UC-NRLF 
 
 LANCASHIRE 
 
 GLEANINGS 
 
i 
 
 LANCASHIRE GLEANINGS. 
 

LANCASHIRE GLEANINGS. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM E. A. AXON. 
 
 MANCHESTER : 
 TUBES, BROOK, & CHRYSTAL, n, MARKET ST. 
 
 LONDON : 
 SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., STATIONERS' HALL COURT. 
 
 1883. 
 
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 V 
 
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TO 
 
 SIR THOMAS BAKER, 
 
 MAYOR OF MANCHESTER, 1880.81, 1881.82, 
 CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC FREE LIBRARIES 
 
 COMMITTEE SINCE 1864, 
 WHOSE ZEAL FOR THE DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE 
 
 HAS MADE THESE LIBRARIES 
 
 A POWERFUL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY, 
 
 AND 
 
 WHOSE DESIRE FOR THE PRESERVATION 
 
 OF THE FLEETING MEMORIALS OF THE PAST 
 
 HAS MADE THE REFERENCE LIBRARY 
 
 A STOREHOUSE OF MATERIALS FOR THE 
 
 LANCASHIRE ANTIQUARY, 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 IS DEDICATED. 
 
 394251 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Being too many for me to reckon up or remember, it will be the 
 safest way to wrap them altogether in some Manchester ticking, and to 
 fasten them with pins, (to prevent their falling out or scattering), or tie 
 them with tape, and also because sure bind, sure find, to bind them 
 about with points and laces, all made at the same place. 
 
 THOMAS FULLER, D.D. 
 
 inVEN when the historian has told in the most elaborate 
 ^ detail the story of the County Palatine of Lancaster, 
 there still remains much that is noteworthy. There are 
 pleasant byways of family history and biography to be 
 explored, quaint fancies and dark superstitions to be re- 
 corded, and many notable incidents and curious events to 
 be chronicled. In this volume an attempt has been made 
 to indicate some of the characteristics of the past history 
 and condition of the county. "Lancashire fair women," 
 the old proverb speaks of, and these have never lacked their 
 complement of brave men whose valour has sometimes been 
 that of the warrior leading his soldiers to victory, sometimes 
 
viii. Preface. 
 
 that of the sectary scorning the persecutions of the world, 
 sometimes of the inventor struggling against the neglect and 
 greed of his fellows, and sometimes alas ! for the intoler- 
 ance of human nature that it should be so this native 
 courage has been shown by the pale martyr in his sheet of 
 fire. 
 
 The historical associations of the county connect it with 
 some of the most momentous epochs in the life of the 
 nation, and its halls, farmhouses, and cottages have given 
 soldiers to the field, statesmen to the senate, and preachers 
 to the churches. The manifestations of this quick, vigorous 
 life furnish the subjects of several articles in this volume. 
 
 The folk-lore and dialect of the county are unusually rich, 
 and the connection of some of its fireside stories and familiar 
 customs with those of other lands have been shown. 
 
 Some of the articles now reprinted have been read before 
 the Royal Society of Literature, the Historic Society of 
 Lancashire and Cheshire, and the Manchester Literary 
 Club ; some have appeared in the Academy, the Manchester 
 Guardian, Notes and Queries, the Palatine Notebook, and 
 various periodicals, whilst others are now printed for the 
 first time. The volume is a selection from much more 
 extensive materials relating to the history and archaeology of 
 Lancashire, and which may possibly be further drawn upon 
 in the future. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 PREFACE vii. 
 
 NANNY CUTLER, A LANCASHIRE "DINAH BEDE" i 
 
 THE MOSLEY FAMILY 9 
 
 THE EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY OF THE REV. THOMAS 
 
 THRELKELD 32 
 
 SUNDAY IN THE OLDEN TIME 38 
 
 TIM BOBBIN AS AN ARTIST 75 
 
 ANN LEE, THE MANCHESTER PROPHETESS 79 
 
 MASTER JOHN SHAWE 108 
 
 TRADITIONS COLLECTED BY THOMAS BARRITT 121 
 
 DID SHAKSPERE VISIT LANCASHIRE? 127 
 
 THE LANCASHIRE PLOT 130 
 
 SHERBURNES IN AMERICA 141 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE 145 
 
 THOMAS AND JOHN FERRIAR 151 
 
X. 
 
 Contents. 
 
 Page 
 
 TURTON FAIR IN 1789 159 
 
 THE STORY OF THE THREE BLACK CROWS 163 
 
 LANCASHIRE BEYOND THE SEA 174 
 
 MURDERS DETECTED BY DREAMS 180 
 
 THE BLACK KNIGHT OF ASHTON 186 
 
 ROBERT TANNAHILL IN LANCASHIRE 204 
 
 POPULATION OF MANCHESTER 212 
 
 A SERMON OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 219 
 
 PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD STUART'S SUPPOSED VISIT TO 
 
 MANCHESTER 224 
 
 CONGREGATIONALISM AT EARN WORTH NEAR BOLTON 231 
 
 CHURCH GOODS IN 1552 235 
 
 THE ESTATES OF SIR ANDREW CHADWICK 241 
 
 EARLY ART IN LIVERPOOL 250 
 
 THE STORY OF BURGER'S "LENORE" 258 
 
 MANCHESTER IN 1791 266 
 
 EARLY REFERENCES TO THE JEWS IN LANCASHIRE 271 
 
 WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT 276 
 
 "FAIR EM" 280 
 
 THE FATHER OF THOMAS DE QUINCEY 285 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE WORD "TEETOTAL" 291 
 
 ROBERT WILSON AND THE INVENTION OF THE STEAM 
 
 HAMMER 297 
 
Contents. xi. 
 
 RALPH SANDIFORD 304 
 
 ELIAS, THE MANCHESTER PROPHET 312 
 
 WESTHOUGHTON FACTORY FIRE 317 
 
 PETER ANNET 3 2 4 
 
 SOME OLD LANCASHIRE BALLADS, BROADSIDES AND CHAP- 
 BOOKS 329 
 
 GEORGE Fox's FIRST ENTRY INTO LANCASHIRE 336 
 
 THE LEGEND OF MAB'S CROSS 343 
 
 THE LINDSAYS IN LANCASHIRE 348 
 
 THE LIVERPOOL TRAGEDY 357 
 
 LANCASHIRE PROVERBS 361 
 
 INDEX... 37* 
 
LANCASHIRE GLEANINGS. 
 
 NANNY CUTLER, A LANCASHIRE "DINAH BEDE.' 
 
 This seemed a strange idea for Methodists, some of whose brightest 
 ornaments have been women preachers. As far back as Adam Clarke's 
 time, his objections were met by the answer, ' If an ass reproved 
 Balaam, and' a barn-door fowl reproved Peter, why shouldn't a woman 
 reprove sin ? ' This classification with donkeys and fowls is certainly 
 not very complimentary. The first comparison I heard wittily replied 
 to by a coloured woman who had once been a slave. 'May-be a 
 speaking woman is like an ass,' said she; 'but I can tell you one thing 
 the ass saw the angel, when Balaam didn't.' MRS. CHILD, Letters 
 from New York. 
 
 IN Methodist circles the name of Nanny Cutler is still 
 heard, but it may be doubted if the general public have 
 any particular knowledge of a woman who was remarkable 
 among that class of which the Dinah Morris of George 
 Eliot is a type. 
 
 Ann Cutler was born near Preston in 1759, and the record 
 of her life shows her to have been one of those " fair souls " 
 of whom Carlyle speaks. She grew up a quiet and serious 
 
Lhitta'sTiife' Gleanings. 
 
 girl, but it was not until she was 26, that during the visit of 
 some Methodist preachers, in the phraseology of the sect, 
 she " was convinced of sin," and, after a brief interval, " found 
 a sinking in humility, love, and dependence upon God." 
 She is described as having "a smile of sweet composure, which 
 seemed, in a sense, a reflection of the Divine Nature." The 
 ministry of women was not acknowledged amongst the 
 Methodists of that day, and her evident vocation for prayer 
 and preaching was a source of trouble, and brought her 
 .some reproach. "I cannot," she said, "be happy unless I 
 cry for sinners. I do not want any praise : I want nothing 
 but souls to be brought to God. I am reproached by most. 
 I cannot do it to be seen or heard of men. I see the world 
 going to destruction, and I am burdened till I pour out my 
 soul to God for them." The charm of her praying seemed 
 to be in the intense force of her sympathy for the sinful, and 
 for those who were immersed in the cares and pleasures of 
 the daily life. It was for these that she cried aloud and 
 spared not. Mr. Taft tells us that many were astonished 
 that such great results should be produced by one so weak 
 and in appearance so insignificant. 
 
 The simplicity of her own daily existence was not without 
 a tinge of asceticism. Her diet consisted chiefly of milk 
 and such herb-tea as in those days was common amongst 
 the country folk. On this simple fare she was able to go 
 through great exertions. She arose at midnight for an in- 
 terval of prayer, and her usual time of rising for the day was 
 at four o'clock, as the light began to dawn. The ascetic 
 spirit was probably also the motive of the resolution which 
 
Nanny Cutler, A Lancashire "Dinah Bede? 3 
 
 devoted her to a celibate life. Amongst the many papers 
 she left behind was one in which she thus "vowed" herself. 
 In an age when "Methodist" was a term of reproach, and 
 when the vilest slanders were freely circulated, the fair fame 
 of Ann Cutler remained unassailed. She was not gloomy, 
 though but little given to conversation, and some of her 
 "experiences" were of so remarkable a nature, that she 
 forbore, and wisely, to speak of them in public. The manner 
 of mystics all over the world is the same, and it would be 
 an unwise curiosity that would pry closely into the exact 
 nature of what Ann Cutler believed was her continual fellow- 
 ship and union with the Deity. She mentioned the matter 
 to John Wesley, and his reply is interesting and judicious. 
 
 "WALTON, APRIL 15, 1790. 
 " My Dear Sister, 
 
 "There is something in the dealings of God with 
 your soul which is out of the common way. But I have known 
 several whom He has been pleased to lead in exactly the 
 same way, and particularly in manifesting to them distinctly 
 the three Persons of the ever blessed Deity. You may tell 
 all your experience to me at any time ; but you will need to 
 be cautious in speaking to others, for they would not under- 
 stand what you say. Go on in the name of God, and in the 
 power of His might. Pray for the whole spirit of humility, 
 and I wish that you would write and speak without reserve to, 
 dear Nanny, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 "JOHN WESLEY." 
 
Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 This letter is not included in the collected correspondence 
 of the founder of Methodism, and his diary is defective at 
 this very point, a portion of the record for April, 1790, having 
 been lost. The sect were unwilling to admit women as 
 preachers and teachers, and Ann Cutler had therefore much 
 to endure. Her biographer, the Rev. William Bramwell, 
 says : " She met with the greatest opposition that I ever 
 knew one person to receive, and I never saw or heard of her 
 being in the least angry. She never complained of ill usage. 
 She was sent for by many, both rich and poor ; and though 
 she was exceedingly sensible of opposition, yet she would 
 say : I am not received at such a place ; but the will of the 
 Lord be done." Mr. Bramwell at times thought proper 
 to dissuade her from undertaking the work of a reviva- 
 list, but on some occasions she felt it her duty to go and 
 speak to the people from the full sympathy of her pure and 
 womanly heart. The flock for whom he was labouring had 
 their full share of the benefit of her singular power. It is, 
 of course, known now that Dinah Morris was in a large 
 measure a portrait of Elizabeth Evans, the aunt of the 
 novelist It was while listening to a prayer by Mr. Bramwell, 
 that Elizabeth Evans " found peace." Under the influence 
 of Nanny Cutler there was a great " revival " at Dewsbury, 
 and it spread to Birstall, Leeds, Bradford, and Otley. Nor 
 was her native county neglected. Her last journey was to 
 Oldham, Manchester, Derby, and Macclesfield. From 
 Manchester she wrote an enthusiastic letter to her sister. 
 " The last week but this," she says, "at Oldham, and Delph, 
 and another place, near a hundred souls were brought to 
 
Nanny Cutler, A Lancashire "Dinah Bede" 5 
 
 God. Many cried for mercy and the Lord delivered them. 
 In this town I cannot exactly tell the number. God has 
 sanctified many ; some preachers and leaders." This was at 
 the end of November and the beginning of December, 1794, 
 and in the following month she went to Macclesfield, and 
 there, in spite of gathering illness, she continued to preach 
 and pray, to visit the sick and to labour in the task to which 
 she had devoted her strong soul. She had a presentiment 
 that the end was not far off. " I long to see Abraham, 
 Isaac, Jacob, Wesley, Fletcher, and some other dear friends 
 that I have known on earth." Her illness increased, and 
 on the 29th she died, about six o'clock in the winter after- 
 noon. 
 
 Dr. Aspden, of Blackburn, was with her at the last. 
 " Nanny, how are you ? " he asked. " I am very ill," she 
 replied faintly. "You are, but I trust your soul is perfectly 
 happy." " Yes, it is," she rejoined, " but I cannot so fully 
 rejoice because of the weight of my affliction." " Well, the 
 Lord does not require it, or He would give strength." 
 " Yes," she replied, " He would, glory be to God and the 
 Lamb for ever." These were her last words. 
 
 Ann Cutler was buried in the graveyard of Christ's Church, 
 
 Macclesfield, of which that extraordinary man the Rev. 
 
 David Simpson was then minister. A copper plate was 
 
 fixed upon her tombstone, with the following inscription : 
 
 Underneath lie the remains of 
 
 ANN CUTLER, 
 
 Whose simple manner, solid piety, and 
 extraordinary power in prayer, distinguished and 
 
Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 rendered her eminently useful in promoting a religious 
 
 revival wherever she came. 
 
 She was born near Preston, in Lancashire, and 
 
 died here December 2 9th, 1794. 
 
 & 35- 
 
 It was probably the memory of Nanny Cutler that led 
 Mr. Bramwell to ask in a sermon that was heard by Elizabeth 
 Evans, "Why are there not more women preachers?" 
 " Because they are not faithful to their call." 
 
 There are two editions of the biography of this saintly 
 woman. " A short account of the life and death of Ann 
 Cutler," by Mr. William Bramwell, was printed at Sheffield 
 in 1796, and reprinted at York in 1827, with a preface by 
 Mr. Z. Taft, and some additional matter. The mystical 
 element in Methodism was evidenced not only by such lives as 
 that of Nanny Cutler, but by the trance or visions of Elizabeth 
 Dickinson, in the year 1792. This delicate Yorkshire girl 
 who died the year before Ann Cutler, and in her twentieth 
 year, sometimes had the strength given by enthusiasm, that 
 enabled her to address audiences of more than a thousand 
 people. One of her converts was a consumptive girl named 
 Proctor, who died in 1794. As she lay upon her death-bed 
 one of the class leaders who had been watching with her, 
 through the night, was returning home through the darkness 
 of a winter morning. It was about four o'clock, and he was 
 walking over the fields. " Suddenly " (the rest we must give 
 in Mr. Bramwell's words), "a light shone around him, which 
 eclipsed and put out the light derived from his lantern ; he 
 looked up and saw four angels, in company with Betty 
 
Nanny Cutler, A Lancashire "Dinah Bede" j 
 
 Dickinson, whose face he saw as clearly, and knew as per- 
 fectly, as he did while she was living, and she had a golden 
 girdle about her loins. They were flying swiftly in the 
 direction of Miss Proctor's house. The next morning he 
 heard that Miss Proctor had died soon after he left her." A 
 sceptical age must be left to place what interpretation it 
 pleases upon the vision of an enthusiast, overwrought by 
 long vigil at the sick bed of a dying girl. 
 
 Ann Cutler and Elizabeth Dickinson were not by any 
 means the only Methodist women preachers. " Sister " 
 Ryan, " Sister " Crosby, "Sister" Hurrell, " Sister " Bosan- 
 quitt, (who afterwards became Mrs. Fletcher), Mary Barritt, 
 and others used their talents. John Wesley had a prejudice 
 against the preaching of women, but he acknowledged that 
 in special cases it would be wrong to prohibit them. " I 
 think," he wrote to Sister Bosanquitt, "the strength of the 
 cause rests here, in having an extraordinary call ; so I am 
 persuaded has every one of our lay-preachers ; otherwise I 
 could not countenance his preaching at all." This was in 1 7 7 1 . 
 Mary Barritt preached in Manchester at the close of the last 
 century, and one of her converts has left a somewhat vivid 
 account of the effect of her open-air sermons at Shude Hill. 
 
 None of these preachers of the gentler sex were more 
 remarkable than a little Lancashire girl of whom Charles 
 Hulbert in "Museum Europaeum" (p. 435) gives the follow- 
 ing account : 
 
 "Elizabeth Bradbury, who was born of poor parents at 
 Oldham, Lancashire (as far as he recollects, in the year 
 1798). At the age of nine months she could almost articu- 
 
8 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 late every word in common occurrence; with the sole 
 instruction of her mother. At twelve months she could 
 read, and shortly after learned to write, and acquired some 
 knowledge of the Latin language. At the age of three years 
 she stood upon a table placed in the pulpit of the Methodist 
 Chapel, Middleton, seven miles from Manchester, and 
 preached to a numerous and respectable congregation ; the 
 effect upon the minds of the hearers was most extraordinary, 
 some absolutely fainted from excess of feeling and surprise. 
 She was at this period considered as a prodigy, or rather as 
 one endowed with miraculous gifts. The crowds who came 
 daily to visit her, and the money which was presented to her 
 parents from visitors, prevented their acceptance of numer- 
 ous offers from respectable individuals to take this extraordi- 
 nary child under their protection, and to provide for her 
 education and future happiness. About the year 1803 the 
 editor saw her at the 'Bull's Head,' Swinton, five miles from 
 Manchester, where her imprudent father exhibited her as a 
 prodigy of talent and literature, and induced her to act the 
 preacher for the amusement of public-house company. She 
 appeared equally playful as other children of her years, but 
 seemed remarkably shrewd in her observations on the diffe- 
 rent characters in the company, especially on those who 
 were not quite so liberal in their gratuities as she could wish. 
 The editor requested her to write something in his pocket- 
 book as a proof of her talents, when she immediately wrote 
 her own and her father's name with each hand (right and 
 left) in a most beautiful style. He has had no information 
 respecting her since the above period." 
 
THE MOSLEY FAMILY. 
 
