Chapter V: Part III: Records (2)

li s d
Lent parson wilson upon his note by & with the consent of Mr.
Phillipson & Mr. Willm. wch. makes that he hath lately lent
8 li wch. he will either repay or els giue satisfaction that
it may allow when he comes & serues the cure at Gressmire
Church lent him this the 13 July 5 10 0

It is clear that in this year, 1644, the hall and its inmates shared in the general sufferings. Friendly messengers rode by night to give warning when another hall was sacked. Hostile soldiers were quartered on the premises, and some pillaging of horses and other things was done, for which Harrison tried to obtain restitution. He also sought protection--if it might be granted by wire-pulling and bribery--from Colonels Bellingham and Briggs, who commanded the Scots troops in Westmorland. It is possible that the new glass required both for the hall and for the choir of Grasmere church, "which was broken," may have been the result of some hostile demonstration.

But the actual raid upon the hall was made at Eastertide, 1645. The soldiers of "Captaine Orfer & Collonell Lawson" entered it, searched for money and took all they could find (which was little) and carried off Richard Harrison to prison, where he remained till Pentecost.

Further mischief is recorded in another paragraph of the sheets, when the sum of £2 4s. 8d. is set down at Easter, 1645, as "pd. for bread and wine twice at Gresmire Church in regard it was once plundered by Lawson's souldiers."

Now this provision for the Easter communion, which the tithe-holder was bound to make, was a special provision, always accounted for separately, and probably delivered direct to the church from the wine merchant, whose name is occasionally mentioned. So in this case, the church itself was presumably entered with violence, and by the same troop that visited Rydal Hall.

It was a Cumberland troop that did the mischief, as is evident from the names of the officers. Colonel Wilfred Lawson of the Isell family was an ardent fighter for the Parliament. Captain Orfeur was doubtless a member of the stock of Plumbland Hall.[108]

[108] He may have been one of the brothers of William, head of
the family, who died in 1660. See "The Orfeurs of High Close,"
_Transactions_ Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society,
vol. iii.

The troop may have marched from the siege of Carlisle Castle, which had been held for the king through the winter; and nothing is more likely than that, on their march over the Raise, they would halt at Grasmere, and do what despite they could to a sacred building held by an episcopalian parson and a recusant patron, who were of course odious for their so-called "delinquency." The event, however, is inferred rather than actually stated in Harrison's account.[109]

[109] It is necessary to be explicit on this point, for, on the
authority of the writer's MS., a statement that the church of
Grasmere was broken into by the Parliamentary forces appeared
twice in print in 1910, without any reference being given to the
actual source of information, or its ambiguity.

At Whitsuntide, on his release from prison, Richard Harrison returned to his post at Rydal Hall as factotum and financier. The position became steadily worse. Young William Fleming had returned from Bristol, after reverses in the south, only to be captured and imprisoned in Kendal; and his freedom had to be procured by a heavy ransom. In restless mood he declared his intention of going overseas, and considerable sums were paid for his fitting out; but he never got beyond London, where he died shortly after of smallpox. The Parliamentary Committee, then sitting at Kendal, exacted heavy fines from the estate for delinquency. Oppressive taxes too were repeatedly levied for the support of the Parliamentary forces and the Scotch army. This extraordinary outflow of money, as well as the loans made to friends, must have materially reduced the wealth of Squire John, and have left less for the suitors who presently appeared to claim the hands of the heiresses.

Not the Rydal estate alone, but the whole country-side groaned under the burden of taxation. It is therefore not surprising that from the hardness of the times, as well as from possible illwill, the tithes began to yield an uncertain return; and that to come by them at all it was sometimes necessary to engage a strong man or a stout party for the business. An item in the account-sheets for 1645 runs:--

li s d

spent in 3 dayes when we went to gather the tith woole
being ten in company 1 4 0

Spent more when Mr. Mason & I went to gather the
Easter dues at severall tymes 15 0

Oct. Adam Fisher & young Jarrat for Inning the tith
corne at Gresmere this yeare 1645 1 0 0

Adam Fisher was the Rydal blacksmith, and doubtless a strong man. Clearly no farmer could be found to take up a contract for the tithes of corn; and as we have seen, a barn had been hired for its housing.

