. Whereupon we were enforced to sell away our best Household stuffe, and I my best Bookes I had in my Study for little or nothing in comparison of their worth to put bread into our mouths. And when by ye charitable Benevolence of godly disposed (people) we received more, still our creditors had purses to put it use in (sic), and yet much indebted nevertheless. These are part, and but a part, of the miseries we have undergone, Wherefore we humbly Crave &c. XXIX. 1663. THE HUMBLE PETITION OF ANNE NEWMAN, -WIDOW.2 Sheweth that your pebitioner by her birth and parentage can justly plead the worthiness of her descent and pedigree, as being the daughter of Mr Rufus Rogers, a grave and worthie Divine well known to some of your worspps who was the nephew of that reverend suffrageen of Dover, sometime Dean of the said Church. But that family being now worne out, and your petitioner by her marriage with a Minister, though of known Loyaltie and integritie, of so mean a fortune as was much inferiour to his charge of many children is, what with the long sicknes of some, and lameness, and infirmities of others, left so much indebted as she is utterlie unable to releive and maintaine her self, being of the age of Lxiiii years and upwards and borne within the 1 John Rogers was Curate of Thanington from 1637 to 1661. 2 Ann da. of Rufus Rogers was baptized in the Cathedral, December 16th, 1699—Her father was instituted to St. Peter's, Canterbury, 6th November, 1605, and to Hurst on the 11th November, of the same year. He was also Lower-Master of the King's School from 1595 to 1610. 136 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS precinct of the said church during the time her said Father was usher of the school there. So that your petitioner for want of means hath been forced to seek for supplies from such Divines and gentlemen whose hearts Allmighty God should stirre up to look with a charitable eye on a poor distressed widow. Some of w°n vrorthie Divines and gentlemen, who were her good Benefactors, have of late withdrawn their allowance from her. May it please your worspps to take her poor distressed condicon into consideration and out of your wonted charitie to bestow upon her such relief as to your worspps shall seem good for her better sustentacon, And she (as in duty bound) shall ever pray for your worspps health and happines. (marked) lu XXX. [? 1661] THE PETITION OF JAMES BURVILL, ONE OF THE SIX PREACHERS AND RECTOR OE HAM NEAR SANDWICH. To the Reverend & Right Worshipfull Thomas Turner DD, & dean of the Metropolitan Church of Christ Canterbury, Thomas Peirce DD, President of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford, the Reverend Mer(-ic) Casaubon, Peter du Moline, Willm Belke, John Aucher, William Barker, John Castillion, Peter Hardrese, Edward Aldey, Doctors of divinity & prebendaries of Christ Church Canterbury sitting in this present Auditt. The petition of Jam : Burvill, clerk, one of the six preachers there: Reverend & Right Worshipfulls yo1 old petitioner (towards whom your assistance was effectuall to his liberty) once- more prayeth you, to be pleased to accept of this trouble given you (for which I beg your pardon) to read this & the petition herewith presented for your information (which hath alreddy been at Lambeth) & theruppon to suffer me (without presumption) to beleeve myself a partaker of your sympathy & pitty. And that my integrity stands cleere in your just minds. In which confidence I am an humble petitioner for 3 things. 1. That for God's glory you would cause your officers to look after licentious houses within this Churchyard which in time of divine service & sermons intertaine disorders on the Lord's daies AND PETITIONS. 137 2. That for my neighbors liberty, no bayliffes (occasioners in trueth of the abovesaid disorders) may be permitted on these dayes to arrest any person within your liberty, nor any member of this church uppon any other day without licence (uppon summons of the person) first had and obtained from Mr Dean, which formerly hath been the privilege and custom of this place, & is preserved in this Citty & in the honorable Inns of Court & other places of this Kingdom. 