 And to rejoice in ancient blood, what can be more vain? Do we 
 not "'all come of Adam, our earthly father? And say we not all, 'Our 
 Father, which art in heaven, hallowed,' &c. ? How can we crack, then, 
 of our ancient stock, seeing we came all both of one earthly and heavenly 
 Father ? If ye mark the common saying, how gentle blood came up, 
 yejshall see how true it is, 
 
 When Adam dalve, and Eve span, 
 
 Who was then a gentleman ? 
 
 Up start the carle, and gathered good, 
 
 And thereof came the gentle blood. 
 
 And although no nation has anything to rejoice in of themselves, yet 
 England has less than other. BP. PILKINGTON. Works> p. 125. 
 
 THE old home of the Mosleys is said to have been the 
 little hamlet of Moseley, near Wolverhampton, where 
 Charles II. found a temporary refuge after the battle of 
 Worcester. From Ernald de Moseley, who was living in 
 the reign of King John, the various branches of the Mosley 
 family claim descent. In the thirteenth year of Edward IV. 
 Robert Moseley had a burgage in Manchester near the 
 bridge. In 1465 Jenkyn Moseley was living at Hough 
 End, between Withington and Chorlton. The marriage of 
 this Jenkyn caused the addition to his coat of arms of or, 
 
io Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 a fess sable between three eaglets displayed sable. This is 
 still one of the Mosley arms, though the name of the lady 
 by whom the wsfortunate addition was made has long been 
 lost. In due course of nature Jenkyn was succeeded by 
 James, and he in his turn by Edward, who died in 1571, 
 and left three sons. Oswald, whose first wife was a daughter 
 of the Rev. Richard Gerrard, from one of whose relatives 
 he bought the estate called the Garret, near Manchester. 
 He died at Garret Hall in 1622. His only daughter married 
 against his wishes, and his two sons died before him, so that 
 the estate came to Samuel, who in 1631 sold it and went to 
 live in Ireland. Among his descendants were Benjamin 
 Moseley, a Parliamentarian, who was killed at the battle of 
 Worcester ; and Dr. Benjamin Moseley, who attended 
 Charles James Fox in his fatal illness, and was a bitter 
 opponent of the system of vaccination, then just introduced 
 by Jenner. Some of the descendants of Oswald Moseley, 
 of the Garratt, have made their mark in America. His 
 grandson, Francis, was the father of Thomas Moseley, who 
 was Lord Mayor of York in 1687, and of Rowland Moseley, 
 who was High Sheriff of that. city in 1702. We are chiefly 
 concerned, however, with the younger sons of Edward 
 Moseley, of the Hough. 
 
 Nicholas and Anthony were both men of enterprise and 
 ability. They entered into the woollen trade, which was 
 then the staple industry of Manchester. They were styled 
 " cloth workers." The textile fabrics of the little town were 
 already known far and wide. They penetrated into the 
 snowy regions of Muscovia ; they sailed across the Caspian 
 
The Mosley Family. II 
 
 sea; and they were distributed through the immense 
 territories of the Sublime Porte. The two brothers pros- 
 pered, and as Liverpool was then little used as a port it was 
 decided that Nicholas Moseley should settle in London 
 and superintend the exportation of their goods, whilst 
 Anthony managed their extensive manufactures at Man- 
 chester. Nicholas Moseley was then nearly 50 years of 
 age. In the metropolis his skill and ability marked him out 
 for municipal honours, and in 1599 he became Lord Mayor 
 of London. He stirred up the loyal feelings of the Common 
 Council, and induced them to make liberal provision for 
 the defence of the city against the second attempted inva- 
 sion of the Spaniards, which was then a good deal talked 
 about. Good Queen Bess rewarded his loyalty by a knight- 
 hood, and by the present of a carved oak bedstead and 
 other furniture for the new mansion which he had built on 
 the site of the old house at Hough End. Sir William West, 
 Lord La Warre, who was then lord of the manor of Man- 
 chester, borrowed ,3,000 from John Lacy, of London, 
 and undertook if the sum were not paid by a certain day to 
 forfeit that lordship. The loan was never satisfied, and Lacy 
 became lord of the manor in 1580. He appears to have 
 been acting as agent or trustee for Mosley, to whom the 
 manor was formally conveyed in 1596 for 3,500. He 
 adopted, in the fashion of the age, a punning motto, 
 " Mos legem regit" in compliment, it is said, to his son, then 
 a rising barrister, and dropped the central e in the name. 
 The form Mosley serve to discriminate his descendants and 
 those of his brother Anthony from those of Oswald Moseley, 
 
12 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of the Garratt. Sir Nicholas Mosley was High Sheriff of 
 Lancashire in 1604, and died in 1612, at the ripe age of 85. 
 A half-length portrait, in an Elizabethan ruff, low felt hat, 
 and official robes, was published in 1795 from a unique 
 print in the collection of Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart. The 
 character of this man has been variously regarded. There 
 is a double epitaph, written by one of his contemporaries, in 
 which he is held up as one who cared not " who was loser 
 so he thereby did gayne," as having 400 in the bed in 
 which he died, and as railing at one of his sons " as though 
 he had been mad" for not following in the same course of 
 money-making as himself, who " lived in miser's name, and 
 died as he began." 
 
 Naked his beginning, and naked did hee dye : 
 And naked was he Ivvinge, and naked he doth lye. 
 
 After this not very flattering portrait a change comes over 
 the poet's vision, and he tells us 
 
 By honest steppes to honour he did tende ; 
 Prosperous his course, and heavenly his ende. 
 
 To Russia, to Tartasie, France, and Italy, 
 Your home-spunne cloth he yearly made to see. 
 
 Then follows a complimentary allusion to his appointment 
 as Lord Mayor, and as High Sheriff of his native county, 
 
 Where he long lived, and eightie-five years spent, 
 And thence with joy to hevenly places went. 
 
 After the consolatory and, let us hope, authoritative assurance 
 
The Mosley Family. 13 
 
 of the last line we need only say that a handsome monu- 
 ment was erected in Didsbury Church, in which the old 
 knight is represented in his gorgeous civic robes, whilst 
 beneath are seen his three sons and his first and second 
 wives. It may be observed in passing that the lady, at 
 whose cost the monument was erected, has gracefully given 
 precedence in this portraiture to the first wife and her off- 
 spring. 
 
 The eldest son, Rowland, in addition to the estates, 
 inherited a lawsuit between his father and some of the 
 inhabitants. Collyhurst was then a depasturable wood, 
 about fifty Lancashire acres in extent, to which the people 
 of this town sent in the autumn their swine to feed upon the 
 fallen acorns. For each animal they paid sixpence, of 
 which twopence was for the swineherd, and the remainder 
 for the lord of the manor. This regulation was enforced 
 with some strictness, as inconvenience arose from the porkers 
 making their way into the church, the churchyard, and into 
 Market-street and the other streets. Sir Nicholas, regarding 
 Collyhurst as waste land, began to enclose and cultivate it. 
 This was resisted, and the litigation was proceeding at his 
 death. A compromise was effected, by which the Mosleys 
 were allowed to enclose, but the Manchester folks had liberty 
 to build cabins upon six acres of the land for the reception 
 and relief of persons infected by the plague, and were also 
 allowed to bury their dead there. In addition, Rowland 
 Mosley agreed to pay a yearly rent of ^10 for the benefit 
 of the poor. This, we believe, is still paid to the Mayor 
 of Manchester. Rowland was nominated for High Sheriff 
 
14 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 in 1616, but died in the same year, leaving a boy only a 
 year old. 
 
 The second son of Sir Nicholas was Anthony, who 
 appears to have led a somewhat wild and dissolute life. 
 How far his father's harshness may have contributed to his 
 profligacy is not clear. In the vain hope of reforming the 
 rake he was married to a sister of Sir William Hewett, who 
 long survived him, and was buried at Didsbury in 1692. 
 He left an illegitimate son, who commenced an action 
 against the heirs of the family estate, which was productive 
 of much trouble and expense. 
 
 The youngest son of Sir Nicholas acquired some eminence 
 as a lawyer, and in 1614 was knighted and made Attorney- 
 General of the Duchy of Lancaster. About the same time 
 he bought the Rolleston Estates, and afterwards the manor 
 from the trustees of Lord Mandeville, to whom it had been 
 granted by the Crown. Sir Edward took some very high- 
 handed proceedings in order to enclose Highwood, near 
 Uttoxeter, and his dealings at Rolleston were referred to a 
 special committee of the House of Commons. He appears 
 to have had literary tastes, and the English translation of 
 Lord Bacon's " Historic of Life and Death" was dedicated 
 to him by Humphrey Moseley. He died at the age of 70, 
 at Rolleston Hall, in 1638, and was succeeded by his 
 nephew Edward. This was the son of Rowland already 
 mentioned. Brought up without parental restraint, and 
 having ample means at command, he became one of the 
 " fine young English gentlemen" who ran riot in the reign 
 of Charles I. His marriage with the well-dowered daughter 
 
The Mosley Family. 15 
 
 of Sir Gervase Cutler for a time restrained the excesses of 
 his life. He was a warm partisan of the royal cause, and in 
 July, 1640, received the patent of a baronetcy from the 
 King. He was high sheriff of Staffordshire two years after- 
 wards, and was commanded by the King to put the Castle 
 of Tutbury into a state of defence, and to enlist the 
 sympathies of his neighbours, so that they might contribute 
 "horses, ammunition, plate, or money" for the royal cause. 
 Sir Edward fortified Tutbury, but found there was a woful 
 lack of zeal amongst the Staffordshire gentry and yeomen. 
 All that he could do was to prevent some recruits from 
 marching to help the Parliamentary forces in Lancashire. 
 When Lord Strange came to besiege Manchester he stayed 
 at Alport Lodge, which belonged to Sir Edward, and was 
 burnt down during the ineffectual attack of the Royalists. 
 Hence the Puritans with grim jocularity observed that " the 
 Cavaliers had been well entertained there ; they had lodged 
 with Mosley, and paid a good round reckoning in smoke 
 and ashes, since which a cooler fire took down their 
 lodging." Alport Lodge was never rebuilt. It is said that Sir 
 Edward furnished in all ^2 0,000 for the royal cause. He 
 took up arms, and with as many recruits as he could muster 
 from his estates joined Sir Thomas Aston, whose forces 
 were defeated at Middlewich by Sir William Brereton. 
 Aston escaped, but Mosley and some other officers were 
 captured in the church, and only liberated upon his pledge 
 not to bear arms against the Parliament. His estate was 
 sequestrated, and a fine, estimated to be a tenth, was levied. 
 This amounted to ,4,874. The pardon for his "delin- 
 
1 6 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 quency" passed the House of Lords in October, 1647. It 
 may easily be supposed that this fine, together with his 
 lavish expenditure in the Stuart cause, seriously embarrassed 
 his fortunes. An awkward event in Sir Edward's life was 
 a capital charge brought against him by a woman, whose 
 attempt at extortion was defeated, though the judge, in 
 acquitting the prisoner, gave him a kindly warning to take 
 heed as to the company he kept thereafter. He died in 
 1657. His son Edward, the second baronet, inherited a 
 feeble constitution, and died at the age of 27. His will 
 was a source of considerable litigation, but in the end the 
 Rolleston estates came into the possession of the Mosleys 
 of Ancoats. It will be recollected that whilst Sir Nicholas 
 Mosley was busily engaged in commerce in London his 
 brother Anthony was equally engrossed in manufactures at 
 Manchester. Anthony was a diligent and a cautious man. 
 His caution is evidenced by the fact that when elected to 
 the honour for such it was of Constable of Manchester, 
 in 1603, he declined to serve, as compliance would have 
 involved the risk of exposing himself to the danger of the 
 plague, which was then making fearful ravages in the town. 
 His diligence is shown by the fact that he became wealthy 
 enough to purchase the mansion and estate of Ancoats from 
 Sir John Byron and his son and heir, who afterwards became 
 Lord Byron of Rochdale, and was one of the ancestors of 
 the Lord Byron. Anthony Mosley died at the age of 70, and 
 is buried in the Old Church. He had eight children. The 
 eldest of his five sons was Oswald Mosley of Ancoats, who 
 from 1613 to his death in 1630, at the age of 47, acted as 
 
The Mosley Family. 17 
 
 steward of the Court Leet of Manchester. His eldest son 
 was Nicholas Mosley, who was baptised at the Collegiate 
 Church in 1611, and after his father's death remained at 
 Ancoats to assist his mother in the education of . the 
 remainder of the family. He was an adherent of the 
 Stuart cause, and, like his uncle Francis and his cousin 
 Nicholas of Collyhurst, he became obnoxious to the 
 Commonwealth. After three years' confiscation the House 
 of Commons resolved " that the House doth accept of the 
 sum of one hundred and twenty pounds of Nicholas 
 Mosley, of the Ancoates, in the county of Lancaster, for a 
 fine for his delinquency, his offence being residing in the 
 enemies' quarters ; his estate in fee, sixty pounds per annum, 
 out of which an annuity of twenty pounds per annum 
 payable for one life. He hath likewise twenty pounds per 
 annum in reversion." During the troublous years 1664-5 
 he journeyed to Chester, Bristol, and Beaumaris, in com- 
 pany with his cousin Nicholas of Collyhurst ; but the 
 object of this journey is not known. One entry in his 
 account books shows the danger and difficulty of com- 
 munication in those days. It runs thus : " December 12, 
 1649 : Paid my brother Samuel, in full of a bond of his, 
 part of ^"500 left him by my father's will, and which I sent 
 him in gold, to be exchanged in London viz. 82 123. in a 
 girdle" Nicholas had literary tastes, and wrote a book on 
 the " Passions and Faculties of the Soul of Man." From 
 this we find that he was a friend of Ralph Bridecake, Bishop 
 of Chichester, of Samuel Rutter, and of Humphrey Chetham. 
 It was published by Humphrey Moseley, already named, 
 
1 8 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 who had the honour of introducing the firstfruits of Milton's 
 muse to the public. The Restoration was a source of 
 great rejoicing to the Squire of Ancoats. On the coronation 
 day he mustered 220 men, some of them the survivors of a 
 troop he had raised for the King, and most of them " being 
 of the better sort of this place." They carried their own 
 arms, wore rich scarves, and were preceded by forty young 
 boys, about seven years of age, clothed in white stuff, plumes 
 of feathers in their hats, with small swords hanging in black 
 belts, and with short pikes shouldered. After Captain 
 Mosley's company was an array of older boys, with muskets 
 and pikes. Thus, with banners flying and drums beating, 
 they marched to Manchester, where Major Byrom, with a 
 similar retinue, met them. They went to the Old Church, 
 and heard an orthodox sermon from Warden Heyrick. 
 Then there was a grand procession. The boroughreeve 
 and constables, the burgesses of the town, many of the 
 neighbouring gentry, and the warden and fellows of the 
 College marched, preceded by the town music, to the cross, 
 and so to the conduit, from which ran three streams of 
 claret. Here the health of the King was drunk with great 
 enthusiasm. Mosley's loyalty was so overflowing in its 
 character that he had a second procession of his merry 
 men on the ist of May, and, having them in a field, made 
 them a "learned speech," which we may hope they enjoyed 
 as much as the subsequent ceremony of drinking the King's 
 health bareheaded at the cross of Manchester. Nicholas 
 Mosley was placed on the commission of the peace, and, 
 although a strict Episcopalian, he respected the scruples 
 
The Mosley Family. 19 
 
 of the Nonconformists, and did what he could to soften 
 the misery caused by the ejection of the 2,000 on St. 
 Bartholomew's Day in 1662. 
 
 Adam Martindale gratefully records that he was engaged 
 by the Squire of Ancoats to teach mathematics in his house, 
 and was paid " nobly." A sister of Nicholas Mosley was 
 the second wife of the Rev. John Angier, another of that 
 band of devoted men. Mrs. Margaret Mosley is described 
 as "a very pious, prudent gentlewoman." They were 
 married, we are told, " very publicly in Manchester Church 
 in the heat of the wars, which was noticed as an act of faith 
 in them both." Amongst the friends of the Mosleys was 
 the saintly Henry Newcome, the founder of Nonconformity 
 in Manchester. His cultivated mind and holy character 
 were lost to the Church of England by the Act of 
 Uniformity. One entry in his diary shows his difficulty 
 about accepting their invitations. At his wealthy neigh- 
 bour's table there would probably be no lack of health 
 drinking. Toasts of this descriptions were sins in the eyes 
 of the more rigid Puritans, and Newcome anxiously prayed 
 that " the Lord would help him to carry so as to occasion 
 the least sin thereby." He went at twelve o'clock, but the 
 company did not arrive until two o'clock. Newcome 
 records with gratitude that he had no occasion either to 
 cross or to comply with the "vanity" of drinking healths, 
 though several were drunk. The party broke up about 
 seven in the evening. Nicholas died in October, 1672, at 
 the age of 61. 
 
 His younger brother Edward is usually styled of Hulme, 
 
2O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 and became in 1652 one of Cromwell's commissioners for 
 the administration of justice in Scotland. In that capacity 
 he had some trouble over the appointment of Patrick 
 Gillespie as principal of the University of Glasgow, which 
 was opposed by some of the faculty. The Scotch did not 
 enjoy this interference with the ancient order of things, but 
 it is acknowledged that " the decisions of these judges were 
 marked rather by sound sense than by subtleties of legal 
 discrimination, and were long remembered as the fairest 
 and most vigorous dispensations of justice which the nation 
 had enjoyed." The last baronet had entailed the estates 
 upon the son of this Edward, reserving ^7,000 for Nicholas 
 of Ancoats. Ultimately a compromise was effected. The 
 reversion of the Rolleston estate and of the manor of 
 Manchester was secured to Nicholas, whilst the remainder 
 of the estates were still to remain at the free disposal of 
 Edward Mosley of Hulme. The son, for whose benefit the 
 arrangement had been made, died in his twentieth year. 
 Two other sons died before reaching manhood. Under 
 these trials he appears to have sought the consolations 
 which Puritan convictions could inspire. His wife and his 
 only daughter were also fervent in their religious views. 
 His wealthy heiress became the wife of Sir John Bland, 
 who, to gain her, assumed an appearance of piety and 
 sobriety of life that had but little foundation in fact. His 
 object being attained, he cast aside restraint, and but for 
 the prudence of his wife would have squandered every- 
 thing at the gaming table. His sons were equally dis- 
 sipated, and the lands which their mother had brought as 
 
The Mosley Family. 21 
 
 her dowry were in the hands of strangers soon after her 
 death. Her father, as we have seen, was not a man likely 
 to be an adherent of the Stuarts, and his satisfaction at the 
 revolution which placed William of Orange on the throne 
 was probably increased by the receipt of a knighthood in 
 June, 1689. He died in 1693, at the age of 77. Lady 
 Ann Bland was the chief founder of St. Ann's Church. 
 Her archaeological tastes led her to ornament her seat of 
 Hulme Hall with the altars and other evidence of the 
 Roman dominion which were from time to time unearthed. 
 The foundation of the new church is generally regarded as 
 having been intended as a protest against the High Church 
 views held at the Collegiate Church. It was a time when 
 party feeling ran high, and invaded even the precincts of 
 the assembly-room built .for the recreation of the "upper 
 ten" of Manchester in the 1 8th century. On one occasion 
 Lady Ann is said to have been so annoyed at the eruption of 
 Stuart tartan that, at the head of the ladies who wore the 
 Orange favours, she went into the street and danced in 
 the moonlight in testimony of her loyal affection to the 
 Protestant succession. 
 