In 1648 Harrison went into Cumberland, and spent a week getting the "tith-rents" due on St. Mark's Day; and he enters:--

li s d
geaven my cosen Lamplougs man for his paynes in
comeinge to meete me there with directions from
[parliamentary] comittee to pay there rents unto
me, otherwise I had gotten none payd 0 5 0

Harrison was subjected to another imprisonment, and squeezed by the hostile government of many further sums. His account-sheets close in 1648-9, when the hall--soon to lie under the ban of sequestration--was itself closed.

THE COMMONWEALTH

The year 1645 marked the beginning of a great change in the church government of Grasmere. Already the new system devised by the Presbyterian party (which was now in the ascendant after the success of the Scotch at Newcastle) was being put into force as a substitute for episcopal rule. The division of the country into sections, each called a _classis_--to be administered by a committee of laymen empowered to nominate for each parish a minister and four elders--was very rapidly carried out. The following answer was sent to the Parliament's demand, by letter from the Speaker, that _classes_ for South Westmorland should be formed:--[110]

[110] Shaw, in his _Church under the Commonwealth_, says that the
scheme was already working in Northumberland and Durham at the
close of 1645, and that it seems to have been put in force in
Westmorland early in 1646. This letter explains the delay.

Honourable Sir

We received your Honours letter (dated the 22nd September last)
the 3d of February last Wherein is required of us with advise
of Godly Ministers, to returne to your Honour such Ministers
and Elders as are thought fitt for the Presbiteriall way of
Government (which wee much desire to be established) and the
several classes. After wee received your Honours letter to that
purpose (though long after the date) wee speedily had a meeting;
and upon due consideration nominated the Ministers and Elders
which wee thought fitted (as your Honour may conceive by this
enclosed) for the Presbiteriall imployment as is desired and
have divided the County of Westmerland into two Classes. Since
the expediting of this your Honours direction: Wee have heard
of an Ordinance of Parliament directing to the election of such
persons: But as yet neither Order or Ordinance hath come unto
us; Only your Honours letter, is our Warrant and Instruction;
And accordingly we make bould to send (here inclosed) the names
both of Ministers and Elders. And if we faile in the Parliaments
method in this particuler, Wee shall willingly (upon your
Honours next direction) rectify any mistake for the present,
and shalbe willing to submitt to your Honours and Parliamentary
directions; Which wee shall duly expect, that in wharsoever
wee haved missed, wee may amend it. Thus with our Service
recommended Wee remaine

Yours Honours Servants

Ric Prissoe, Maior Edmond Grey
Thomas Gleddall Rich Branthwait
Ger Benson Allan Gilpin
Rowland Dawson Thom Sandes
John Archer

Kendall 10 Martii, 1645

(Endorsement) 10 Martii, 1645 (1645/46). From the Maior and
Committee at Kendal with their Classes.

For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esq., Speaker of the
Commons House of Parliament. These--[111]

[111] MSS. Tanner, 60, fol. 527, Bodleian Library, Oxford.

In the list of the parishes with their church officials which accompany this servile epistle, ours appears thus:

Grasmere

Mr. Henry Wilson, minister of Gressmer a notorious malignant and
articled against at Parliament.

Elders.

Mr. Thomas Brathwait Edward Knotts and
Michaell Benson Francis Benson

The newly-elected elders were men of good position and character. Mr. Brathwaite, son of Gawen, and grandson of James, was soon to become the head of the Ambleside Hall family. The Bensons were the descendants of the rich clothiers of Elizabeth's days. Francis, living at his freehold of the Fold, Loughrigg, was later to display his indomitable will as a disciple of George Fox. Edward Knott was one of a race of Grasmere statesmen whose course was a forward one for some hundreds of years, and whose later history belongs to Rydal and Coniston.