3. That for my own sake, whose troubles took rise from my first sequestration for my defending in my pulpitt (where a blaspheming trooper had introuded) the Lords prayer, the Creed, the 10 Commandments & the ministry, Your wonted charity . wilbe pleased to cast an eye uppon my Sonn a Kings schollar in this School, whom I design for Oxford this next year, by giving the promise of some Exhibition within your power towards his maintenance there, as you have done to others, as to your grave wisdomes shall seem meet at the prayer of him who is always devoted to your worshipps in all thankfullness & service. JAM(-ES) BURVILL. XXXI. 17 Nov. 1660. THE PETITION OF NATHANIEL GILL.1 In seriem malorum Quinto sequestratus quater ausus carcere dignum Ter plectendus eram pendens cognomine Gillus.2 Nathaniel (the son of Alex: Gil sen. Ma(8ter> of Sfc Paules • schole Lond.) of Trin. Col. Oxon took ye degree of Mr in Arts, April 1629, Mr Atkinson of S* Johns & Mr Strode of Ch. Church being proctors. After he had continued 4 yeares Mr (Master) in Oxon, he was preferred by Dr Dukeson to ye schole of S* Clements Danes, Lond. From whence he was promoted by Dr Hacket3 to ye Free schole of Sfc Andrew's Holborne where he continued neere upon five yeares : when he was promoted by the Lady Eliz. Hatton to ye Rectory of Burrough (Burgh) by lNathaniel Gill is described in Foster's Alumni Oxonienses, as S. of Alexand1 of London, Schoolmaster. Matric. Trin. Coll. 17th January, 162ij, aged. 17. Pauline exhibitioner 1621-32. B.A. 1625. M.A. 1629. Rector of Burgh S'. Mary, Norfolk, 1638, and of Burgh by Aylssham, 1638. Brother of Alexander, Master of St. Paul's School, 1635-40. 2Pen struck through these verses. 3Dr Hacket was a prebendary of St. Paul's London, in 1642, and was promoted to the bishopric of Coventry and Lichfield, in 1661. 138 SOME SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LETTERS Alysham (Aylsham) in Norfolk, from woh his said living he was sequestered, flung into Norwich Goale 8 weeks, all his goods & books sould, his dear wiffe & 4 very smaU infants turned out of dores upon ye complaint of some neighbours that he had stood up for ye King at Alysham, & had strictly observed ye discipline of ye Church of England. Nevertheles (upon ye humble petition of all his parishioners) he was permitted to serve his cure 7 yeares after sequestration, when for his constant using ye Liturgy of ye Church he was totally routed. Presently after he obtained ye Free schole in Bungay, Suffolk, where he continued his paines for 4 yeares & a hah til y* undoing order of Cromwels y* no sequestered man should teach or preach publickly or privately, Nevertheles he undertook the poor cure of Paston in Norfolk by ye sea side, where he punctually observed ye Liturgy of ye Church, upon all occasions & preached down tyranny & rebellion, schisme, faction, & undeceived ye good people of God ye Kings leidge people, til by these 2 last yearrs extreame sicknes, he was confined to his bed, or chamber, much necessitated. God mercifully restoring him, October last past he repaired to London & made addresses to persons of Honour, but by reason of his threadbare condition could not find admittance, so yt he is left desolate & unimployed. Tis true (at Christmasse) he may have his own living. But it is poor & mean (as ye intruder hath ordered ye matter) & ye houses so ruined y* it is not worth ye susception. For he thereby shal leave a vertuous wiffe & 4 right bred religiuous royalists (his children) to ye hazzard of dilapidations, so then there wilbee no end of his dear consorts misery, wch of all earthly calamityes he religiously endeavours to divert. Especially, seeing he hath had but few & smal comforts (of late evil yeares) unles from his wel affectioned yoak fellow. For competency of abilityes he pleads y* he hath preached in S* Maryes Oxon, for Proctor Marsh of Trin. twice at Sfc Paules Crosse at ye summons of his late Grace of Cant, and his Grace y* now is then Ld Bps of London, once in his late Majestyes Royal Chapel at Whitehal for Mr Dean Belcanqual, once at ye Sermon house in Canterbury, at Sergeants Inn, at Grayes Inn, and many times in Norwich Cathedral, and once in the Green-yard there, for y* right reverend Father ye Ld Bp Hall. For his life and conversation he hath ample testimonyes under ye hands of his Ma*yes Chaplaines, Knights, Gentlemen, & ye worthy prebendaryes of Christ Church Novemb. 17°. 1660. AND PETITIONS. 139 XXXII. N.D. THE PETITION OF JAMES MASTER The humble petition of JAMES MASTER a poor prisoner for debt, in the prison without Westgate whereof Beginold Abraham is the Keeper. Sheweth— That he was formerly a Gentleman of good rank and qualitie, and twice Maior of Canterbury,1 but afterwards fell to great decay and deeply in debt, and was cast into the said prison for debt divers years since, where he hath spent all means he had, so that he is not able to subsist without the charitie of good Christians and now for want of competent food and attention is brought to such a lamentable weak and sickly condicon as he is no way able to help himself whose deplorable condicon is such as want words to expresse. In commisseration whereof he humbly implores your worshipps to cast an eye of pittie upon him and to releive his extreame wants by your Christian benevolence. And he shall become a petitioner at the Throne of Grace for your worshipps. 'James Master was Mayor of Canterbury, in 1624 and 1638.