 Lady Ann Bland died in 1734, and the manorial rights 
 passed to Sir Oswald Mosley, who for some time had the man- 
 agement of them. He was the second cousin of the lady of 
 the manor, and the eldest son of Oswald Mosley, of Ancoats 
 and Rolleston. In 1720 the father declined a baronetcy on 
 account of his fourscore and one years, and the honour was 
 accordingly conferred upon the son, who also received " a 
 renewal of the grants of axbearer of Needwood, and sur- 
 
22 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 veyor of woods north of Trent." He did not share the Low 
 Church views of Lady Ann Bland, and disregarded her 
 pacific advice to avoid disputes with the Dissenters, who 
 were strong in the place. As we have seen she, along with 
 her father and mother, had at one time attended the ministry 
 of Newcome. Sir Oswald, although not an illiberal man, 
 was somewhat autocratic in his actions, and was involved in 
 many disputes with the inhabitants of Manchester, who did 
 not relish some of the feudal notions of the lord of the manor. 
 In 1693 he tried to impose a tax upon each pack of "Man- 
 chester wares " in the manor. This attempt was defeated in 
 the law courts. He had troubles also as to the exclusive 
 right to grind corn at the mills on the Irk. The building of 
 a workhouse even could not be managed without much 
 bitter quarrelling between the Whigs and the High Church 
 party to which Sir Oswald belonged. He was a Jacobite, 
 and there is a tradition which connects Ancoats Hall with 
 the fallen fortunes of the Stuart cause. The story goes 
 that before making the fatal attempt to regain the throne of 
 his ancestors the Young Pretender paid a visit in disguise to 
 Manchester in 1744, with the object of seeing and making 
 arrangements with the Jacobites, who were very strong in 
 this district. It is said that a young woman recognised in 
 Bonny Prince Charlie, as he marched at the head of his 
 troops in the " forty-five," a guest who had stayed at Ancoats 
 Hall in the preceding summer, and who went thrice a week 
 to the town to see the London papers at the Swan, in Market- 
 street, where she was a servant, and which was the only 
 hotel boasting such luxuries. This is a very slight founda- 
 
The Mosley Family, 23 
 
 tion upon which to build. That some guest stayed at 
 Ancoats Hall and hankered after news of the great metro- 
 polis may be conceded : and also that the maid of the inn, 
 when she saw the Young Pretender at the head of his troops, 
 fancied that he was the same gentleman who had endeared 
 himself by the unwonted liberality of half-a-crown. Prince 
 Charles had other matters to occupy his attention, and there 
 is really no historical evidence that he was here at all. At 
 this time Sir Oswald was chiefly resident at Rolleston, where 
 he died in 1751. He was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 Oswald, who spent most of his time at Rolleston and Bath, 
 and on his death in 1757 the title and estates passed to the 
 Rev. Sir John Mosley, a man on whose temperament a bitter 
 disappointment in love had impressed many peculiarities. 
 One was an objection to the removal of ashes from the 
 grate. They were allowed to accumulate until he cast them 
 through the window with his hands. He had a great dislike 
 to womankind, and gave his daily orders to his housekeeper 
 through a grated partition. He was not only owner of 
 Rolleston, but presented himself to the living and officiated 
 without the help of curate until his death in May, 1779, 
 when the second Mosley baronetcy became extinct. The 
 estates, in accordance with the will of the last Sir Oswald, 
 passed to John Parker Mostly, the youngest son of Nicholas, 
 who was the third son of Nicholas Mosley, of Ancoats, 
 already named. John Parker Mosley, when a child, had an 
 almost miraculous escape from small-pox, and, after receiving 
 a good education, was set up by his relatives in the business 
 of a hatter. He was not proof against the temptations of 
 
24 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the age, and a passion for cock-fighting led to other excesses, 
 and brought him into embarrassments verging upon bank- 
 ruptcy. Upon his promise of amendment his relatives 
 rescued him from this awkward position, and his subsequent 
 career was a justification of their action. Manchester was 
 his home, and before the death of the Rev. Sir John Mosley 
 he took up his abode at Ancoats Hall. A patent of a 
 baronetcy was given him on 24th March, 1781, and in it he 
 is described as of Ancoats Hall, which was, as we have 
 seen, the ancient home of his ancestors. The 24th March, 
 '1782, was a red-letter day in the history of Ancoats Hall. 
 His son Oswald then attained his majority, and the event 
 was celebrated by a ball at which four hundred guests were 
 present. This brilliant assembly included the most notable 
 of the nobility, gentry, and inhabitants of Manchester. 
 
 In the next month he made good his claim to the monopoly 
 of holding fairs and markets in the town, Messrs. Chadwick 
 and Ackers, who had undertaken at the instance of the mer- 
 chants generally to contest his manorial rights, being defeated 
 in the King's Bench, where Lord Mansfield gave judgment 
 in favour of the lord of the manor. This success did not 
 detract from his popularity, as was shown in 1786, when the 
 baronet served as High Sheriff of Lancashire. An immense 
 procession accompanied him from the Hall, and there was 
 an amount of jollification that long remained a subject of 
 conversation and pleasant reminiscence. This was the end 
 of the connection of the Mosleys with Ancoats Hall. For 
 two centuries it had been their home, but Manchester was 
 throwing out its long arms, and the pleasant gardens and fine 
 
The Mosley Family. 25 
 
 old Hall were now almost in its grimy clasp. Ancoats Hall 
 was sold by the Mosleys to Mr. George Murray, who pulled 
 down the quaint half-timbered house and erected the present 
 building on its site. It was afterwards tenanted by Mr. 
 William Rawlinson, and later by Mr. Jonathan Pollard. On 
 the top of the roof was " a railed-off compartment, and a 
 superstition prevailed amongst the young people that it was 
 the burial place of some of the early lords of the Hall." 
 
 Even in the earlier part of the present century the locality 
 had not entirely lost its rural aspect. Where Every-street 
 now stands there was a lane with green hedgerows and ivy- 
 mantled cottages, a place dear to those who were in the hey- 
 day of youth. The lad and his lass were often seen to 
 saunter along the pleasant path of this Lovers Lane. " The 
 locality," says a living witness, " was altogether picturesque ; 
 the lane commanded a sweet variety of scene to the south- 
 east fertile valleys and meadows well wooded. Here and 
 there the gleaming bosom of the Medlock might be seen 
 circling its way, singing a song of peace by many a cottage 
 home, beyond the river undulating land with clumps of trees 
 lifting up their various-tinted heads ; humble homesteads 
 were scattered upon the scene, and smoke, the indication of 
 man's habitation, was seen curling in relief from the quiet 
 glory of the hills which enfold the landscape. The fascina- 
 tion is over the hands of Time and change have been upon 
 it, the scene is faded, the old Hall is no more." (" Patriotism 
 and other Poems." By George Richardson. London, 1844. 
 On the title page is a vignette of Ancoats Old Hall. Mr. 
 Richardson was born in Ancoats in 1804.) 
 
26 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Sir John, in his old age, was by some esteemed a "Metho- 
 dist," then not unfrequently a term of reproach. In 1796 
 there was a family gathering at Rolleston, when there were 
 present Sir John and Lady Mosley, two sons and three 
 daughters and their respective wives and husbands, seventeen 
 grandchildren, and an unmarried daughter, Penelope. Sir 
 John died in 1798, at the age of 67. Oswald, his eldest 
 son, of whom we must now speak, pre-deceased him. He 
 married in 1784 the daughter of the Rev. Thomas Tonman, 
 and lived chiefly at Bolesworth Castle, in Cheshire. Her 
 brother was induced to settle in the vicinity. Intemperate 
 habits brought him to the grave at the early age of 22, and 
 his wife survived him only a few months. 
 
 Oswald Mosley appears to have devoted himself to the 
 concerns of a country life, and was especially fond of fox 
 hunting. Early in 1788 the chase gave rise to a curious 
 discovery. After a run over Peckforton hills the fox took 
 refuge in a cleft of the red sandstone, and was quickly 
 followed by the hounds into this cavernous retreat. The 
 field gathered round in expectation of their re-appearance, 
 but in vain. Two persons were induced by the promise of a 
 handsome reward to explore this mysterious recess, and 
 reported that at a distance of less than twenty yards from 
 the entrance there was a deep chasm over which a narrow 
 plank had been placed. Subsequent examination showed that 
 beyond this frail path there was a room containing decayed 
 furniture and other evidences of having at one time been in- 
 habited. The dogs in their eagerness had fallen into the yawn- 
 ing gulf, whilst sly reynard had passed safely over the plank. 
 
The Mosley Family. 27 
 
 Notwithstanding his fondness for field sports, Mr. Mosley, 
 of Bolesworth, was of a delicate constitution, and chills 
 caught in his favourite dingle, The Coombes, to which he 
 frequently resorted after the ardours of the chase, may have 
 hastened the disease which finally confined him to his bed. 
 His son narrates the following incident of his last illness : 
 " Although I was strictly prohibited by his medical attendant 
 from entering his chamber for fear of disturbing him, curiosity 
 prompted me to peep within whenever the opening door 
 allowed me an opportunity. One day, while so employed, I 
 saw the female servant who attended on the invalid pouring 
 out some ether from a bottle, which she incautiously brought 
 too near the flame of a candle, and the volatile vapour 
 caught fire. In the moment of alarm she let the bottle fall 
 from her hands, which rolled in its ignited state towards the 
 bed on which my father was lying, and set fire to the curtains. 
 The shrieks of the woman brought speedy assistance, and 
 the flames were soon arrested, but not until the noise and 
 disturbance occasioned by the accident had much interrupted 
 the quiet which had been so strongly enforced as necessary 
 to the sick man's welfare. All hopes of recovery were at 
 length abandoned, and the anxiety of the parent to take 
 leave of his children overcame the scruples of the physician. 
 Young as I was, I well remember being much shocked at 
 the woeful contrast between his then emaciated appearance 
 and his former handsome features. When the nurse pre- 
 sented me to him, he turned his glazed eyes upon me with a 
 fixed stare, while a faint smile played upon his lip, and a 
 slight flush for a moment appeared on his pallid cheek. I 
 
28 Lancashire Gleanings, 
 
 never again saw my father alive ; but I have some recollection 
 of being taken to touch his corpse, and of my having been 
 with some difficulty convinced that the cold wax-like form 
 then before me was the same body that had been lately 
 animated by a living principle." Oswald Mosley died in 
 1789, and his wife survived him only a few months. 
 
 The four orphan children were brought up under the care 
 of their grandfather, Sir John Parker Mosley. The eldest 
 was Oswald, born in 1785, whose account of his father's 
 death we have just quoted. Of the old baronet he has left 
 an amusing account. " My grandfather," he says, " was an 
 early riser, and a great economist of his time. He required 
 me daily to attend him with my morning lesson, while he 
 was undergoing the then tedious but indispensable operation 
 of hairdressing, and upon such occasions my attention was 
 often diverted from the task assigned me by the ludicrous 
 exhibition which was presented to my eyes. I fancy that I 
 even now see my worthy grandsire attired in his dressing- 
 gown and seated in a low armed chair, while his faithful 
 domestic, George Ridgway, plastered with a most liberal 
 supply of pomatum the long locks of hair on each side of 
 his head, preparatory to their being twisted into correspond- 
 ing rows of formal curls above each ear. The tail was then 
 nicely adjusted and bound with narrow black ribbon to with- 
 in an inch of the extremity, the whole length of it being 
 about ten inches. When all the head was put into due order 
 the final addition of hair powder was ejected from an elastic 
 bag with an opening at one end, called a powder puff, while 
 the face was covered with a mask, having apertures filled 
 
The Mosley Family. 29 
 
 with transparent horn for the eyes to see through. Ladies, 
 both young and old, were obliged to submit to a similar 
 operation, and instances have occurred previously to a fete 
 champetre on the following day, of their sleeping all night in 
 an easy chair, for fear of disturbing by lying down in bed the 
 cumbrous load of powder and pomatum with which their hair 
 had been decorated." Oswald and his brother were sent 
 to Rugby, and afterwards went to Oxford as gentleman 
 commoners at Brasenose College. He took his degree 
 of M.A. in 1806. Although he moved in the best society 
 of the University, he did not look back with any degree of 
 satisfaction to the short period he passed there. He says 
 that at that time "the dissipation of a college life was so 
 dreadful that the strongest constitution was injured by it." 
 His brother, who was beloved by all who knew him for his 
 gentle and benevolent disposition, " had not physical power 
 enough to support its baleful effects," and died at the early 
 age of eighteen. 
 
 In 1807 Oswald Mosley entered Parliament for Portarling- 
 ton; next year he was elected for Winchelsea, and in 1816 
 for Midhurst. After the changes caused by the Reform Bill 
 he sat for the northern division of Staffordshire, from 1832 
 to 1837. He was not perhaps very well constituted for the 
 work of the House of Commons, and regretfully observes 
 that " upon none of the occasions was he enabled to effect 
 the good which he had too eagerly expected as the result of 
 his pursuits, and, with the single exception of having been 
 thereby introduced to many talented and to a few pious men, 
 he found that the rest of his anticipations ended in nothing 
 
3O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 but vanity and vexation -of spirit." He was High Sheriff of 
 Staffordshire in 1814, and for sixteen years presided as chair- 
 man of the quarter sessions for that county. The great 
 changes which had taken place in Manchester made it in- 
 creasingly desirable that the manorial rights should be vested 
 in the Corporation, who alone could adequately regulate the 
 markets and other affairs of the town. Negotiations were 
 opened, and on December 3rd, 1844, an interview took place 
 between Sir Oswald Mosley and his solicitors and the Mayor 
 and Town Clerk of Manchester. Sir Oswald valued the 
 manorial rights at ^2 18,75 5, but offered to sell them for 
 ^"200,000. The Corporation at first offered ^180,000, then 
 an arbitration between that sum and the maximum estimate 
 was suggested by Sir Oswald, and finally the representatives 
 of the city agreed to pay ^200,000. This agreement was 
 concluded at Rolleston Castle, March i2th, 1845. The 
 bargain was ratified by the Town Council, and so, after a 
 possession of 250 years, the manorial rights of Manchester 
 passed from the Mosley family. 
 
 Sir Oswald Mosley was a man of literary tastes, and even 
 ventured into the field of authorship. " His Short Account 
 of the Ancient British Church " is an attempt to state in a 
 concise form the scattered indications of the existence of 
 Christianity in these islands before the advent of the mission 
 of Augustine. He wrote a " History of Tutbury," which 
 occupies a recognised place in topographical literature. His 
 " Family Memoirs," written in an unpretentious style, and 
 yet not without a considerable amount of individuality, is 
 his best work. In this he has brought together many in- 
 
The Mosley Family. 31 
 
 teresting notices of the history and varied fortunes of his 
 ancestors. He wrote a sketch of the natural history of the 
 Rolleston district, was one of the founders of the Midland 
 Scientific Union, and an occasional contributor to the 
 Zoologist. In his pleasant grounds at Rolleston he had a 
 study, in which there was a museum of local antiquities 
 and natural history. He was an ardent lover of music, and 
 for fifty years conducted a class of youths at the Rolleston 
 Sunday School. He enjoyed the reputation of one who 
 understood that " property had duties as well as rights," and 
 was liberal in his support of plans which he thought would 
 secure the public good, whilst his gifts in private benevolence 
 were equally generous. He died 25th May, 1871, and was 
 succeeded by his second son, the present Sir Tonman Mosley, 
 who was born in 1813. The Mosleys, although no longer 
 resident in the town of Manchester, have still a considerable 
 stake in its prosperity. 
 
 Such in outline is the history of that old Manchester family 
 the Mosleys. The record is not without its lights and shades, 
 but for the most part the family were content with the by- 
 paths rather than the main road of history. They cultivated 
 the arts of peace, and their fortunes were bound up with 
 the industry and progress of the locality that in the days of 
 Sir Nicholas Mosley was only " a quick village," but is now 
 the myriad-peopled city of Manchester. 
 
THE EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY OF THE 
 REV. THOMAS THRELKELD. 
 
 Memory, the warder of the brain. SHAKSPERE. 
 
 AMONGST the worthies of Lancashire we may reckon 
 the Rev. Thomas Threlkeld, for 28 years the minister 
 of a Dissenting congregation in Rochdale, and remarkable 
 for his very unusual powers of memory. He was born 
 April 12, 1739, at Halifax, where his father was minister of 
 a Presbyterian church. Of his early education we have no 
 record, but "after his grammar learning was finished he 
 went first to the academy at Daventry," of which Doddridge 
 was once principal, and afterwards to the academy at 
 Warrington. This institution commenced in 1757, and 
 Threlkeld was a student there soon after the opening. 
 
 In 1762 he became a minister at Risley, near Warrington, 
 " with a small and plain, but most harmonious, affectionate, 
 and agreeable society of Presbyterian Dissenters." Here 
 he married Miss Martha Wright, the daughter of one of 
 
Extraordinary Memory of Rev. Thos. Threlkeld. 33 
 
 his congregation. In 1778 he removed to Rochdale, where, 
 after 28 years of ministerial work, he died April 6, 1806. 
 