But before these men were chosen, or this letter written, the "Committee" in Kendal had already interfered in church matters in Grasmere, and had suspended the parson. The Rev. Henry Wilson had served the king's cause in other ways than by preaching; and it is probable that the sums of money he began to borrow from 1643 from the Rydal Hall estate (whose coffers all the needy Royalists had recourse to) were used upon journeys to and fro as an emissary, or were expended in some other way for the cause.[112]

[112] The secret messengers who passed with despatches between
the king and his army endured great perils and sometimes lost
their lives.

li s d

Lent to P'son wilson upon his bill & Sr. Chr: Rawlings
13th of August for 6 weekes or els to Allow in his
wages at Martinmas 1 0 0

* * * * *

Lent to Mr. Wilson P'son of Gresmire the 16 July
upon his bill to be allowed in his sty. pd. at martinmas
next 1644 3 0 0

By September he had borrowed £4 more, and on December 30th, £2 10s. But the Parliamentary party had by this time determined to put a curb on the Royalist parson's excursions. There exists among the MSS. of the Corporation of Kendal, a bond, dated November 16th, 1644, entered into by him to Colonel James Bellingham, "that the said Henry Wilson shall appear and render his body into the hands of the Provost Marshall of Kendall, at the end of twenty dayes next after the date hereof, and in the mean tyme shall not travell forth of the County of Westmorland nor hold any intelligence nor send any message by word or writeing to any of that party now in armes against the parliament, but in all things demeane himselfe well, and not indeavour in any wise to seduce or withdrawe the affections of any of his parishioners or others from the service of King & Parliament."

Attested by James Bellingham, Thomas Brathwaite, and Thomas Kelver.[113]

[113] Communicated by Mr. J. A. Martindale.

Under the pressure of military force he was constrained to appear before the Parliamentary tribune at Kendal; and he must have been then formally inhibited from duty; for the Rydal account-book shows:--

li s d

pd to Mr. Benson who serues at Gresmire put in by
the Committee & ordered to pay the stypend to
him that was due to Mr. Wilson for Halfe A
yeare ended at penticost last 1645 9 5 9-1/2

pd to mr. benson by an order from the Committee for
Halfe A yeares wage for serving the Cure at Gresmire
ended at Martinmas last 1645 9 5 9-1/2

It is singular that in the Committee's report of its action to the Parliament, in the letter already given, it makes no mention of Mr. Benson's supersession of the rector. It was not destined to stand however; and possibly there was opposition in the parish. For Harrison enters, under February, 1646:--

li s d

pd. to Sr. Chr: Rawling in pt. of his wages for seruing
the Cure of Gresmire for Halfe A yeare to end at
penticost next & either to pay it again or els to
stand in paymt. 5 0 0

The remaining £4 was paid on May 22nd, "by order of the Comittee." It would be interesting to know who this server of the cure was. He had been resident since at least 1641, when a child of his "Christe: Rawlinge, cler," had been baptized. He had likewise joined Parson Wilson in his bill three years earlier. His prefix "Sir," betokened him to be of the lower order of clergy, who had not graduated at either University.

Meanwhile Wilson, without stipend, was sinking under a weight of debt. A year after the death of his first wife, he had married (in 1639) Mrs. Dorothy Forrest, and he had (besides a former family) young children born in 1642 and 1643. Harrison thought it necessary now, in 1645, to obtain the consent of the young heir of Rydal, and of another executor, before lending him further sums of money:--

li s d

Lent parson wilson upon his note by & with the consent
of Mr. Phillipson & Mr. Willm. wch. makes
that he hath lately lent 8 li wch. he will either
repay or els giue satisfaction that it may allow
when he comes & serues the cure at Gressmire
Church lent him this the 13 July 5 10 0

Possibly he left Grasmere for a time, yet it is clear that he had hopes of recovering his position there. It is noteworthy that the curates of St. John's and St. Bride's, Cumberland, borrowed money about the same time, and probably for the king's business likewise.

Parson Wilson--for so he was still called--borrowed £2 more in April, 1646, making in all £10, and £5 more in May. This was done by consent of the executors of the late Squire John Fleming, and he gave them a bill which terminated on September 29th. He was quite incapable of meeting such a bill, and it became necessary to devise a plan for securing repayment.

Now steps upon the scene a figure destined to play for long a prominent part in Grasmere church affairs. "My Cozen Ambrose" is mentioned in Harrison's account-book as ordering an additional 15s. to be paid to parson and clerk on death of Squire John "for oversight of his buriall" and now he took more pronounced action. He was nephew of Squire John, whose sister Dorothy--his mother--had married the lord of Lowick. He had been educated for the church, and in 1629 was elected Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge.[114] From the first he was doubtless intended to fill the post of rector of Grasmere, as the patronage belonged to the family. Truly, the living for the moment was worth no more than £18 11s. 7d., the stipend paid by the tithe-holder; but Gabriel Croft's lease of the tithes was to lapse in 1647, when they would again belong to the rector. So when Wilson was found to be in the last straits for money, John Ambrose came forward (with the lease in view) to adjust matters. Under date January, 1647, Harrison entered in his book:--

