Wenlock

To the Constables of the p sh. of Madeley,

Greeting.

Whereas I have been informed yt. Thomas Richasson doth endeavour to

make a settlement within the s’d p’ish of Madeley, contrary to the

laws &c. I am therefore in the King and Queen’s Ma’ties names, of

England that now are, to will and require you the said Constables, or

one of you that you bring before me or some other of their Ma’ties

Justices of the Peace for the said Town and lib’ties, the body of the

said Thomas Richasson, to the Serjeant’s House in Much Wenlock, upon

Tuesday the tenth day of this instant month of March, to answer to

such matters as shall be objected against him by the overseers of the

poor of the parish of Madeley. And you, the said constables, are

required to give notice to John York of yo’r p’sh, Smith, that he be

and appear before me &c. at the time and place above said, by nine

o’clock in the morning, to put in sureties for his and his wife’s

good behaviour towards Elinor Alnord, Widdy, and all their Ma’ties

loyal people. And you are to make due returns of this warrant at the

time above stated &c. Given under my hand and seal this second day

of March, Anno domini 1690.

You must give notice to Thomas Cope, Anne Cludd, and Elizabeth Morris

to appear to testify the truth of their knowledge.

Lan. Stephens.

Probably there were other reasons for these strict enquiries, as the

feudal bondage to which the poor were reduced was closely interwoven with

another evil, the thriving-traffic of Shipping likely young paupers to

American Plantations, as was done by the Bristol Corporation, which held

out to the poor wretches the alternative of leaving England or being

flogged or imprisoned.

It may perhaps be a redeeming feature in the character of that “ermined

iniquity and prince of legal oppressors,” as Judge Jeffreys, who was not

unconnected with Shropshire, was called, to say that as Lord

Chief-Justice he exerted himself successfully to put down this

abomination.

Another summons from Wenlock to the constables requires them by virtue of

an Act of Parliament (fifth of William and Mary) to give notice to all

householders, and to all others they may believe to be disaffected,

inhabiting within their “Constablewick,” being sixteen years of age and

above sixteen, to appear at the house of, Humphrey Powell,

Sergent-at-mace, at Wenlock &c. to take the oaths of allegiance and

supremacy to their Ma’ties, and to subscribe the declaration in the Act

&c. Dated 16th June, 1692.

Signed Thos. Crompton, Bailf.

Chas. Rindar. Recorder.

Lan. Stephens.

John Mason.

This summons does not appear to have brought the parties to book, for we

find a large number charged with contempt, and again summonsed under a

fine of 40s. to appear before the Sergeant-at-mace.

In 1693, William Hayward, Roger Brooke, Gent., and John Smytheman, Gent.,

and others are applied to, as assessors for Madeley, Beckbury and Little

Wenlock, in carrying out the Act passed in the fifth year of the reign of

William and Mary, entitled “an Act for granting to their Majesties an aid

of Four Shillings in ye pound for one year, for carrying on a vigorous

War against France.” After giving the nature of the property to be

taxed, the Bailiff and his Officers call upon the assessors to levy a

double tax upon “every papist, or reputed papist, of ye age of 16 years

or upwards, who hath not taken the oath mentioned and required to be

observed in an Act of Parliament passed in the first year of that reign,

entitled an Act for abrogating the oaths of Supremacy and allegiance,”

unless they then take the oath they shall administer. The papists

however were not alone in this respect; others who had not taken the

oaths, or who refused to take those tendered, were to be similarly rated

or assessed.

In some cases the Constables were required to look after and to report

upon all young men of a certain age and height, likely to be of use to

his Majesty in war times, &c.

Here is a specimen.

(To the Constables of Madeley.)