 After this brief sketch of Threlkeld's uneventful life we turn 
 to consider his extraordinary acquirements. When he first 
 went to the Daventry academy, he could, on any passage 
 of the Bible being recited, at once, and without hesitation, 
 name the chapter and verse where it was to be found ; and 
 if chapter and verse were named he was able at once to 
 repeat the words. His powers in this respect were often 
 tested by his fellow-students, and were never known to fail. 
 One of his contemporaries at Warrington was the Rev. 
 Thomas Barnes, D.D., then of course only a student. Mr. 
 Barnes, with no thought of testing Mr. Threlkeld's powers, 
 told an anecdote of " a parish clerk, who, having occasion 
 to read the words ' Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek,' sung 
 them out in a manner so ridiculous that no person could 
 have heard him without a smile. Mr. T. immediately 
 replied, ' These verses are in the 83rd Psalm and 7th verse.' 
 And then joined most heartily in the laugh which he had 
 himself unconsciously heightened by the oddness and 
 gravity of his quotation." Dr. Enfield once challenged him 
 to tell the- place of a text upon which he had been preaching. 
 Mr. T. asked for a Bible and found the passage, saying, 
 " Quote fair, sir, and you shall have a fair answer. But I 
 knew that you had confounded two verses together, which 
 stand at a considerable distance asunder. You have joined 
 the 5th and loth verses as though they were one. I knew 
 your trick, and I asked for the Bible that the company 
 might with their own eyes detect you." 
 
34 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 So firmly was Threlkeld's reputation established as a living 
 concordance that in the latter years of his life his clerical 
 brethren ceased to "amuse themselves by these experiments," 
 in which he was uniformly successful. His powers of memory 
 were often tested in other directions, and were never known 
 to play false. As one of the managers of the fund for the 
 benefit of the widows of Presbyterian ministers he was often 
 appealed to on matters connected with the lives of deceased 
 ministers, " and such was the opinion of his accuracy that if 
 the books had been consulted, and had reported differently, 
 the error would have been imputed to the secretary, and not 
 to Mr. T's memory. This was deemed infallible." 
 
 Mr. Threlkeld was also a linguist. " Nine or ten languages 
 it is certainly known that he read, not merely without difficulty, 
 but with profound and critical skill." There is often a 
 tendency to over-rate the number of languages acquired by 
 individuals, but this statement appears to be made with due 
 deliberation, and a critical knowledge of nine distinct tongues 
 entitles the individual possessing it to rank only one degree 
 lower than Mezzofanti and Sir William Jones. Mr. Threl- 
 keld had books in the following languages, with all of which 
 he is supposed to have had some acquaintance : " English, 
 Latin, Greek, Hebrew, with its dialects ; French, Italian, 
 Spanish, German, Welsh, Dutch, Swedish, Gaelic, Manx, 
 Arabic, Portuguese, Danish, Flemish." With the Greek 
 Testament he was as familiar as with its English translation, 
 and could quote and refer to chapter and verse with the 
 same facility. His knowledge of Hebrew was profound. 
 
 There is an anecdote illustrative of his extreme fondness 
 
Extraordinary Memory of Rev. Thos. Threlkcld. 3 5 
 
 for the Welsh language, with which he was well acquainted. 
 When Dr. Priestley went to Wrexham to marry Miss 
 Wilkinson he was accompanied by Mr. Threlkeld, who was 
 to act as parent and give the bride away. The marriage 
 service commenced and all went on well until the clergyman 
 inquired who giveth this woman to be married to this man ? 
 when, to the consternation of the marriage party, the 
 deputy-father was nowhere to be seen. A search at once 
 began, and they found him at last buried in a large and 
 lofty pew, where the charms of a Welsh Bible had caused 
 him to forget everything else ! His powers of recollection 
 were not confined to words. Historical dates he remembered 
 with equal accuracy, and was familiar with the details of 
 chronology, heraldry, and genealogy, which were favourite 
 amusements of his ; and he could go through the pedigrees 
 of many distinguished families, trace the succession of all 
 the Episcopal Sees, and in other ways show his remarkable 
 familiarity with family history. " But the most distinguish- 
 ing excellence of Mr. T.'s memory lay in biography." He 
 had long collected all the dates he could, not only concern- 
 ing persons mentioned in history, but of every one of whom 
 he could learn any facts. He had a passion for acquiring 
 dates of events. To know when a person was born or 
 married was a source of gratification to him apart from the 
 importance or otherwise of the person. He revelled in 
 these "smallbeer chronicles," and was always happy in 
 the acquisition of this minute knowledge. His taste for 
 inquiries of this sort must sometimes have been mistaken 
 for a desire to pry into family affairs by those unable to 
 
36 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 conceive of the pleasure to be derived from a simple know- 
 ledge of facts. Mr. Threlkeld in other respects appears to 
 have been a man of fair average abilities. He was extremely 
 modest, and had the simplicity of a child when apart from 
 his books. In fact, from the description we have of him,. 
 he would appear to have been a good-hearted, awkward 
 scholar, as gentle and as ungainly as Dominie Sampson. 
 He was so short-sighted that he did not dare to ride on 
 horseback, because in that elevated position he could not 
 see the ground. The extreme shortness of his sight, no 
 doubt, added to his shyness and helplessness. 
 
 Dr. Barnes, from whom all these details have been drawn, 
 often tried to discover the method by which his friend was en- 
 abled to command the immense army of facts with which his. 
 mind was stored. " Mr. T. told him that he classed them 
 together by the year, and referred every new entry to that 
 which lay nearest to it. He endeavoured to explain himself 
 by saying, 'The year you have just mentioned was 1631. 
 In that year Mr. Philip Henry was born. I have, therefore, 
 laid up that name along with his ; and they are now so 
 associated that whilst I retain the one I shall not forget the 
 other.'" This explanation does not throw much light upon 
 the matter, beyond the fact that it shows his method to 
 have depended upon the association of ideas. " From his 
 description," says Dr. Barnes, " so far as I could understand 
 it, his mind appeared to be divided and fitted up like a 
 shop, furnished with shelves and drawers for every different 
 kind of articles, so that every new article was immediately 
 referred to its own place, and so joined with those which 
 
Extraordinary Memory of Rev. Thos. Threlkeld. 37 
 
 stood there before, that the whole row presented itself at 
 once, like soldiers drawn up in a line." This is certainly 
 one of the most remarkable cases of extraordinary memory 
 on record, and it rests upon very good evidence. 
 
 Dr. Barnes drew up a notice of Mr. Threlkeld, which was 
 read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Man- 
 chester twenty years before that gentleman's death. Dr. 
 Percival, Mr. Thomas Henry, and others who were members 
 of the Society, were also intimate with the subject of the 
 paper, and could confirm its statement from personal know- 
 ledge. The diffidence and humility of Mr. Threlkeld were 
 the reasons why the paper was not printed in the memoirs 
 of the Society. With all his prodigious knowledge, Threlkeld 
 never made any contribution to literature ; his great power 
 served no higher purpose than to excite the astonishment 
 and admiration of a small circle of friends. 
 
 The statements contained in this notice are made on the 
 authority of the following tract : " A sermon preached at 
 Rochdale, April 13, 1806, on occasion of the death of the 
 Rev. Thomas Threlkeld, minister of a dissenting congrega- 
 tion in that place. To which is added an appendix con- 
 taining some account of the life and character of Mr. 
 Threlkeld, and particularly of the powers of memory, and 
 of the treasures of knowledge possessed by him. By 
 Thomas Barnes, D.D., fellow of the American Philosophical 
 Society. Manchester, printed by S. Russell, Deansgate. 
 1806." Threlkeld is also alluded to, though not named, in 
 the preface to Priestley's " Index to the Bible," 1805. 
 
SUNDAY IN THE OLDEN TIME. 
 
 Sweet day so cool, so calm, so bright, 
 The bridal of the earth and sky. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. 
 
 Of all the days that's in the week, 
 
 I dearly love but one day, 
 And that's the day that comes betwixt 
 
 A Saturday and Monday. 
 
 HENRY CAREY. Sally in Otir Alky. 
 
 BEFORE the period of the Puritans, the Sunday was not 
 ranked higher in any marked degree than the other 
 festivals observed by the church. A letter of Pope Gregory 
 advises the English clergy to substitute for the heathen feasts 
 some religious festivals. On the days in which the dedication 
 of the churches or the sufferings of the martyrs were memor- 
 ialised, the people were allowed to make booths of the 
 boughs of trees by the church, and to celebrate the solemnity 
 with religious feasting, and no more offer beasts to the 
 devil. (Bede.) Thus originated the wakes and fairs. These in 
 some instances became great centres of trading activity, and 
 in others remained merely exhibitions of rustic festivity. 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 39 
 
 Another occasion for merry-making was the ceremony of the 
 " rush-bearing." The floors were strewn with rushes for the 
 comfort of the worshippers in an age when cushions and hot 
 water pipes were alike unknown in the sacred edifices. This 
 provision against winter cold was made into a festival. The 
 young folk gathered the long rushes, which were piled up 
 high on a cart, that was also decorated with ribbons and 
 plate borrowed from the neighbours, and drawn through the 
 villiage preceded by morris-dancers. Some of these rush- 
 bearings, in name at least, are still maintained, as at 
 Barrowford, Holme, Downham. On the first Sunday in 
 May the high hill of Hambleton is visited by many cele- 
 brants of its fair. Warton rush-bearing was held on the 
 Sunday nearest August 5th. "The wakes" was originally 
 the festival of the saint under whose invocation the parish 
 church was placed. In 1536 order was made that the 
 dedication day should be kept instead. The fair of Weeton, 
 near Kirkham, began on Palm Sunday, and was character- 
 ised by the plentiful consumption of " bragget," a hot, sweet 
 ale made without hops. Hence the name "Bragget Sunday." 
 The last bear-baiting took place in 1790. (Fishwick's 
 "Kirkham," p. 207.) Inglewhite fair formerly began on 
 Rogation Sunday, and every householder of the village 
 had liberty to sell ale from the Saturday preceeding to 
 the Saturday which ended the fair. Another Sunday 
 festival was that known as "merry fair," at Samesbury. 
 The " merry " is the local name of the wild cherry, which 
 grows abundantly in the neighbourhood of the Ribble, and 
 is much appreciated by the younger folk. The humours 
 
4O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of Turton fair were satirised by a local rhymster of the last 
 century, when the village had thirteen houses at the most. 
 The people worked hard for weeks beforehand in order to 
 have money to spare at this festival. A service in the chapel 
 was followed by the usual amusements, fairings and fights. 
 Social festivals, as Simnel Sunday, Carling Sunday, Palm 
 Sunday, Easter Sunday, were kept up with great spirit. 
 
 The church was not only the place for public worship, but 
 the scene of many occurrences that would now be thought 
 inappropriate to the sacred edifice. Thus, on Sunday, De- 
 cember 4th, 1474, Nicholas del Rylond came into the parish 
 church of Leigh, and in the presence of the congregation 
 swore that he had never made any feoffment of his lands in 
 Westhoughton, or authorised his son to do so. The vicar 
 of Leigh, after receiving this purgation, solemnly cursed the 
 kneeling man if he had been guilty of perjury, and pro- 
 nounced accursed all those who had aided William Rylonds, 
 the son, in forging this deed. The form of cursing by "bell, 
 book, and candle " must have impressed the rude imagination 
 of the people. The cross was lifted up, the candles lighted, 
 and then the priest in his vestments, by the authority of God 
 Almighty, of the Virgin, of the saints, angels, prophets, 
 martyrs, and confessors, and by the power of "all holy 
 church that our Lord Jesus Christ -gave to St. Peter," de- 
 prived those whom he denounced of all share in the Christian 
 sacraments, and cursed them from the sole of their foot to 
 the crown of their head, sleeping and waking, sitting and 
 standing, in all their words and works, and unless they had the 
 grace of God to amend them here in this life, to dwell for 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 41 
 
 ever in the pain of hell without end. As he reached the 
 close of this tremendous imprecation, the priest closed his 
 book, extinguished the candle, and rang the bell. To the 
 superstitious minds before him it would sound like the knell 
 of a lost soul. (" Lancashire and Cheshire Historic Notes," 
 part 2, p. 161.) 
 
 In Yorkshire, at the Christmastide, they danced in the 
 churches, crying "Yole, Yole, Vole." (Buckle,. "Miscel- 
 laneous Works," p. 547.) A passage in Dray ton shows that 
 the Lancashire lads and lasses were equally fond of such 
 festal observances : 
 
 So blyth and bonny now the lads and lasses are 
 
 That ever as anon the bagpie up doth blow, 
 
 Cast in a gallant round about the hearth they go, 
 
 And at each pause they kiss, was never seen such rule 
 
 In any place but here, at bonfire, or at yule ; 
 
 And every village smokes at wakes with lusty cheer, 
 
 Then hey they cry for Lun, and hey for Lancashire. 
 
 Legal documents were frequently made on the Sunday. 
 On the Vigil of St. Lawrence, 1298, Gilbert fitz Richard de 
 Culchit granted to Hugh de Hyndelegh all his manor of 
 Culchit for life, with remainder, as to one half to his wife 
 Beatrice for life if she should over-live him. Other examples 
 will be found in the deeds relating to Birch and Platt. 
 ("Lancashire and Cheshire Historic Notes," part i, p. 25. 
 Cf. Birch, 202.) 
 
 After attendance at the early services of the Church, the 
 day was chiefly devoted to honest recreation and manly 
 sports. In 1388 Richard II. enjoins upon his subjects that 
 
42 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 servants of husbandry and artificers shall use the bow upon 
 Sundays and holidays, but should abandon " tennis, football, 
 cartes, dice, casting of the stone, and other importune 
 games." A law of Henry IV. imposed a penalty of six 
 days' imprisonment upon the infringers of this statute. 
 (Neale's "Feasts and Festivals," p. 224.) The day was not 
 thought inappropriate for the execution of important 
 measures of police. Thus at nine o'clock on Sunday 
 night, July loth, 1570, a search was made throughout 
 Lancashire, Cheshire, and other parts of the kingdom, 
 for vagrants, beggars, gamesters, rogues, or gipsies. The 
 search lasted all through the night, and until four o'clock 
 on Monday afternoon, and resulted in the apprehension of 
 13,000 masterless men. (Baines, 1868, i., 169.) Elections 
 were not postponed if the appointed time fell upon the first 
 day of the week. At Liverpool, the election of a mayor and 
 bailiff is directed by the charter to commence upon St. 
 Luke's Day; and when that day fell upon a Sunday, the 
 election was proceeded with even in the present century. 
 (Parliamentary Paper : Return made by W. Stratham, jun., 
 deputy town clerk, in 1832.) 
 
 Sunday was also not unusually selected for the perfor- 
 mance of mystery and miracle plays. Several collections 
 of these dramas have come down to us. The Corpus 
 Christi plays sometimes began on the Sunday at "six 
 of the bell." (Sharpe, p. 7.) Weever, who was a Lan- 
 cashire man, tells us that Richard "Marlow was Lord 
 Mayor in the year 1409, in whose mayoralty there was 
 a play at Skinners' Hall, which lasted eight days (saith 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 43 
 
 Stow) 'to hear which most of the greatest estates of England 
 were present.' The subject of the play was the sacred 
 Scriptures from the creation of the world. They call this 
 Corpus Christi play in my country, which I have seen acted 
 at Preston and Lancaster, and last of all at Kendall, in the 
 beginning of the reign of King James ; for which the towns- 
 men were sore troubled ; and upon good reasons the play 
 finally supprest, not only there but in all other townes of 
 the kingdom." ("Funeral Monuments," p. 405.) That 
 the religious teaching of the Mysteries was not very 
 effective is evidenced by a statement of the Rev. John 
 Shaw, an earnest Puritan at Cartmel, who found the people 
 ignorant but willing, and frequently had some thousands 
 of hearers who thronged the church so, that at nine o'clock 
 in the morning he had great difficulty in reaching the 
 pulpit. One day he met an old man, "sensible enough 
 in other things," who was ignorant of all knowledge of 
 God, and apparently devoid of theological information of 
 any kind. When the minister began to explain about Christ 
 to the old man, " Oh, sir," said he, " I think I heard of that 
 man you speak of once in a play at Kendall, called Corpus 
 Christ's play, where there was a man on a tree, and blood 
 ran down," &c. And afterwards he professed that he could 
 not remember that he ever heard of salvation by Jesus but 
 in that play. 
 
 The accounts of the Shuttleworths of Gawthorp contain 
 many entries of gratuities paid to players and wandering 
 minstrels. They were in especial demand when marriages or 
 other festivities were being celebrated. Gawthorp appears 
 
44 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 to have patronised them freely at the wedding of Ann and 
 Ellinor Shuttleworth. The players of Sir Peter Leigh, of 
 the Earl of Essex, of the Earl of Derby, of Lord Dudley, of 
 Lord Mounteagle, and of Lord Stafford repeatedly visited 
 the mansions of Smithills and Gawthorp between 1586 and 
 1617. There were also players who were described as of, or 
 from, Preston, Nantwich, Garstang, Blackburn, Chester, 
 Downham, &c. The piper of Padiham, the musicians of 
 Chester, the waits of Halifax, are also mentioned as receiving 
 gratuities. In the early history of the drama, the plays 
 appear to have been "acted upon Sundays only; after 1579 
 they were acted on Sundays and other days indiscrimin- 
 ately." Thus, in 1589, the Queen's players and the Earl 
 of Essex's players arrived at Knowsley, and on the Sunday 
 following, the rector of Standish preached in the morning, 
 the Queen's men acted in the afternoon, and the Earl's men 
 at night. At Lathom, on Sunday, nth January, 1589, Mr. 
 Caldwell preached in the morning, and "that night the 
 players played." September i3th, Mr. Leigh preached, 
 and the Queen's players played in the afternoon, and Lord 
 Essex's at night. (" Stanley Papers" and " Shuttleworth Ac- 
 counts," Chetham Society.) Dean NowelPs account book 
 shews a gift of i2d. to the minstrel of Sir Thomas Hesketh, 
 of Rufford. Alexander Hoghton bequeathed all his musical 
 instruments and play clothes to his brother Thomas, if he 
 decided to keep players ; and if not, to Sir Thomas Hesketh.* 
 
 * Thomas Newton, of Chester, in a treatise touching dice play and 
 profane gaming, remarks " Augustine forbiddeth us to bestowe any 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 45 
 
 As an evidence of the rising tide of Puritanism, we find 
 that in 1590 complaint was made that the "popish fasts and 
 festivals" were better observed than "the Sabbath," and 
 that on the latter day, fairs and markets were commonly 
 held in most towns, and wakes, ales, greens, maygames, 
 rushbearings, doveales, bonfires, gaming, piping and dancing 
 celebrated upon it. (Chetham Society, vol. xcvi., p. 2.) 
 We have no records of the acting of Mystery Plays in 
 Manchester ; but one often-cited passage shews that Bradford 
 the Martyr, preaching in the reign of Edward VI., "told 
 the people, as it were by a prophetical spirit, that as they 
 did not readily embrace the Word of God, mass should be 
 said again in that church, and the play of Robin Hood 
 acted there, which accordingly came to pass in Queen 
 Mary's reign." (Hollingworth's " Mancuniensis.") Robin 
 Hood often had a part in the May-day festivities. It is 
 possible that this may have been the "playe of Robyn 
 Hode very proper to be played in Maye Games," which 
 was printed by Copland. The characters are, Little John, 
 Friar Tuck, the Potter (who is represented with a rose 
 garland on his head), and his boy Jacke. As the play 
 ends very abruptly, it may be only a fragment, especially 
 as Maid Marian does not appear on the scene. The sport 
 of the Lord of Misrule is described by Stubbes, the fanatical 
 
 money for the seeing of stage plays and enterludes, or to give anything 
 unto players therein ; and yet these kind of persons doe, after a sorte, 
 let out their labour unto us, and their Industrie many times is 
 laudable." 
 