pd. to Mr. Wilson P'son of gresmire accordinge to articles
made betwixt Mr. Wm. and him by doctor Ambrose order for
delapidations for gresmire Rectorie and for confirmeinge all
the tythes of Rydall at 20s P' annm. duringe his life upon his
agrement 24 mch 1646, and a bill 15 li lent money deliuered him
in, and pd. him this daie more to make up the Some to 22 li 10s,
set down by doctor Ambrose 7 li 10s 0d.

[114] Dr. Magrath's _Flemings in Oxford_.

Thus the broken-down parson was mercifully left in his dilapidated house with his debt cleared, a few pounds in hand, and the prospect of £1 yearly in lieu of the Rydal demesne tithe, which was the ancient prescription.

Little as it was, it was better than nothing, and the incoming of other tithes to the parson was problematic, even if he were again allowed to serve the cure. But this doubtful future he had not long to face. The church register of that year records on June 26th "buryall Henry Willson Clerk of Gresmyre."

There is scarcely a doubt that the Rev. John Ambrose was at once nominated to the post by the Fleming family. In evidence given for the Restoration lawsuit over the tithes, it is stated that he had been inducted "about 15 years since," and had kept the office and officiated, till ejected by "the late usurpers." The position with tithes restored to it, was worth a struggle to keep, and the parish elders and the Presbyterian party at large would seem to have offered no real opposition to this powerful nominee.

That party indeed was losing ground all over England, where a personal examination before administration of the sacrament--rigidly enforced under the Scotch system of eldership--was much disliked; and by 1649 its control over church affairs was practically at an end.[115]

[115] Shaw's _Church under the Commonwealth_.

The successes of the Parliamentary army had besides, after the victory of Naseby (1645), brought the Independents into power. Without passing a law to annul the Presbyterian scheme, they brought forward in Parliament various fresh ones of their own; and in 1650 a bill was framed for "the better propagating of the Gospel" in Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham, these counties having petitioned that the vexed question of "settling ministers" might be finally resolved. The Act was to hold good for three years; and after a slight extension it was abandoned, as the Commissioners appointed to carry it out had not given satisfaction. It was while the Commissioners under the Act were in office, and no doubt by them, that Ambrose, an episcopalian and a Royalist, and nominated moreover by a family of recusants, was ejected. In the depositions taken at Ambleside, October, 1663, for the tithe lawsuit, John Newton of Ambleside declared that the ejection took place about Martinmas, 1653; and "John Wallace of Kendall clerk," aged 32, gave evidence "that the complainant Ambrosse, by some of the late usurped powers was sequestered out of the parish church of Grasmere, sitting at Newcastle on Tyne before 1653, after which this deponent officiated in the said cure 1653, 4 and 5; and after he left one John Tompson, clerk, officiated till complainant was restored. During deponent's officiating most of the parishioners paid their tithes to him, and owned him as patron; and he believes they did the like to Thomson."[116]

[116] Ex. Deps., 15 Chas. II., Mich. 33, Westmorland.

Wallas was clearly placed in the Rev. John Ambrose's post by the Independents, who now--with John Archer at their head--ruled the municipal and religious affairs of Kendal, for the Parliament, by a strong-handed committee; and that it was an ill-judged choice as well as an ill-favoured one (at least by one section of the community) is certain. By no religious party should John Wallas have been considered a suitable pastor for the wide and conservative parish, since he was either a man of low, disorderly life, or unfortunate in making enemies who could successfully libel him. In 1655 he was summoned before the justices at the Quarter Sessions upon two charges. One was the attempted ravishment of Clara Barwis of Loughrigg, "a virgin" twenty-two years old, and of this offence he was declared not guilty; while the unhappy girl--likewise charged with "ye detestable sinne of fornication with John Wallass Clke"--was by an irrational and shameful verdict sentenced to three months imprisonment for the joint offence. The other charge against him was an assault upon one John Hird; but as he brought a counter charge against Hird, this disturbance of "ye publique peace" must have assumed the aspect of a free fight.[117]

[117] Book of Quarter Sessions Indictments, Kendal Corporation.