“We whose names” &c., His Ma’ties Justices of the Peace, having

received a summons from the Deputy Lieutenant of the county, together

with a copy of a letter from the Lords of the Privy Council &c.,

Command you to make diligent search for all straggling seamen,

watermen, or seafaring men, and to impress all such, giving each one

shilling, impressment money, and to bring the same before us, to the

intent that they may be sworn and provided for, as by the said letter

directed; and You, the sd. Constables are not to impress any very

old, crazy, or unhealthy men, but such as are younge, and of able

healthy bodies, fit for se’vice; and herein you are to use yo’e: best

endeavours as you and any of you will answer the contrary. Given

under our hands &c.

“You are to take notice that what monye you shall lay out of yo’e:

purse upon this service we will take care the same shall be speedily

repaid you according to the order of their Majesties Privy Council.”

Jas: Lewis, Balf.

Geo: Weld.

Tho: Compton.

Turning back to the period when great political, religious, and moral

changes were taking place in the country, when Royalists and Republicans

had been struggling for the mastery, and the latter were victorious, to

ascertain their reflex and influence upon the little local parliaments

sitting in the Guildhall at Wenlock, we found some characteristic

presentments by those then important officers the constables, from the

several constablewicks within the franchise, with other matters coming

before the bailiffs and Justices of the Peace, and instructions issued by

them such as may be of interest in shewing the intermeddling spirit of

Puritanism in its then rampant attitude, when the neglect of public

worship, and the walking out of sweethearts, and even husbands and wives,

during sermon time, was punished with fines, imprisonments or the stocks.

The stocks in fact appear to have been in frequent requisition, and fines

as frequently imposed for such trivial offences as hanging out clothes on

a Sunday, being seen in an ale house on the Sabbath, and for the very

mildest form of swearing, or for the least utterance of disaffection or

disrespect of the Commonwealth. Here, for instance, is the presentment

of

“Articles of evil behaviour of Edward Jeames, of Long Stanton Clee,

in the Liberties of Much Wenlock, xiiiith day of September, 1652,

John Warham, gent., Bailiff.

“First, that the said Edward Jeames is a common disturber of the

Publike Peace, of this Commonwealth, by stirring up strife and

sedition among his neighbours.”

The presentment then proceeds to state that the said Edward Jeames doth

often quarrel with his owne wife and family.

“Secondly That the said Edward Jeames doth take abroade wh. him a

Welsh servt. Lad wch. he keepeth, to the end yat if any neighboure

being by him abused by opprobvious and unseemely language and word of

provocation, doe make any answeare or reply to him, out of which any

advantage may be taken, the said Lad shall verify ye same upon oath

on purpose to vex and molest the same neighboure and to gaine revenge

against him. Thirdly that the said Edward Jeames, in September,

1651, when the titular king of Scotte invaded yis land wh. an army,

saied openly in ye heareing of divse persons yt he was glad yt ye

kinge was comen into ye land, for if he had not come he thought yt ye

pesent. government would have altered religion & turned all unto

Popery.”

We did not turn to other old parchments containing the decisions of the

Justices to see what punishment, if any, was meted out to Mr. Jeames for

his evil behaviour, but turned to note some of the Informations laid

against ale house keepers, and persons frequenting ale houses on the

Sabbath. Here is one from Barrow, not from the Constable, or from one

living within the franchise; but from a gentleman who first proclaims his

own goodness by telling us that he himself had attended service twice on

the Sunday, but who, like many others just then, felt it to be his duty

to look after others. He commences by saying

“that yesterday, being Lord’s Day, I was at Wenlock morning and

evening prayer, and going home by the house of John Thompson of

Barrow, ale seller, both the doors being open I saw both hall and

parlour full of people, both men and women drinkeinge and some

drinkeinge forth of dores. There is a private house standing farr

from any rode and hath the report to bee a verye rude house on ye

Lord’s Day. I am Louth to be the informer, because I doe nott live

wthin ye franchise, but leave yt to ye worshps. consideration hoping

you will take som course whereby God may bee better honoured, and his

Sabbathes less defamed in that house. What I can speke of that man

further I forbear, for ye pesent.

Yours to command,

WILLIAM LEGG, senr.”

“Sworn before the Bailiff, John Warham, gent.”