46 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Puritan. The wild heads of the parish having appointed 
 one to be " my Lord of Misrule," he made choice of twenty 
 or even a hundred companions, who dressed in gay- 
 coloured clothes and decked out in scarfs, ribbons, and 
 laces, and hung over with " gold rings, precious stones, and 
 other jewels" have each from twenty to twenty-four bells 
 on their legs, "with rich handkerchiefs in their hands 
 and sometimes laid across their shoulders, borrowed 
 for the most part of their pretty Mopsies and loving Bessies 
 for bussing them in the dark." This gay throng, with 
 their "hobby-horses, their dragons, and other antiques," with 
 pipers and drummers, danced along through the crowd of 
 admiring villagers to the church, "though the minister be at 
 church or preaching." The folk in the church stood up 
 on forms and pews to watch this motley procession, which, 
 leaving the church, proceeded outside, where booths and 
 arbours were fixed. " And thus," exclaims Puritan Stubbes, 
 " these terrestrial furies spend the Sabboth day." Another 
 Puritan states that the maymarrions were men dressed up 
 as women, contrary to Deut. xxii. 5, and that the morris 
 dancers sometimes "danced naked in nets;" and that the 
 custom of young men and girls going on the previous even- 
 ing to fetch the mayboughs was a source of impropriety. 
 (Douce's "Illustrations," p. 584.) Northbrook makes the 
 same accusation. The morris dance is considered to be a 
 modification of a Moorish dance. Peck considers that it 
 was introduced into England on the return of John of 
 Gaunt, but Douce thinks it more likely to have come from 
 the French or the Flemings. Morris dancers accompanied 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 47 
 
 the Robin Hood pageant, but were, at least originally, a 
 subsidiary part of the spectacle. The morris dancers con- 
 tinued to be in favour in Lancashire, but their Sunday 
 sports were remitted to a more fitting day. Ritson copies 
 from the London Star, a notice of the visit of the morris 
 dancers of Pendleton to Salford, on Monday, 3oth July, 
 1792. (Ritson, R. H., i., ccxxiii.) The honours paid the 
 Queen of the May, whether represented by a male " Maid 
 Marian " or by some rustic beauty elected to be mistress of 
 the sports, is in all probability a survival of the worship 
 once paid to the goddess Flora in the Roman festival. 
 (Douce, p. 590.) 
 
 The hobby-horse was a structure of pasteboard, counter- 
 feiting the head and tail of a horse, the omitted parts of 
 the beast being covered by a cloth, and the simulated cavalier 
 exerting all his skill in grotesque parodies of equestrian 
 ability. From the horse's mouth was suspended a ladle, for 
 the contributions of the admiring audience. 
 
 Amongst all but the highest classes, Sunday was the chief 
 time for social festivities. The wedding feasts or "bride 
 ales " were held on the Sunday, and the feasting at them 
 was the subject of many regulations by the Court Leet Jury 
 of Manchester. It was decreed in 1566 that not more than 
 fourpence a head should be paid at these gatherings, and 
 those who exceeded that sum were fined in 305. The wed- 
 ding guests were enlivened by the music of the town waits, 
 and the Court Leet set their face against any attempt to 
 introduce strange musicians, to the prejudice of the pipers 
 of the town. In 1569, exception as to cost was made in 
 
48 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 favour of " ales for highways, bridges, or churches." These 
 " ales " were assemblages for social and business purposes, 
 which sometimes degenerated into dangerous license. It 
 was ordered in 1574, that any person "found drunken in 
 any ale house," should pass a night in the dungeon and 
 pay a fine of 6d. ; and if he were too poor to find this sum, 
 then " the goodman or the goodwife " of the ale house had 
 to pay for him. If the ale seller was found drunk, he was 
 to be imprisoned for the night, "and from thenceforth be 
 discharged from alehouse-keeping." Children and servants 
 frequented the wedding ales, and this was forbidden by fines 
 levied on the fathers and masters. ("Manchester Court 
 Leet Records," Chetham Society.) 
 
 In 1579, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, Henry, Earl 
 of Derby, Henry, Earl of Huntington, and William, Bishop 
 of Chester, in an assembly at Manchester, issued a procla- 
 mation against "pipers and minstrels making and frequenting 
 bear-baiting and bull-baiting on the Sabbath days or upon 
 any other days; and also against superstitious ringing of 
 bells, wakes and common feasts, drunkenness, gaming, and 
 other vicious and unprofitable pursuits." This cannot 
 have been very operative, for a document probably issued 
 in March, 1589, and signed by J. Byron, R. Shirborn, E. 
 Trafford, and other Lancashire gentlemen sets forth that 
 " the enormities of the Sabothe " are, wakes, fairs, markets, 
 bear-baits, bull-baits, ales, May games, resorting to ale houses 
 in times of divine service, piping and dancing, hunting, and 
 all manner of unlawful gaming. The document then calls 
 upon mayors, churchwardens, &c., to suppress these enor- 
 
Simday in the Olden Time. 49 
 
 mities by all lawful means. In this year, Robert Asnall, of 
 Gorton, "was slain with a bull at the stake." ("Lancashire 
 Lieutenancy," Chetham Society, p. 218.) 
 
 The teaching of the Puritans was set forth by Dr. Nicholas 
 Bound, who, in 1595, and again at 1606, issued a weighty 
 treatise, in which the identity of the Sabbath and Sunday 
 was asserted, and the strictest view taken of the obligations 
 of the day, and of the sinfulness of recreation upon it. The 
 insertion of the fourth commandment in the Liturgy, and 
 the prayer of the people that their hearts might be " inclined 
 to keep this law" had paved the way for the Puritan 
 doctrine. It spread with rapidity, and was embraced with 
 great fervour. "On this day," says Fuller, "the stoutest 
 fencer laid down the buckler; the most skilful archer un- 
 bent his bow, counting all shooting beside the mark ; May 
 games and morris dances grew out of request } and good 
 reason that bells should be silenced from jingling about 
 men's legs, if their very ringing in steeples were adjudged 
 unlawful. Some of them were ashamed of their former 
 pleasures, like children, which, grown bigger, blush them- 
 selves out of their rattles and whistles. Others forebore 
 for fear of their superiors ; and many left off out of a politic 
 compliance, lest otherwise they should be accounted licen- 
 tious." Bound allowed cooking of meat on Sundays ; but 
 whilst he denied the lawfulness of the labour of harvest and 
 seed time, he was willing to allow something to the " feasts 
 of noblemen and great personages," since they represent 
 in some measure "the majesty of God on the earth"! The 
 essence of Bound's doctrine, reduced to practice, is that 
 
5O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 " upon the Lord's day we ought to rest from all honest recre- 
 ations and lawful delights." He called upon the civil 
 power to enforce this Sabbath. 
 
 The Sunday entries in the private diary of Dr. John Dee, 
 Warden of Manchester, are notable, as its latest editor has 
 pointed out, for saying very little about the spiritual condition 
 of the parish over which Dee presided. We find him paying 
 wages and receiving cattle from his Welsh kinsfolk. On 
 Sunday, the 2ist of August, 1597, he records that "The 
 Earl and Cowntesse of Derby had a banket at my lodging 
 at the Colledge hora 4^." The banquet of this period we 
 are told by Wright was " often held in the garden." At the 
 banquet the choicest wines were brought forth, and the table 
 was covered with pastry and sweetmeats, of which our fore- 
 fathers at this period appear to have been extremely fond. 
 Marchpanes or biscuits made of sugar and almonds, in 
 different fanciful forms, such as men, animals, houses, &c., 
 were often provided. There was generally one at least in 
 the form of a castle, which the ladies and gentlemen were to 
 batter to pieces, in frolic, by attacking it with sugar plums. 
 (Wright, "Home of Other Days," p. 471.) 
 
 Robert Hey wood, in his " Observations," has this verse : 
 
 Playinge upon the Saboeth dayes 
 
 To breed distractions in the minde, 
 Yea, full as much and many wayes 
 As worke or worldly thoughts I finde : 
 
 Then rest thy minde (instead of playe) 
 In God, and sport another day. 
 
 When James I. in 1617, on his return from Scotland, 
 
Stmday in the Olden Time. 51 
 
 passed through Lancashire, there was every desire to do him 
 honour, and to give him a hearty welcome. On the i4th of 
 August he came to Carlisle, and thence by Appleby, Whar- 
 ton, Kendal, Hornby Castle, and Ashton, to Myerscough 
 and Houghton Tower. Sir Richard Houghton had induced 
 many of the lesser gentry of the neighbourhood to assume 
 his livery, in order to give greater grace to the festivities. 
 The request was made to Nicholas Assheton and his 
 "brother Sherborne," on Sunday, the ist of June. This 
 remnant of feudal clanship was well understood to be merely 
 a token of good will, and not to indicate any relation of de- 
 pendency. One of those who thus put on Sir Richard's 
 cloth was Nicholas Assheton of Downham, who has left, in 
 the rough memoranda of his diary, some striking pictures of 
 the festivities. Sir Richard went forward to meet the king, 
 but the monarch had made his entrance into the forest of 
 Garstang by another way. He was overtaken by the Lan- 
 cashire gentry with Sir Richard at their head, who stept to 
 the side of the king's coach, and told him that there his 
 majesty's forest began. After the arrival at Myerscough 
 Lodge the king hunted and killed a buck. The next day 
 was marked by more hunting and by a royal declaration, 
 which was afterwards to become famous as the "Book of 
 Sports." When Squire Nicholas listened to "the king's 
 speech about liberty to piping and honest recreation," he 
 had probably very little idea of the controversies and results 
 that would arise from the promulgation of that apparently 
 welcome and well-timed announcement. It is stated that a 
 petition was presented to the king by a great number of 
 
52 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 peasants, tradesmen, and servants of the county palatine, 
 asking that they might be allowed the old liberty of out-door 
 diversions after the services of the church. Where or when 
 this memorial was presented is nowhere stated, nor are its 
 terms extant. Certainly those who disliked the innovations 
 of the Puritans lost no time ; for the king's speech is recorded 
 by Assheton as having been delivered on the first day that 
 his majesty was in Lancashire. The county, it must be re- 
 membered, was equally noted for its "Puritans" and its 
 " Papists," two classes for whom the monarch had a hearty 
 dislike. Bishop Morton's biographer received from that 
 prelate an account of the origin of the "Book of Sports," which 
 is probably as accurate a statement as can now be obtained. 
 The recusants not unnaturally made the most of the differ- 
 ence between the Sundays of the Church before and after 
 the Reformation, and represented Protestantism as a religion 
 of gloom and austerity. The leaders of the recusants hoped 
 "to keep the people from church by dancing and other 
 recreations, even in the time of divine service, especially 
 on holy days and the Lord's day in the afternoon." Mor- 
 ton denounced these Sunday recreations, and endeavoured 
 to repress them in his primary visitation. The Lancashire 
 lads were not so easily to be converted from their old sports, 
 and so some friends of the recusants, or some enemies of the 
 gloom of the Puritan Sabbath, represented his action to the 
 king as a "high grieVance." James I., with all his bad qualities, 
 was no enemy of mirth, and his temperament would lead 
 him to sympathise with the plea for Sunday sports, and 
 hence, no doubt, his rebuke of those who would, as it was 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 53 
 
 then phrased, judaize the Sunday. Their triumph over the 
 ecclesiastics "encouraged some to so much boldness the 
 next Lord's Day after, as even to disturb the public worship 
 and service of God by their piping and dancing within 
 hearing of all those that were at church." Before proceed- 
 ing with the Bishop's narrative, let us see how the King and 
 his suite spent this particular Sunday. Assheton and his 
 fellow-gentlemen servitors offered the lords assembled biscuit, 
 wine, and jelly, as the prelude to a sermon preached by 
 Bishop Morton, after which the company proceeded to 
 dinner. The menu of this repast has survived, and may 
 serve as a contrast to the banquets of more modern times. 
 
 SUNDAY'S DINNER, THE 17111 OF AUGUST. FOR THE 
 LORDS' TABLE. 
 
 FIRST COURSE : Pullets boiled capon mutton, boiled 
 boiled chickens shoulder of mutton, roast ducks, 
 boiled loin of veal, roast pullets haunch of venison, 
 roast burred capon pasty of venison, hot roast turkey 
 veal, burred swan, roast, one; and one for to-morrow 
 chicken pye, hot goose, roasted rabbits, cold jiggits of 
 mutton, boiled snipe pye breast of veal, boiled capons, 
 roast pullet beef, roast tongue pye, cold sprod, boiled 
 herons roast, cold curlew pye, cold mince pye, hot 
 custards pig, roast. SECOND COURSE : Hot pheasant, one ; 
 and one for the king quails, six for the king partridge 
 poults artichoke pye chickens curlews, roast peas, 
 buttered rabbits duck plovers red deer pye pig, 
 burred hot herons, roast, three of a dish lamb, roast 
 
54 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 gammon of bacon pigeons, roast made dish chicken, 
 burred pear tart pullets and grease dryed tongues 
 turkey pye pheasant pye pheasant tart hogs' cheeks, 
 dryed turkey, chicks, cold. 
 
 The dinner was followed, about four o'clock, by a rush- 
 bearing, preceded by " piping." The king was a spectator 
 in the Middle Court of this rustic festival. Doubtless the 
 rush cart would be even more heavily laden than usual with 
 its borrowed finery, and the lads and lasses who frolicked 
 around it in their holiday costume, decked out with garlands 
 and ribbons, would do their best to show their rural merri- 
 ment in its most attractive aspect to the " dread monarch," 
 surrounded by his brilliant courtiers. After this amusement 
 the Court proceeded to supper, which, if less formidable in 
 its character than the dinner, was not merely a ceremonial 
 institution, as this "note of the diet" will show: FIRST 
 COURSE : Pullet boiled capon cold mutton ducks, 
 boiled chickens, baked pullet cold neat's-tongue pye 
 plovers chickens pear tart rabbits shoulder of mutton, 
 roast chicken, boiled cold capon roast veal rabbits, 
 boiled pullet turkey, roast pasty of venison, hot 
 shoulder of venison, roast herons, cold sliced beef 
 umble pye neat's-tongue, roast sprod, boiled curlews 
 baked, cold turkeys baked, cold neat's feet boiled 
 rabbits rabbits, fried. SECOND COURSE : Quails poults 
 herons pease, buttered made dish ducks gammon of 
 bacon red deer pye pigeons wild boar pye curlew 
 dry neat's tongue neat's-tongue tart dried hog's cheek 
 red deer pye. (Nichols, "Progresses of James I.," p. 402.) 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 55 
 
 After supper, the king adjourned to the middle round of 
 the garden, and then, about ten or eleven o'clock, there 
 passed before him a masque of noblemen, knights, and gen- 
 tlemen. There were some speeches, followed by "dancing 
 the Huckler, Tom Bedlo, and the cowp Justice of the 
 Peace." Sometime during this busy day, it is to be pre- 
 sumed, Bishop Morton complained of the profaneness of 
 those whose merriment had disturbed the worshippers at 
 church. The king, whose reputation for piety was all that 
 could be desired, disavowed any intention of countenancing 
 such excesses, and left the offenders to the censure of the 
 bishop, who was content with " causing the piper to be laid 
 up by the heels," and causing one person not named, who 
 was the head and front of the offence, to make public 
 acknowledgment and .penance. Some of the gentry at 
 Houghton Tower, however, still contended that the bishop's 
 action in regard to Sunday observance had been harsh and 
 tyrannical. The chief thing they desired " was only some 
 innocent recreation for servants and other inferior people 
 on the Lord's Day and holy days, whose laborious 
 callings deprived them of it at all other times." James 
 therefore consulted with Morton as to the best way of 
 rinding a medium between liberty and license. The bishop 
 thereupon left Houghton Tower, and proceeded to his own 
 lodging at Preston, and " considered of six limitations or 
 restrictions, by way of conditions to be imposed upon 
 every man that should enjoy the benefit of that liberty." 
 Next day the bishop presented the result of his labours to 
 the king, probably at Lathom House. The British Solomon 
 
56 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 added a seventh condition, and said that he very well 
 approved what had been written, and would only alter it 
 from the words of a bishop to the words of a king. It was 
 issued as a proclamation from the Court at Greenwich in 
 1618. The king, after reciting "the general complaint of 
 our people that they are barred from all lawful recreation 
 and exercise upon the Sunday's afternoon, after the 
 ending of divine service," expresses a fear that this will 
 aid the Romanists by giving them an occasion to represent 
 that "no honest mirth or recreation is tolerable in our 
 religion," and is further apprehensive that this prohibition 
 barreth the common and meaner sort of people from 
 using such exercises as may make their bodies more able 
 for war." Drunkenness and discontented speeches in ale 
 houses are also named as flowing from this source : " For 
 when shall the common people have leave to exercise, if not 
 upon the Sundays and holidays, seeing they must apply 
 their labour, and win their living in all working days?" 
 The bishop of the diocese was, therefore, required to make 
 the "Puritans and Precisians" to comform to public 
 worship; but those who had been to church were to be 
 at liberty after the close of the service, and should not be 
 prohibited lawful recreation, "such as dancing either men 
 or women, archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any other 
 such harmless recreation ; nor from having of May-games, 
 Whitson-ales, and morris dances, and the setting up of 
 May-poles and other sports therewith used, so as the same 
 be had in due and convenient time, without impediment 
 or let of divine service ; and that women shall have leave 
 
Simday in the Olden Time. 57 
 
 to carry rushes to the church for the decoring of it 
 according to their old custom. But withal we do here 
 account still as prohibited all unlawful games to be used 
 upon Sunday only, as bear and bull baitings, interludes, 
 and at all times in the meaner sort of people by law 
 prohibited, bowling." This is the essential part of the 
 "Book of Sports," the remainder being a prohibition of 
 recusants and non-churchgoers from participation in the 
 liberty it allowed. Fuller has recorded "what grief and 
 distraction thereby was occasioned in many honest men's 
 hearts." It may be well to quote this document in full, 
 as it has often been misrepresented. 
 