Wallas was not long to enjoy unchallenged his position at Grasmere. The situation was being watched by one who only awaited opportunity for action. It was a time of unrest and seething thought; and in 1651 George Fox, after beholding his vision of blood--when he ran through the streets of Lichfield crying "Woe, woe"--had begun his wandering life as a preacher. The country was swayed to and fro by contending religious factions. The more sober and rational-minded among these, shocked by the confusion that prevailed, formed themselves into "Voluntary Associations," under which the acting church authorities of each district--whether Independent or Presbyterian--united for the purpose of settling (if this were possible) the vexed questions of the administration of the sacrament and the ordination of ministers. At once an Association was formed for Cumberland and Westmorland, where the success that attended George Fox's first missionary journey through the distracted counties in 1652-3, had brought consternation to all sections of the Puritan party, and under the leadership of Mr. Richard Gilpin it proceeded to action.[118] Meetings for the settlement of church affairs were held every month at Carlisle, Penrith and Cockermouth, and in 1656 the counties put forth a joint manifesto, called "Articles of Association."

[118] Fox's _Journals_. He says that he had "large meetings" in
Westmorland.

It was the existence of this body with its moderate and conciliatory policy, that doubtless enabled the new squire of Rydal to take the step he had for some time been preparing. Barely of age in 1654, and not yet in possession of the family estates, he nevertheless--while studying law in London--kept his eye on the condition of affairs in Grasmere and sought how he might--if not restore his kinsman Ambrose to the rectory--at least oust the intruder. An entry in his accounts of 1s. paid on May 24th "for ye Parrishioners of Gresmire their Caveat" shows that he had secured the support of part of the parish at least. Again on June 27th he paid 1s. 6d. "for a cop. of the Refferees names concerning Wallas." Without doubt he was preparing, even to the co-operation of Mr. Brathwaite of Ambleside Hall, for the swift stroke of ejection which was carried through on the eve of his own entrance to Rydal by his faithful servant John Banks. John communicated the result in the following letter:--[119]

[119] Rydal Hall MSS.

Hounoured Sir,

I praise God I got saffe to Rydale wth the oxen on Saturday at
night where I was fforced to staye all night it was so late I
acquainted the P'ishors that you had sent them word to get a
minister every Lord's daye till such tyme as you presented one,
and that the might paye them out off the tythes, but none would
meddle unless I would goe to the Church and appear wth them soe
I was fforced either to neglect it or send to Mr. Turner off
Amblesyd to procure him to goe to preach wch I did And he went
to your Cousin Bratwhait to aske his advice and leave that he
might goe, soe he came to Rydale and I went along wth him But
Wallas seeing us cum almost at the Church went quite away to
Langdale Chapple whether he intended to goe beffore or noe I
knowe not But he lefft the Clarke to oppose us who would not
suffer Mr. Turner to read in the usuall place soe I wished Mr.
Turner to goe into the pulpit and officiate But the Clark begun
to read a Chapter and I bid him giue over but he would not soe I
shutt the booke soe Mr. Turner read a Chappter and sung a psalme
and begune to preach and when the sermon was done I spoke to
some of the P'ishoners to procure every Lords daye a minister &
pay them off theire tithes.

Conyston this 11 Feb. 1655.

Your obedient servant

John Bankes.

Good John, with the squire's authority at his back and the co-operation of the Ambleside curate (a Presbyterian no doubt), had successfully carried the situation through for that day, but his spirit quailed before it, as did that of the people. Under date February 18th he again wrote to his absent master:--

I should be glad to hear ffrom you iff you have heard anything
ffrom Oxford or London concerninge the P'sonage of Grasmire,
ffor wallas keepes the place still and saith he will doe it and
that he is instructed by Mr. Archer to keepe it til such tyme as
he present another, And he saith that he will cause Mr Turner
to be put off his place ffor goeing that one daye to officiate
there, Sir I desire that you will be pleased iff you heare
anythinge to lett me knowe that I may encourage the P'ishoners
ffor the are nowe more dismayed then the were beffore.

In a postscript he reverts to the subject:--

Sir it will not be amisse to remynd them aboue (probably meaning
any grandee with whom young Daniel might come into contact
during his honeymoon visits) concerning Grasmire ffor it is the
Generall oppinion off all heare that Mr. Archer will doe you a
preiudice in it iff he can.