 " U BY THE KING. 
 
 " Whereas upon Our returne the last yere out of Scotland, 
 We did publish Our Pleasure touching the recreations of 
 Our people in those parts under Our hand : For some 
 causes Vs thereunto moouing, Wee haue thought good 
 to command these Our Directions then giuen in Lanca- 
 shire with a few words thereunto added, and most appliable 
 to these of Our Realmes, to bee published to all Our 
 Subiects. 
 
 "Whereas Wee did iustly in our Progresse through 
 Lancashire, rebuke some Puritanes and precise people, 
 and tooke order that the like vnlawfull carriage should not 
 bee vsed by any of them hereafter, in the prohibiting and 
 vnlawfull punishing of Our good people for vsing their 
 lawfull Recreations, and honest exercises vpon Sundayes 
 and other Holy dayes, after the afternoone Sermon or 
 
58 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Seruice : Wee now finde that two sorts of people where- 
 with that Countrey is much infected, (Wee meane Papists 
 and Puritanes) haue maliciously traduced and calumniated 
 those Our iust and honourable proceedings. And, there- 
 fore, lest Our reputation might vpon the one side (though 
 innocently) haue some aspersion layd vpon it, and that 
 vpon the other part Our good people in that Countrey be 
 misled by the mistaking and misinterpretation of Our 
 meaning : We have, therefore, thought good hereby to 
 cleare and make Our pleasure to be manifested to all Our 
 good people in those parts. 
 
 " It is true that Our first entry to this Crowne, and King- 
 dome, We were informed, and that too truely, that Our 
 County of Lancashire abounded more in Popish Recusants 
 then any County in England, and thus hath still continued 
 since to Our great regrett, with little amendmet, saue that 
 now of late, in Our last riding through Our said County, 
 Wee find both by the report of the Judges, and of the 
 Bishop of that diocesse, that there is some amendment 
 now daily beginning, which is no small contentment to Vs. 
 
 "The report of this growing amendment amongst them 
 made Vs the more sorry, when with Our owne Eares 
 We heard the generall complaint of Our people, that they 
 were barred from all lawfull Recreation and exercise vpon 
 the Sundayes afternoone, after the ending of all Diuine 
 Seruice, which cannot but produce two euils : The one, 
 the hindering of the conuersion of many, whom their 
 Priests will take occasion hereby to vex, persuading them 
 that no honest mirth or recreation is lawfull or tolerable 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 59 
 
 in Our Religion, which cannot but breed a great discon- 
 tentment in Our peoples hearts, especially of such as are 
 peraduenture vpon the point of turning; The other 
 inconuenience is, that this prohibition barreth the com- 
 mon and meaner sort of people from vsing such exercises 
 as may make their bodies more able for Warre, and Wee or 
 Our Successours shall haue occasion to vse them. And 
 in place thereof set vp filthy tiplings and drunkennesse, 
 and breeds a number of idle and discontented speeches in 
 their Alehouses. For when shall the common people 
 haue leave to exercise, if not vpon the Sundayes and holy- 
 daies, seeing they must apply their labour and win their 
 liuing in all working daies ? 
 
 "Our expresse pleasure, therefore, is that the Lawes of 
 Our Kingdome, and Canons of Our Church : which to 
 expresse more particularly, Our pleasure is, That the 
 Bishop, and all other inferiour Churchmen, and Church- 
 wardens, shall for their parts be carefull and diligent, 
 both to instruct the ignorant, and conuince and reforme 
 them that are mis-led in Religion, presenting them that 
 will not conforme themselues, but obstinately stand out to 
 put the Law in due execution against them. 
 
 "Our pleasure likewise is, That the Bishop of that 
 Diocesse take the like straight order with all the Puritanes 
 and Precisians within the same, either constraining them 
 to conforme themselues, or to leaue the County according 
 to the Lawes of our Kingdome and Canons of Our 
 Church, and is to strike equally on both hands, against the 
 contemners of Our Authority and Adversaries of Our 
 
60 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Church. And as for Our good peopells lawfull Recreation, 
 Our Pleasure like is, That after Diuine Seruice, Our good 
 people be not disturbed, letted, or discourged from any 
 lawfull recreation, Such as dauncing, either men or women, 
 archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any ohther such harm- 
 lesse Recreation, nor from hauing May-Games, Whitson 
 Ales, and Morrisdances, and the setting vp of May-poles 
 and other sports therewith vsed, so as the same be had in 
 due and conuenient time, without impediment or neglect 
 of Diuine Seruice : And that women shall haue leaue to 
 carry rushes to the Churches for the decoring of it, accord- 
 ing to their old costam. But withall We doe here account 
 still as prohibited all vnlawfull games to bee vsed vpon 
 Sundayes onely, as Beare and Bullbaitings, Interludes, and 
 at all times in the meaner sort of people by law prohibited, 
 Bowling. 
 
 " And likewise We barre from this benefite and liberty, 
 all such known recusants, either men or women, as will 
 abstain from coming to Church or Diuine Seruice, being 
 therefore vnworthy of any lawfull recreation after the said 
 Seruice, that will not first come to the Church and serue 
 God : Prohibiting in like sort the said Recreations to any 
 that, though conforme in Religion, are not present in the 
 Church at the Seruice of God, before their going to the 
 said Recreations. Our pleasure likewise is, That they to 
 whom it belongeth in Office, shall present and sharpely 
 punish all such as in abuse of this Our liberty, will vse 
 these exercises before the ends of all Diuine Seruice for 
 that day. And We likewise straightly command, that euery 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 61 
 
 person shall resort to his owne Parish Church to heare 
 Diuine Seruice, and each Parish by it selfe to vse the said 
 Recreation after Diuine Seruice. Prohibiting likewise any 
 Offensiue weapons to be carried or vsed in the said times of 
 Recreations. And Our pleasure is, That this Our 
 Declaration shall bee published by order from the Bishop 
 of the Diocese, through all the Parish Churches, and that 
 both Our Judges of Our Circuit, and Our Justices of Our 
 Peace be informed thereof. 
 
 "Given at our Mannour of Greenwich the foure and 
 twentieth day of May, in the sixteenth yeere of our reigne 
 of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the one 
 and fiftieth." 
 
 Nicholas Assheton, the Squire of Downham, though fond 
 of field sports and not always abstemious in his habits, was 
 yet a regular church-goer, and accounted a Puritan. On 
 Sunday, September 17, he enters in his diary: "All to 
 church. Mr. Leigh of " Stanish preached. Afternoon 
 copyhold business in hand. Divers gentlemen went into 
 the town with Sir John Talbot. My father lay in the 
 abbey. I to Portfield again." The entry for the following 
 1 9th July is even further removed from the Puritan ideal : 
 "Sherborne, Starkee, &c., to Clitheroe : staid drinking 
 some wyne : soe to a summer game : Sherburne's mare 
 run, and lost the bell : made merrie : staid untill, &c., 2 
 o'clock at Downham." Richard Sherburne, who on one 
 occasion was so drunk on a Sunday that he fell and dislo- 
 cated his shoulder, a few days later is found in hot argument 
 
62 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 about the impropriety of the curate of Slaidburne, who 
 administered the Holy Communion without a surplice ! 
 
 In 1625 an act received the royal assent of Charles I., 
 by which bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes, common 
 plays, and other "unlawful exercises" on Sunday were 
 prohibited. It was especially directed against concourses of 
 non-parishioners. In 1633, Charles I., by the advice of 
 Archbishop Laud, reissued the " Book of Sports," with an 
 explanatory preface. This was no doubt intended to coun- 
 teract the growing strength and fervour of the Puritans, but 
 it only intensified their zeal and their hatred of Laud. The 
 impolitic action of Laud, in punishing those who con- 
 scientiously refused to read this document, was one of the 
 causes of his downfall. Ten years later the Long Parlia- 
 ment caused this declaration to be burned by the common 
 hangman. Some of the festivities allowed by the Book of 
 Sports are described with animation in a " country song," 
 preserved by Mr. Blundell :(" Cavalier's Note Book.") 
 
 Robin and Ralph and Willy 
 Took Susan and Ginnet and Cisly ; 
 And Roger and Richard and Geordy 
 Took Mary and Peggy and Marjory ; 
 And danced a hornpipe merrily : 
 Tired out the bagpipe and fiddle 
 With dancing the hornpipe and didle. 
 
 But Gilbert and Thomas and Harry, 
 Whose sweethearts were Nell, Nan, and Marie, 
 Took sides against Giles, James, and Richard, 
 Whose wenches were Joan, Jane, and Bridget. 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 63 
 
 The wager was for a wheat cake. 
 They danced till their bones did ache, 
 That Gilbert and Nanny and Nellie 
 Did sweat themselves into a jelly. 
 
 The lads of Chowbent were there, 
 
 And had brought their clogs to the bear ; 
 
 But they had no time to play, 
 
 They danced away the day ; 
 
 For hither then they had brought Knex 
 
 To play Chowbent hornpipe, that Nick's, 
 
 Tommy's, and Geffrey's shoon 
 
 Were worn quite through with the tune. 
 
 The lads of Latham did dance 
 Their Lord Strange hornpipe, which once ' 
 Was held to be the best, 
 And far to exceed all the rest. 
 But now they do hold it too sober, 
 And therefore will needs give it over. 
 They call on their piper then jovially, 
 " Play us brave Roger o' Coverley." 
 
 The Meols men danced their Cop, 
 
 And about the may-pole did hop, 
 
 Till their shoes were so full of sand, 
 
 That they could no longer stand. 
 
 The Formby trotter supplied, 
 
 Who, though that his breeches were wide, 
 
 Yet would they ne'er give it o'er 
 
 Till the piper was ready to snore. 
 
 But Gilbert and Susan and Nanny, 
 With Tom and Dick, Cisly, and many, 
 
64 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Tripped and skipped full merrily, 
 The music sounding out cheerily. 
 Dick booted, Nel flouted, he shouted 
 " Tak't thee James Pyper of Formby ; 
 Tak't thee, tak't thee, tak't thee, 
 Tak't thee James Pyper of Formby." 
 
 At length it was time to go, 
 And Susan did hear the cock crow. 
 The maids might go make up the fires, 
 Or else be chid by their sires. 
 Next holyday, they'll ha' their fill 
 At Johnson's o' th' Talke of the hill, 
 Where Bell shall be brought to play. 
 Alack, how I long for that day ! 
 
 Views opposed to the Puritans were entertained by many 
 in the Church. Thus, Bishop Sanderson allows "shoot- 
 ing, leaping and pitching bar, stool ball," &c., as proper 
 recreations for the " ruder sort of people," who would find 
 no pleasure in the walking and discoursing that would be 
 for men of liberal education "a pleasant recreation." In 
 their zeal to reform the manners of the nation the theatres 
 were closed, the Maypoles became illegal, the fairs, as far as 
 possible, were reduced from festivals to mere market assem- 
 blies, and generally all was done that could be done to dis- 
 courage the old-fashioned amusements, whether on the 
 week-day or the Sunday. How firmly the greater sanctity 
 of the Sunday had taken hold of the English mind is 
 shown in the account which Horrox has left of his famous 
 observation of the transit of Venus in 1639. He began 
 to watch for the phenomenon on Saturday at midday, 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 65 
 
 and continued his watch for more than four and twenty 
 hours, except during certain intervals when he was " called 
 away by business of the highest importance, which could 
 not with propriety be neglected." The business which 
 called away the greatest astronomical genius of his age from 
 the most interesting and important astronomical phenomenon 
 of the century, was that of preaching to the handful of people 
 in the little church of Hoole, where Horrox ministered. 
 Piety would scarcely have frowned if he had neglected her 
 claims on this one occasion for the charms of Science. 
 
 The Puritans had not only to contend with the opposition 
 of the pleasure-loving, but with the stern refusal of those 
 who out-heroded their masters, and logically insisted that 
 real Sabbatarianism meant the observance of the seventh 
 and not of the first day. Of this temper were John Traske 
 and his wife. She lay in prison for fifteen years "for 
 keeping the Jewish Sabbath and for working on the Lord's 
 Day." Persons of this way of thinking were scattered up 
 and down the country, and being made of good, honest, 
 fanatical stuff, were proof against reproach and persecution. 
 (Cox, i., 431.) 
 
 The Grindletonians, although strict Puritans, were anti- 
 Sabbatarian in their views, and held that Sunday " was to 
 be observed as a lecture day." Their founder was Rodger 
 Brierley, a native of Rochdale, who died at Burnley in 
 1637, but whose ministry was at Grindleton, in Craven. 
 He was imprisoned at York, but released, and had a renewed 
 license to preach from Bishop Tobias Matthews. (" Asshe- 
 ton's Journal," p. 95.) George Fox was no Sabbatarian. 
 
66 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 The Quakers found it convenient to assemble for worship 
 on the Sunday, but were careful to show that they enter- 
 tained no superstitious reverence for the day over the other 
 portions of the week. With the Restoration came a 
 different order of affairs. The Cavaliers, who at Breda, 
 in April, 1660, had seen the Duke of York, the Duke 
 of Gloucester, and the Princess of Orange play at nine- 
 pins on the Sunday, whilst the King, their brother, 
 looked on, were not likely to sympathise with the Puritan 
 severity of Sabbath observance. (" Cavalier's Note Book," 
 p. 249.) With reference to the Sabbatarian legislation of 
 that most religious King, Charles II., Buckle observes : 
 " There are a great many laws in this reign for the observance 
 of Sunday, or, as it was ignorantly called, the Sabbath. 
 This could not proceed from Charles, but is an evidence 
 of the existence of the puritanical element." (Mis. Works, 
 iii., 639.) Yet Roger Lowe, a puritanically-inclined trades- 
 man of Ashton-in-Makerfield, in his diary, records on 
 Sundays being measured for clothes, many visits to friends 
 and to the alehouse, where he was sometimes "merry;" 
 much sweethearting, much chapel going ; and some 
 meditations in fields, where he occasionally repeats the 
 sermon. One extract from Roger's diary will give us a 
 picture of a Sunday funeral in 1666: "December 16. I 
 went to the funeral of Ann Taylor, who was married to 
 Ralph Ashton in Abram, and I went fasting from home; 
 so at noon, when we had buried the corpse, and expected 
 according to custom to have some refreshment, and were 
 a company of neighbours sat together round about a table : 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 67 
 
 as John Potter, Tho. Harrison, and others, the Doctor 
 comes and prohibits the filling of any drink till after 
 prayers ; so I came home with Thomas Harrison, and we 
 expected to have called at Newton, but here we were 
 disappointed. But at last, with much vexation, I got to 
 Ashton with a hungry belly ; and honest Thomas Harrison 
 and right true-hearted Ellen the hasty yet all love, did 
 much refresh my hungry palate with a big cup half full, 
 and after that half full again, of good pottage." (" Lowe's 
 Diary," Leigh, 1877.) The Lancashire folk were fond of 
 amusement then as now. A man who exhibited a dromedary 
 in 1662 told Mr. Blundell of Crosby that he found more 
 profit there than in any other county. John Butler the 
 mountebank bore the same testimony. ( " Cavalier's Note 
 Book," p. 97.) 
 
 The superstitious fear of judgments was, however, still fed 
 by such publications as " A letter from a gentleman in Man- 
 chester to a friend, concerning a notorious blasphemer, 
 who died in despair," &c. It is stated to be " Licens'd 
 January 25th, 1694." It thus commences: "Sir, At 
 Downham, near Clitheroe, in Lancashire, there lived one 
 T. B. (the full of his name, for his surviving relations' 
 sake, is concealed), about thirty-six years of age, well known 
 in that town, at his death especially by the office he then 
 bore of churchwarden. This miserable creature, notwith- 
 standing the good education which his better parents had 
 bestowed upon him, had for a great while indulged himself 
 in an excess of wickedness, but chiefly in a sacrilegious 
 abuse of the Lord's Day, on which he would use any un- 
 
68 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 lawful exercises. Nor did his office restrain him from 
 committing this abomination, but as if he (who should 
 have been first in punishing) prided himself in being the 
 ringleader of the Sabbath-breakers, he would, not only 
 privately and at home, but in the very open streets, revel 
 and sport on that holy day. For this, and his other pro- 
 vocations, it pleased God so to leave him to the devil and 
 himself, that he became guilty of such horrid blasphemy as 
 procured (it is to be feared) his ruin in both worlds. The 
 manner of it take thus." We need not recount the blas- 
 phemy, which is stated to have been uttered "on the 26th 
 day of August, 1694, being the Lord's Day (the day of his 
 sinful excess)," and the account then states that "That 
 night he was struck with much sadness and sighing, which 
 grew upon him every day more than other for that whole 
 week, in which he kept much upon the bed, very listless to 
 speak, or indeed to take any notice of worldly concerns." 
 The account describes his great agony and frightful cries,, 
 and terrible aspect, and concludes in the following terms : 
 "Thus he continued crying out to the great amazement and 
 terror of all the company, all that day, and part of the 
 night ; and the next day he was speechless. And upon 
 Friday, the 7th of September, 1694, he expired in the 
 morning. His body, for several hours after his death, 
 sweating very apparently. And thus have I made you this 
 fearful relation, after which I shall but add my hearty 
 prayers for ourselves, and for all whose ears are made to 
 tingle with this dreadful report, that we may be preserved 
 continually by the Grace of God, from profaning His holy 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 69 
 
 day ; and above all, from vilifying the glorious person of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to forewarn men of the 
 horrid danger whereof this miserable wretch seems to be 
 set up, by divine providence, a terrible and speaking 
 monument. Dear Sir, yours most affectionately. Man- 
 chester, January 3rd, 1694." It may be as well to state 
 that January 3rd, 1694, was some four months after Septem- 
 ber, 1694, the year commencing in March. 
 
 The diary of Peter Walkden, the Nonconformist minister 
 of Hesketh Lane, shows him to have been frequently in the 
 habit of "refreshing" in the neighbouring public house, both 
 before and after the time of service, in company with mem- 
 bers of his family and congregation. One entry is worth 
 transcribing: "Brother Miller being to enquire after the 
 effects of one old John Miller, a travelling Scot, who died 
 but a few weeks ago at one Widow Hall's in Shire-lane, 
 near Hurst's Green, and I being to preach to-morrow for 
 Mr. Burgess, at Darwen, and brother not knowing the way 
 to Shire-lane, I went with him to it, and we alighted at 
 Widow Hall's and had account of the old man's death 
 and effects thus, viz. : That the old man was found ill in 
 the lane on Friday, and was taken in by some neighbours 
 into the widow's ; that he was paralytic, and insensible all 
 that night ; that he continued so most of Saturday ; that a 
 neighbour took out of his pocket what moneys he had, and 
 in the sight of several witnesses counted it, and found he 
 had i os. in silver and id. in brass; that on the Lord's Day 
 he was sensible and asked for his budget, and told 'em he 
 had silver, but whose he told not ; that he desired earnestly 
 
7O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 to be at a lodging house of his, near Great Mearley ; that 
 they offered to procure him horse and man to conduct him 
 thither, but he refused it on the Lord's Day, saying he 
 would see what to-morrow would produce; and that a 
 neighbour offered to send for a priest or a vicar to him, 
 both of which he refused, signifying to 'em that he was a 
 Presbyterian \ that on Monday he died ; that the overseer 
 and constable, one Adam Thompson, took on 'em to bury 
 him ; priced what he had in goods, silver and clothes, to 
 something above $ ; that the constable procured him a 
 handsome coffin ; that he fetched the rathes from Mitton, 
 and he and the overseer, with horses, went to Mitton and 
 buried him." 
 
 During the last century, although the Sabbath controversy 
 did not rage with the intensity of a preceeding age, there 
 can be no doubt that a sombre observance of church and 
 chapel going was the ideal ; but that human nature was 
 unable to endure this strong dose of sanctified gloom is 
 evident from the laments over Sabbath-breaking. If the 
 village green was no longer the scene of archery and athletic 
 diversions, the village alehouse had no lack of customers. 
 The denunciation of judgments in this world, and of penal 
 fires in the next, were not strong enough to restrain men. 
 
 In many cases the old ecclesiastical festivals were still 
 observed. Eccles wakes began on Sunday, and up to the 
 beginning of the present century were distinguished by much 
 coarse festivity, in which bear-baiting, bull-baiting, and 
 smock-racing had a part. At Gorton the wakes ended on a 
 Sunday, on which day the morrice dancers attended the 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 71 
 
 chapel, when an " appropriate sermon " was preached. 
 (Higson's "Gorton," p. in.) It was in Eccles that the 
 members of the earliest recorded of the artisan botanical 
 societies were in the habit of assembling upon the Sunday 
 evening. In 1777, it had forty members engaged in this 
 pursuit of knowledge under difficulties, and similar societies 
 appear to have been popular in many of the South Lan- 
 cashire towns and villages. The danger in their path was, 
 that as no other building was available, the meetings were 
 perforce held in the public house, which offered tempta- 
 tions to excess not always resisted by these sons of science. 
 The botanical societies have rendered good service to 
 science, and after more than a century's existence, show 
 no signs of general decay. Perhaps the oldest existing 
 society is the Manchester Botanists' Association, which has 
 met uninterruptedly for about fifty years. 
 
 Burke has observed that " lawful enjoyment is the surest 
 way to prevent unlawful gratification." The sports and 
 pastimes of the people may be gathered from the printed 
 instructions issued in 1797 to the Manchester division of 
 constables. The police were informed that alehouse keepers 
 were liable to forfeiture of their licenses unless they fully 
 observed the following recognisances ; " The conditions of 
 these recognisances are such that whereas the above bound 
 alehouse keepers have severally licensed to sell ale for one 
 whole year, from the 2pth day of this present month of 
 September, in the houses wherein they now respectively 
 dwell. Now, if they, or any of them, their, or any of their 
 assigns, or any other person or persons selling ale by virtue 
 
72 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of the above licenses, shall neglect or fail to keep and 
 maintain good order and rule, or suffer any unlawful games 
 to be used, or disorders to be committed in his, her, or 
 their dwelling-house or houses, or any outhouse, garden, 
 yard, or backside thereto, during the said term ; or shall 
 permit or suffer any mountebank, quack doctor, or un- 
 licensed showman to perform or exhibit upon his, her, or 
 their premises during the said term of his, her, or their 
 license ; or shall permit or suffer any bull-baiting or horse- 
 racing upon his, her, or their premises during the said term 
 of his, her, or their license ; or shall permit or suffer any 
 person or persons to drink or tipple in his, her, or their 
 house on the Lord's Day; or shall permit or suffer any 
 person or persons to continue drinking in his, her, or their 
 house or premises after the hour of nine o'clock at night 
 from Michaelmas to Lady Day, or after the hour of ten at 
 night from Lady Day to Michaelmas ; or if any of them, 
 or any of their assigns, shall surfer or permit any club or 
 society at their respective houses, either for money, cloth, 
 household goods, clocks, watches, or any sort of household 
 furniture ; that then, and in any of the said cases, the 
 recognisance or recognisances of such alehouse keeper so 
 misbehaving or offending, and of his, her, or their surety 
 or sureties, shall be in full force and virtue ; but the recog- 
 nisance of all the said other alehouse keepers, and their 
 respective sureties, shall be void 'and of none effect.'" 
 
 That some at least of the publicans strove to keep good 
 order must be admitted. Dr. Whitaker, the historian of 
 AVhalley, wrote the following epitaph for a model publican : 
 
Sunday in the Olden Time. 73 
 
 Here lies the Body of 
 
 John Wigglesworth, 
 
 More than fifty years he was the 
 
 principal Innkeeper in this Town. 
 
 Withstanding the temptations of that dangerous calling he 
 
 maintained good order in his 
 House, kept the Sabbath day Holy, 
 
 frequented the Public Worship 
 with his Family, induced his guests 
 
 to do the same, and regularly 
 
 partook of the Holy Communion. 
 
 He was also bountiful to the Poor, 
 
 in private as well as in public, 
 and by the blessing of Providence 
 
 on a life so spent died 
 
 possessed of competent Wealth, 
 
 Febr. 28, 1813, 
 
 aged 77 years. 
 
 The last quarter of the eighteenth century witnessed the 
 rise of Sunday Schools, which nowhere received greater 
 extension than in Lancashire and Cheshire. Abraham Wat- 
 mough, 1821, published at Rochdale a poem on the Sunday 
 School, in which he probably represents the feeling of the 
 evangelical and methodistical part of the community. The 
 country walks of lads and lasses, and their after refreshment 
 at the inn, are hinted at as the prolific source of vice. A 
 youth who, in spite of paternal appeals (in very indifferent 
 blank verse), persists in a Sunday walk, comes to grief by 
 falling over the rocks : 
 
 on the ocean shore, 
 
 Beneath a cliff he lay where ravens croak ; 
 
74 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Who sunk their beaks carnivorous, deep, and tore 
 His eyeballs from their sockets, bar'd his bones, 
 And gnaw'd his liver emblem of those pains 
 Beyond the grave heap'd up for guilty sons. 
 
 Mr. Watmough was an enemy of oratorios, balls, and novels. 
 " Perdition seize the page that stains our sons." It is need- 
 less to add that he is intensely Sabbatarian. " Ought it ever 
 to be forgotten," he asks, "that it was on a Sunday evening 
 and at an opera, that the Duke de Berri so suddenly met 
 his fate?" His sole interest in Sunday Schools is as places 
 for the teaching of dogma, and he considers the sanctity of 
 the Lord's day to be violated by the teaching of writing. 
 The proposal to teach arithmetic is branded as profanation. 
 The mistaken views of certain of the Puritans, for some of 
 their noblest spirits were free from them, left an impress on 
 religious thought, on legislation, and on social customs, which 
 is only fading away and giving place to more reasonable 
 sentiments. The opening of the public libraries of Man- 
 chester and Wigan on the first day of the week, are evidences 
 that in the Lancashire of the present day it is felt that the 
 "Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," 
 and that there is no harm, but great good, in calling in 
 the aid of art and knowledge as handmaids of true and 
 practical religion. 
 
TIM BOBBIN AS AN ARTIST. 
 
 To draw true beauty shows a master's hand. DRYDEN, To Mr. Lee 
 on his Alexander. 
 
 AT one time it was common to speak of John Collier 
 ("Tim Bobbin") as the Lancashire Hogarth. No 
 more inappropriate designation could have been selected- 
 He lacked not only the artistic skill of Hogarth, but that 
 moral indignation which made the pencil more powerful 
 than the preacher's voice in denouncing sin and folly. 
 Collier rarely deviates into moral purpose. His indignation 
 is chiefly reserved for Church pluralists of whom he had a 
 hearty detestation partly to be explained by the fact (given 
 in his own words) that he was " one of the nine children of 
 a poor curate in Lancashire, whose stipend never amounted 
 to thirty pounds a year, and consequently the family must 
 feel the iron tooth of penury with a witness. This, indeed, 
 was sometimes blunted by the charitable disposition of the 
 
 good rector, the Rev. H n W n. So this Tim 
 
 Bobbin lived, as some other boys did, content with water 
 pottage, buttermilk, and jannock, till he was between thirteen 
 
76 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 and fourteen years of age, when Providence began to smile on 
 him in his advancement to a pair of Dutch looms, when he 
 met with treacle to his pottage, and sometimes a little in his 
 buttermilk, or thinly spread on his jannock." The recol- 
 lection of the biting poverty of his father's house still edged 
 his teeth when he drew this Book of Heads, and the most 
 popular composition it contains is, that of " The Pluralist and 
 the Old Soldier." This plate is dated as having been designed 
 and engraved by the author in 1770, and published with 
 the others in May, 1773. It is accompanied by verses 
 stating that 
 
 A soldier maimed and in the Beggar's list, 
 Did thus address a well-fed Pluralist. 
 
 Soldier. At Guadaloupe my Leg and Thigh I lost, 
 No Pension have I, tho' its Right I boast ; 
 Your Reverence please some Charity bestow, 
 Hev'n will pay double when you're there you know. 
 
 Pluralist. Hev'n pay me double ! Vagrants know that I 
 Ne'er give to Strollers ; they're so apt to lye : 
 Your Parish and some Work would you become, 
 So haste aw^y or Constable's your Doom. 
 
 There is more to the same purpose. These lines are 
 quoted because the entire poem was printed as the descrip- 
 tion of a satirical print, with the same title, published by 
 M. Darly, in 1766, four years earlier than the date assigned 
 for his " invention" by Collier. From his letters he appears 
 to have been painting this picture in 1767. This leads us 
 to speak of the origin of the book. 
 
Tim Bobbin as an Artist. 77 
 
 Collier was a free-living man, eagerly [looking out for 
 means to cure 
 
 That eternal want of peace 
 Which vexes public men. 
 
 Accordingly, he painted altar pieces and tavern signs, but 
 chiefly grotesque heads, which he sold to innkeepers and 
 others. Many of them, it is said, were exported to the colonies. 
 It may serve to show the appreciation of art in Lancashire to 
 say that Collier advertises in his book that: "Gentle- 
 men, &c., may have Plate or Plates, Painted on Canvas or 
 Pasteboard as large as the life, from 55. to 155. a head, by 
 sending their Orders to the Author, near Rochdale." 
 
 The following extract from the Westmorland Advertiser 
 and Kendal Chronicle of July 2nd, 1825, will show that the 
 profession was hereditary : " Same day (i.e. the 28th ult.) at 
 Rochdale, in his 82nd year, Mr. Thomas Collier, painter, 
 second son of the late John Collier, alias Tim Bobbin, Author 
 of the " Lancashire Dialect," " Remarks on the History of 
 Manchester," &c., being the last of the male branch of the 
 above family ; formerly many years resident in the town of 
 Penrith, in the county of Cumberland." 
 
 The steady sale which these pictures met with suggested 
 the idea of engraving them, and the result was their 
 publication in one volume. The " Human Passions 
 Delineated" appeared first in 1772, and the book was re- 
 printed in 1773, 1810, 1811, 1820, 1846, 1858, and 1874. 
 The later editions are from the original plates, but they are 
 considerably the worse for wear. The designs for the most 
 part are grotesque and farcical often outstepping the 
 
78 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 modesty of nature, and sometimes mere monstrous libels 
 upon humanity. There are occasional glimpses of better 
 things, but the work is valuable not for artistic merit, 
 which is almost wholly wanting, but for the glimpses it gives 
 of the life of Lancashire a hundred years ago. The picture 
 is not a pleasant one, and suggests an age drunken, un- 
 clean, cynical, and coarse. Undoubtedly there is much of 
 caricature in it, for sodden clowns, lecherous justices, simon- 
 iacal parsons, lustful priests, cowardly generals, foolish men, 
 and women sometimes immodest, and always ungraceful, 
 make up Collier's pictorial world. 
 
ANN LEE, 
 
 THE MANCHESTER PROPHETESS. 
 
 And lean-look'd prophets whisper fearful change. Shakspere. 
 
 THE Shakers, whose communistic villages are amongst 
 the curiosities of America, owe their origin to a Man- 
 chester woman. Prophets are proverbially unhonoured in 
 their own country. The smoky air of Manchester stifled the 
 religious genius of Ann Lee ; the boundless freedom of the 
 New World was needed for its luxuriant growth. On the 
 2 Qth of February, 1736, the family of John Lee, a black- 
 smith, living in Toad Lane (a name since euphemised into 
 Todd Street), was increased by the advent of a little stranger, 
 to whom the name of Ann was given. Mr. John Owen has 
 kindly given me the following extracts from the Register of 
 Baptisms at the Cathedral : 1734, April 16, Nancy, d. of 
 John Lees; 1735, Jan. n, Peter, son of John Lee; 1737, 
 June 12, Betty, d. of John Lee; 1737, Aug. 21, Joseph, s. 
 to John Lees; 1738, April 16, Thomas, s. to John Lees; 
 1741, May 10, Katherine, d. of John Leigh; 1741, June, 
 Joseph, s. of John Lees, blacksmith ; 1742, April 4, William, 
 
8o Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 s. of John Lees ; 1742, June i, ANNE, d. of John Lee, was 
 privately baptised ; 1742, Feb. 13, Mary, d. of John Lees, 
 taylor; 1743, Sept. 29, Sara, d. of John and Sarah Lee; 
 1743, Oct. 9, WILLIAM, s. of John Lees, blacksmith; 1746, 
 May, 4, Alice, d. of John Lees ; 1749, March 26, George, s. 
 of John Lees, blacksmith. Like the family records of more 
 aristocratic houses, it is difficult to sort out the different 
 branches of the Lees, but the prophetess and her brother 
 are clearly distinguishable. 
 
 From the fact that she was privately " christened " when 
 six years old, we may perhaps infer that some serious illness 
 threatened her young life. According to Shaker biography, 
 Ann's parents were hardworking, God fearing folk, who 
 brought up five sons and three daughters in the best way 
 they could as far as their light allowed them. Another state- 
 ment would make it appear that the family were better 
 connected than might have been supposed from their poor 
 estate. One of her uncles is said by Brown to have been a 
 sheriff of London and an alderman of "Aldgate Ward." The 
 same writer states, inaccurately, that General Charles Lee 
 was also her father's brother. 
 
 The schoolmaster was not abroad, and children were 
 packed off into the fields or the workroom instead of being 
 sent to master the mysteries of the " three R's." So Ann, 
 we are told, was first employed in a cotton factory, then be- 
 came a cutter of hatter's fur, and afterwards a cook in the 
 Manchester Infirmary, " where she was distinguished for her 
 neatness, faithfulness, and good economy." Her ways were 
 not those of other children, she lacked their keen joyfulness, 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 81 
 
 she was " serious and thoughtful," inclined to religious medi- 
 tations, and "often favoured with heavenly 'visions.'" In 
 1758 she became a member of a sect called Shakers, who 
 were " under the ministration of Jane and James Wardley, 
 formerly of the Quaker order," but who had left that body 
 about 1747. 
 
 The Manchester Shakers appear to have been a remnant 
 of the "French Prophets," who came into England about 
 1706. Charles Owen, in a work printed in 1712, alludes to 
 the secret meetings of some "prophets" in Manchester, and 
 to some providential check which they received. In their 
 fits of religious enthusiasm, when the Spirit entered into 
 them, they were seized with violent tremblings, and their 
 contortions gained them the nickname of Shakers. Wardley 
 was a tailor, who removed from Bolton to Cannon Street, 
 Manchester, where he lived with John Townley, a well-to-do 
 bricklayer. Jane Wardley, in the Shaker belief, was "evidently 
 the spirit of John the Baptist, or Elias, operating in the female 
 line, to prepare the way for the second appearing of Christ, 
 in the order of the female." The testimony of this woman 
 and her followers, according to what they saw by vision and 
 revelation from God was "that the second appearing of 
 Christ was at hand, and that the Church was rising in her 
 full and transcendant glory, which would effect the final 
 downfall of antichrist." Another of the Shakers was John 
 Kattis, who was considered by them to be a good scholar. 
 He did not long retain his faith. (Brown^ p. 312.) 
 