Mr. Archer was of course disputing the right of the Rydal squire to nominate. But he and the Independents were yet to learn the indomitable nature of the will that now opposed theirs. The young squire, too wise to attempt the reinstating of his kinsman, and assuming the right to nominate, appointed one John Thompson to the rectory: and he won his way in spite of obstacles placed in it.

li s d
10 ber 4, 56. Spent at Penrith when Mr. Thompson
appeared there to showe unto ye Coms. by wt.
title hee officied att Gresmer 00 01 06

John Banks, then doing business in London, wrote in perplexity on October 23rd, saying that counsel's opinion was talked of in connection with the matter. Thompson, however, kept his post. He may have acted in tune with the Presbyterians for the time being, but at the Restoration he returned at once to the uses of the re-established Church of England. At the Quarter Sessions held at Kendal, September, 1660, William Willson of Langdale was charged with "disquietinge, abuseinge, & disturbinge John Tompson Clerk vicar of Gressmire in readinge ye booke of comon prayer or service of ye Church & in his collaton or preachinge at Langdale Chappell" on the 26th, "beinge ye lord's day" and the said Willson, refusing to submit or to swear the oath of allegiance, was committed to gaol, with the option of a fine of 100 marks.[120] Willson indeed was a Quaker or Friend, who abjured all oaths--a fact at first misunderstood, and which so frequently caused their committal on political grounds. He was one of George Fox's most fiery adherents, and a speaker among the little band that had sprung up in the parish during the anarchy; and in denouncing the clergy on their own ground (the "steeple-house") he did but imitate his master.

[120] Book of Indictments, Kendal Corporation.

On the other hand John Wallas--who had apparently been appointed by his friends to another church--was charged before the Justices with not reading the Book of Common Prayer, as ordained by law. His next appearance at court, in 1663, was in connection with the plot against the king and government, lately discovered. He was suspected of being mixed up in it, and was committed to Appleby gaol for three months.

The young squire of Rydal, Daniel Fleming, had now a free hand in the congenial task of setting the church of Grasmere on the old footing. There was some delay or uncertainty, however, in the return of his cousin Ambrose to the rectory. The church register contains a note of money collected, August 25th, 1661, and this is signed by John Brathwaite, "Rector of Grasmere," by John Browk, "curate," and the churchwardens; and John Browk's signature as curate occurs again August 7th, 1663. But it is certain that Parson Ambrose soon made good his claim to the position of rector, and that John Brathwaite remained as his principal curate in charge. He was a man who had seemingly no mind for strife or commotion. He showed supineness in allowing the squire to conduct the dispute about the tithes which now arose; as well as later to oppose the scheme of the Ambleside folk to secure the privileges of baptism and burial for their chapel. On this occasion the excuse was made of his being then (1674) in residence as Fellow of St. John's, Cambridge.[121] Perhaps he loved too well the cloistered ease of the University. He never attempted to reside at the rectory, and would seem to have arranged for bachelor quarters to be fitted up at the hall, where he might spend such time as he thought it necessary to devote to the parish. These entries occur in the great account book:--

[121] See Cumberland and Westmorland Society's _Transactions_,
vol. vi., N.S.

li s d
Aug. 11. 59. Payed unto Grigg for 3 dayes paveing
& guttering of ye Roome under Mr. Ambrose's
Chamber 00 01 00

Jan. 26. 59. Lost at Tables unto Parson Ambrose 00 01 00

Such peaceful hours of card-playing--restricted to the festival time of Christmas--were occasionally varied by polemical events; if so, we may interpret the scene at the Loughrigg inn:--

li s d
June 23, 1669. Spent at Braythey Bridge end in ye
contest betwixt Jos. Penny & my Cosin Ambrose 00 00 06

For the recovery of the tithes, the rector relied entirely on the legal knowledge and acute judgment of his relative; and the draft of the Bill presented in the Court of Exchequer, and now lying at Rydal Hall, is in the latter's handwriting. From this we learn that certain parishioners refused to pay tithes to the newly-instituted rector, and that their refusal was moreover of some years standing, as neither Wallas nor Thompson had been in a position to compel payment from the refractory. There are twenty-one names cited in the bill. Many of these were no doubt conscientious objectors, though some would be of that ever-present class, who seize any excuse for shirking an obligation. From the wording of the petition, that the objectors "pretended" John Ambrose never was parson of Grasmere, nor had been lawfully restored, it looks as if there had been some opposition to the squire's change of minister at the Restoration. Mr. Thomas Brathwaite had assisted him as we have seen in the removal of the Independent, but now the expulsion of the (probable) Presbyterian minister in favour of the Episcopalian roused the ire no doubt of the Presbyterian party, headed by the Ambleside Hall family. Robert Brathwaite, gentleman, was younger brother of Thomas, and had inherited from his father Gawen not only the property of High House, Hugill (where he generally resided) but the small "manor" of Baisbrowne in Langdale. It was on this estate that tithes were claimed from its owner, who heads the list of recalcitrant parishioners. Another prominent statesman among them was Christopher Nicholson, of Padmire, Grasmere, of whose religious persuasion we know nothing. A third was Francis Benson, freeholder; he, along with Mr. Brathwaite and Michael Benson, had served as an elder on the Presbyterian _Classis_, and had now become an ardent Quaker. These, with the rest, had--so the petition declared--combined to resist payment, and had persuaded others to do the like. Their position was certainly weakened by the fact that they had failed to pay these customary dues for its support, while they were satisfied with the ministry; yet the demand now made for fourteen years' arrears, may well have irritated them. The claim upon Mr. Robert Brathwaite's estate stands thus, when placed in the form of a table:--

£ s. d.
Meadows, of which the "tythe-hay" is worth yearly 0 0 10
Ten cow's milk each yearly 2d. 0 1 8
One tithe-calf 0 1 8
Two foals, each 2d. 0 0 4
Three hundred sheep, of which, the tythe wool is worth yearly 2 0 0
One hundred lambs paying a customary sum each year of 1s. 2d. 11 8
Three sows, the tithe pigs being yearly 10
Ten geese, ten hens, and ten ducks, tithe yearly 5 0
two swarms of bees, customary payment 2d. each 4
Five bushels of plums, with other fruit, tithe worth 3 0
Twenty acres, pastured with barren cattle 5 0
Hemp grown, tithe worth yearly 2 0
Oblaytions 2 6

The demand made upon each of the foremost defendants in the lawsuit was exactly the same, showing that the estimate of the tithes was a purely conventional one. It amounted then for each prosperous statesman to £3 14s. 10d.--a large sum compared with the commutation of the Rydal Hall tithe; and when this figure is multiplied by fourteen for arrears, a total of £52 7s. 8d. is reached, which was likely enough to arouse dismay and opposition. The case dragged on; and on October 20th, 1663, a commission sat at Ambleside, when witnesses were called on both sides. The smaller statesmen were no longer cited, while Robert Brathwaite, Christopher Nicholson, Francis Benson, and John Benson stood as the defendants.[122] The verdict is not known; but payment of tithes once more became customary. The refusal of the Quakers to pay the church rate will be noticed hereafter.

[122] Ex. Deps., 15 Chas. II., Mich. 33, Westmorland.

The tithes seem often to have been let on lease, which saved the rector the trouble and annoyance of collection. Edward Benson of Loughrigg declared, in 1663, before the commission, that he and Miles Mackereth and John Brathwaite held a lease of them from Parson Ambrose for three years, which ended April 15th, 1665. About the year 1726 they were apparently farmed by the statesmen jointly. A paper exists[123] entitled "Grasmere Tyth Corn lett to the Inhabitants Anno 1726. Some wanting." It contains the names of 55 landholders, with the amount--varying from 1s. to 18s.--paid by each as an equivalent for the tithe of corn. The total is £18 6s.

[123] Rydal Hall MSS.

This agrees with the statement of Miss Craik, who in 1752 was corresponding with Sir William Fleming on behalf of her incapable brother, the rector. While expressing her surprise that he should think of renting the tithes of corn, she tells him that Mr. Craik's collector had been persuaded to grant a three years' lease at £14 10s., which was too little. The salary of the collector, she adds, had been in a former year £5.

The growth of corn increased seemingly in this district as the eighteenth century went by, owing no doubt to its heightened price throughout the kingdom. The tithe of it accordingly went up in value, while wool, from the decay of the cloth trade, went down.

(FROM TABLE BOOK BY WM. HONE, 1827.)]