 Four years after joining this society, which numbered 
 about thirty people, Ann Lee was married. The entry in 
 
82 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the Cathedral registry is " 1762, Jan. 5, Abraham Standerin, 
 blacksmith, and Ann Lees, married." James Shepherd and 
 Thomas Hulme, signed as witnesses, but both bride and 
 bridegroom affixed their marks, being unable to write. 
 There is a pencil note in a copy of one of Robert Owen's 
 publications in the Manchester Free Library, which states 
 that she lived in Church Street, where Philip's warehouse 
 now stands. The press mark of this tract is 17316 (63E. 
 1 2 7). The Shaker books, however, state, that after the 
 marriage the young couple lived in the house of the bride's 
 father in Toad Lane, during the time they remained in 
 England. The Shaker biography gives the husband's name 
 as Stanley, and states that four children were born unto 
 them, who all died in infancy. To one of these the follow- 
 ing entry from the Cathedral Burial Registry no doubt refers : 
 "1766, Oct. 7, Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham Standley." 
 At the birth of her last child, forceps had to be used, and 
 after the delivery, she lay for several hours apparently dead. 
 {Brown, p. 312.) Her husband, it is said, was a drunkard, 
 and treated her unkindly. 
 
 In 1766 the Shaker society was joined by John Hocknell, 
 brother of Mrs. Townley, in whose house Jane Wardley 
 lived. Hocknell was a substantial farmer near Maretown in 
 Cheshire, and being zealous for the new faith, he gathered 
 some of the poorer members into his own house, and there 
 supported them. His wife, Hannah, not relishing this large 
 accession of prophets, complained to her kindred (the 
 Dickins family), and her three brothers sought the assistance 
 of a magistrate, and " had John put in prison at Middlewich, 
 
Ann Lee, tJie MancJiester Prophetess. 83 
 
 four miles from his own house." He escaped from tribula- 
 tion without any danger, and was rewarded by the conversion 
 of his wife, who " became a member of society and continued 
 through all the increase of the work, till she departed this 
 life, in America, sound in the faith of the Gospel, A.D. 
 1797." (Testimony, p. 616.) They used frequently to 
 meet " at John Partington's in Mayor-town [Maretown], as 
 they passed and repassed from Manchester to John 
 Hocknell's." 
 
 The small band of believers were looking for the Second 
 Advent, and there seems to have been an impression amongst 
 them that the Messiah would appear in the form of a woman. 
 It had been said of old that the Lord would shake not the 
 earth only, but also heaven. " The effects of Christ's first 
 appearing," says the Shaker Testimony, "were far from 
 fulfilling those promises in their full extent, for in reality 
 that heaven which was to be shaken, had not yet been 
 built, neither did the appearing of Christ in the form of a 
 man fulfil the desire of all nations. But a second appear- 
 ing was to be manifested in woman, which completed the 
 desire of all nations, by the revelation of the Mother 
 Spirit in Christ, an emanation from the eternal Mother." 
 Creed these people do not appear to have had, simply a 
 strong conviction that the great day of the Lord was at hand, 
 and that he would reveal himself in the flesh and lead his 
 people to that peace which he had promised them of old. 
 
 Amongst this band of simple enthusiasts, the ignorant 
 blacksmith's daughter began to exert a powerful influence. 
 She is described as being of medium height and well-pro- 
 
84 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 portioned. Her fair complexion was lit up by blue eyes, 
 and set off by brown chestnut hair, whilst her mild counte- 
 nance wore an aspect habitually grave. Altogether a 
 solemn-looking, lowly-born, "fair saint." Wifely and 
 motherly cares did not fill up the measure of her life, and 
 the loss of her children may have intensified the morbid 
 enthusiasm to which at all ages she would seem to have been 
 subjected. She was a "seeker after salvation," and, passing 
 through a period of mental struggles, doubts, and perplexities, 
 she " was born into the spiritual kingdom." This new stage 
 of her intellectual history was marked by the evolution of 
 the doctrine that complete celibacy was the true order of 
 the world and essential to individual salvation. She con- 
 sidered it her duty to cry down the " fleshly lusts which war 
 against the soul," and, according to the Shaker book, was 
 imprisoned in consequence. Although the increase of the 
 population was considered a matter of importance, it is 
 scarcely likely that the constables of Manchester would put 
 the mother of four children into jail for preaching celibacy, 
 and accordingly we find it stated further on that the charge 
 against them was that of Sabbath-breaking. There can be 
 no doubt that the dancing, shouting, shaking, "speaking 
 with new tongues," and all the other wild evidences of re- 
 ligious fervour exhibited by Ann and her fellow-believers, 
 would be exceedingly distasteful to her neighbours and lead 
 to occasional displays of brutal intolerance. 
 
 It may not unnaturally be asked why, if Ann Lee was the 
 woman chosen to proclaim the gospel of celibacy, she should 
 herself have entered into the bonds of matrimony. She 
 
Ann Lee y the Manchester Prophetess. 85 
 
 became a Shaker in 1758, and a wife in 1762. Clearly she 
 was then unconscious of her great mission. This is con- 
 fessed, for we are told that, although " from her childhood 
 she had great light and conviction of the sinfulness and 
 depravity of human nature," yet, " not having attained that 
 knowledge of God, which she early desired , . . , 
 she, being prevailed upon by the earnest solicitations of 
 her relations and acquaintances, yielded reluctantly, was 
 married, and had four children, all of whom died in 
 infancy." The cause of her marriage, it will be seen, was 
 that which has deluged the world with mediocre poetry the 
 solicitation of her friends. 
 
 The date of her first imprisonment is said to have been 
 the year 1770, and, whilst "in bonds," her soul was glad- 
 dened by seeing " Jesus Christ in open vision, who revealed 
 to her the most astonishing views of Divine manifestations 
 of truth, in which she had a perfect and clear view of the 
 mystery and iniquity, the root and foundation of all human 
 depravity, and of the very act of transgression committed 
 by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden." Brown says, 
 that in 1771 she became head of the Society, who joined 
 with her in a " testimony against the lust of the flesh ; " she 
 was taken from a meeting and placed in a dungeon, next 
 day sent to Bedlam, but after some weeks discharged. 
 (p. 312.) From this time her followers gave her the name 
 of " Mother Ann," and looked upon her as the female com- 
 plement of the risen Christ ; or, to quote the exact words of 
 Shakers " from the light and power of God, which attended 
 her ministry, and the certain power of salvation transmitted 
 
86 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 to those who received her testimony, she was received and 
 acknowledged as the first Mother, or spiritual Parent in the 
 line of the female, and the second Heir in the covenant of 
 life, according to the present display of the gospel." (Tes- 
 timony -, p. 620.) 
 
 If the Shakers endured much cruelty from zealous Sabba- 
 tarians, it must be admitted that they were not eager to 
 avoid giving offence. Thus the Manchester Mercury of 
 July 2oth, 1773, tells us : " Saturday last ended the Quarter 
 Sessions, when John Townley, John Jackson, Betty Lees, 
 and Ann Lees (Shakers), for going into Christ Church, in 
 Manchester, and there wilfully and contemptuously, in the 
 time of Divine service, disturbing the congregation then 
 assembled at morning prayers in the said church, were 
 severally fined ^"20 each." Very probably the non-pay- 
 ment of this fine would be the cause of one of Mother Ann's 
 imprisonments. On one occasion, according to Elder Evans 
 and other Shaker writers, " she was dragged out of the 
 meeting by a mob, and cast into a prison in Manchester. 
 They put her in a cell so small that she could not straighten 
 herself, and with the design of starving her to death, kept 
 her there fourteen days without food; nor was the door 
 opened during all that time. She had nothing to eat or 
 drink, except some wine and milk mixed, put into the bowl 
 of a tobacco-pipe, and conveyed to her, by inserting the 
 stem through the keyhole, once every twenty-four hours. 
 This was done by James Whittaker, when a boy, whom 
 Mother Ann brought up." This is a marvellous narrative, 
 and our Shaker friends must excuse our incredulity. It was 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 87 
 
 never either law or custom to starve people to death for 
 Sabbath-breaking. The nearest parallel we can find is that 
 of the Puritan, who 
 
 Hanged his cat on the Monday, 
 For killing a mouse upon Sunday. 
 
 Again, a cell with a keyhole looking into the street, is not a 
 likely arrangement. In point of fact, in the House of Correc- 
 tion, which served as a jail, before the erection of New Bailey, 
 the prisoners were not on the ground-floor at all, but a story 
 higher, and it was a common thing for their friends to pass 
 food through the window gratings to the caged birds inside. 
 This arrangement is shown in the engraving which appears 
 in Proctor's " Memorials of Manchester Streets," p. 13. It is 
 copied from a drawing by Thomas Barritt, and represents 
 the House of Correction as it was about 1776. The older 
 prison on the bridge was doubtless a much worse place, but 
 it will not agree any better with the story. The approx- 
 imate date of Mother Ann's first imprisonment is given as 
 1770. This semi-miracle is as an example of the law of 
 development. It is not always one has a chance of assisting 
 at the birth of a myth. 
 
 At another time she was rescued from the raging multitude 
 by a " nobleman," who, living at some distance, " was re- 
 markably wrought upon in his mind" to go to a certain 
 place, which he did, riding "as if it had been to save his 
 own life." According to Elder Evans, the mob once took 
 her before four clergymen and charged her with blasphemy, 
 but she spoke before them " for four hours of the wonderful 
 
88 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 works of God," and "they testified that she had spoken in 
 seventy-two different tongues." Without wishing to dis- 
 parage the linguistic powers of the English clergy of a 
 hundred years ago, it may be remarked that an average of 
 eighteen languages, exclusive of duplicates, is rather too 
 liberal an allowance for four people. The mob, we are 
 further told, took Ann and three of her followers into a valley 
 outside the town, with the intention of stoning them to death ; 
 they threw the stones, but did not succeed in hitting the 
 fair saint," and fell to quarrelling amongst themselves, so 
 she escaped. According to Dr. Dwight she claimed the title 
 of Ann the Word. He adds, that she was confined in a 
 madhouse. The Shaker biography represents her as having 
 been a cook at the Manchester Infirmary, and as this was at 
 that time also a Lunatic Hospital, both statements may be 
 correct. " For two years previous to their leaving England, 
 persecution entirely ceased," says Elder Evans. We have 
 seen that they were in trouble in July, 1773, and "on the 
 1 9th of May, 1774, Mother Ann, Abraham Stanley (her 
 husband), William Lee, James Whittaker, John Hocknell, 
 Richard Hocknell, James Shepherd (perhaps the witness ' 
 of the marriage), Mary Partington, and Nancy Lee, em- 
 barked for America." The captain was annoyed at their 
 queer religious exercises, and threatened to throw some of 
 them overboard, but a storm springing up, the Shakers 
 assured the seamen that they would not be wrecked although 
 the ship had sprung a leak. They landed at New York, 
 August 6th, 1774. The departure of the young prophetess 
 led to the collapse of the Shakers in Manchester. James and 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 89 
 
 Jane Wardley left the house of their benefactor Townley, 
 and soon found a resting place in the almshouse, where 
 they died; and the other members of the society "who 
 remained in England, being without lead, or protection, 
 generally lost their power, and fell into the common course 
 and practice of the world." (Testimony, p. 621.) 
 
 The object of this Shaker emigration is by no means clear. 
 They did not at once form themselves into a colony, but 
 divided in search of employment. Abraham Stanley not 
 being a convert to the celibate creed, soon " married " 
 another woman. It is grievous to learn that Abraham never 
 was accounted entirely orthodox. His was a very difficult 
 part to play. The husband of a celibate prophetess would 
 need more discretion than one could expect from a black- 
 smith who could not write his own name. He must have 
 had some faith in her, or would scarcely have crossed the 
 water along with her other disciples. He appears to have 
 maintained an outward conformity to the new faith, and the 
 final cause of his backsliding was a severe sickness, which 
 he suffered in 1775. Through this illness, we are told, 
 Mother Ann nursed him with every possible care. Whilst 
 convalescent, and before strong enough to return to work, 
 he began to frequent public houses, and there made ship- 
 wreck of his faith, in the manner already indicated. 
 
 Shortly after Mother Ann removed to Albany, and thence 
 to the place then called Neuskenna, but now known as 
 Watervliet. This spot they are said to have selected by the 
 advice of some Quakers in New York, to whom they applied 
 for counsel. (Brown, p. 315.) Here the scattered believers 
 
Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 united, and a "religious revival" having commenced at 
 Lebanon, N.Y., in 1780, the Shakers increased in number, 
 but were greatly persecuted on account of their testimony 
 against war and oath-taking. A number of them, including 
 Mother Ann, were arrested at Albany. They would not take 
 the oath, because "the Spirit of Christ, which they had within 
 them, both disposed and enabled them to keep every just 
 law, without any external obligation." ( Testimony ^ p. 625.) 
 Their imprisonment was not of a very harsh nature, for their 
 disciples were allowed access to them, and also permitted to 
 minister "freely to their necessities." Through the prison 
 gratings the captive prophets sometimes preached to listening 
 crowds. The problem of disposing of their prisoners seems 
 to have puzzled those who had placed them in jail. Mother 
 Ann and Mary Partington were separated from the rest, and 
 conveyed to the prison at Poughkeepsie. It is said, by 
 Shaker writers, that the intention was to place her on board 
 a vessel which was loading with supplies for the British army, 
 then at New York. This is to say at least very improbable. 
 (Testimony ', p. 626.) 
 
 At last the treatment of these strange people was reported 
 to the governor, George Clinton, and as there seemed to be 
 no probability that the strong argument of a prison house 
 would overcome their repugnance to bearing arms and 
 taking oaths, he ordered the release of all those who were in 
 bonds at Albany. Upon their release, about the 2oth of 
 December, they represented to him the case of Mother Ann, 
 whose freedom took place about the end of the year. Their 
 general opposition was mistaken for a special aversion to the 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 91 
 
 war of the revolution, and their refusal to take oaths was 
 construed into a feeling in favour of the British arms ; so 
 that the alleged motive for their imprisonment at Albany 
 was that of high treason in communicating with the British 
 lines. There was no evidence in support of this charge, and 
 hence her release by Governor Clinton. (Drake's American 
 iog., Art. LEE.) Twenty years after this event the Governor 
 visited the settlement at New Lebanon, and expressed to the 
 believers there his satisfaction at having released their spiritual 
 Mother from durance vile. (Testimony, p. 626.) 
 
 In 1781, Mother Ann and the elders went forth upon a 
 missionary tour, visiting the believers wherever they were 
 known, and preaching their peculiar doctrines wherever an 
 opportunity occurred. They gained a number of converts 
 at Harvard, Massachusetts, amongst the " Shadrach Irelands," 
 so named from Shadrach Ireland, their leader. These people 
 had renounced their wives ; but as soon as they became per- 
 fectly free from sin, they might " marry spiritual wives, from 
 whom were to proceed holy children, which were to con- 
 stitute the New Jerusalem or Millennium." The chief of 
 the sect had put away his own and taken a spiritual wife. 
 He said he should not die ; or if he did, he should rise again 
 on the third day. He did die, but he did not rise again on 
 the third day. " In these journeys," say the Shaker Testi- 
 mony, " they were much persecuted and abused by the 
 wicked oppressors of the truth," being sometimes whipped 
 out of the towns. 
 
 What the world thought of this mission will be seen from 
 the statements made to Dr. Dwight : " In this excursion, 
 
92 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 she is said to have collected from her followers all their 
 plate, ear-rings, and other ornaments which were formed of 
 silver, gold, or gems." Dr. D wight further says : " This 
 woman has laboured under very serious imputations. In a 
 book, published by Mr. Rathbone, he mentions that he 
 found her, and one of these elders in very suspicious cir- 
 cumstances. She professed that she was inspired ; that 
 she carried on a continual intercourse with the invisible 
 world, and talked familiarly with angels. She predicted in 
 the boldest terms, that the world would be destroyed at a 
 given time: if I remember right, the year 1783. During 
 the interval between the prophecy and its expected fulfil- 
 ment, she directed them to cease from their common 
 occupations. The direction was implicitly obeyed. As 
 the earth, however, presented no appearance of dissolution, 
 and the sky no signs of a conflagration, it was discovered 
 that the prophecy had been miscalculated ; and her follow- 
 ers were ordered again to their employments. From that 
 period they have been eminently industrious." 
 
 Thomas Brown, who had been a member of their society, 
 accuses Ann Lee of being peevish, and repeatedly getting 
 intoxicated; and brings the latter charge also against her 
 brother William. He says, that before 1793, "the men and 
 women, on a variety of occasions, danced naked ; " and 
 that twice, at least, Mother Ann, her brother, and James 
 Whittaker, indulged in a free fight. It would perhaps be 
 unfair to accept all the scandal which Brown chronicles. 
 After repeated denials, however, he obtained an acknowledg- 
 ment that naked dancing had been formerly practised. Flagel- 
 
Ann Lee, tJte Manchester Prophetess. 93 
 
 lation was practised by the Shaker converts. A man whose 
 daughter had thus been scourged, prosecuted the elder who 
 had inflicted the punishment. Her sister was summoned as 
 a witness. " She went to Whittaker, and asked him what 
 she should say." He answered "Speak the truth, and 
 spare the truth ; and take care not to bring the gospel into 
 disrepute." Accordingly she testified that her sister was 
 not naked. She was justified in giving this testimony, 
 because her sister had a fillet on her hair ! 
 
 Soon after the return from their journeyings in the eastern 
 states, the little community lost one of its lights. We have 
 seen that Mother Ann's husband refused to bear the Shaker 
 cross, but her brother, William Lee, was a firm believer in 
 his sister's mission. We are told that he was a gay young 
 man, who had been an " officer " in the Oxford Blues. He 
 carried to the grave the scars of wounds received in defend- 
 ing her, and in some respects resembled her, especially in hav- 
 ing " visions." Like many other of the Lancashire artisans he 
 had a good voice, which would be of service amongst those 
 who " praise the Lord with dance and song." He died July 
 2ist, 1784, aged forty-four years. Brown thus describes him 
 (P- 3 2 3) " Elder William Lee seldom travelled to gain prose- 
 lytes, being severe in his temper and harsh in his manners ; 
 his preaching was not fraught with that mildness and urban- 
 ity, which is necessary to draw the attention and win the 
 affection of the hearers, and render a man beloved. It once 
 happened, as he was speaking to a public congregation, one 
 of the spectators, a young man, behaved with levity and 
 disrespect ; upon this, Lee took him by the throat and shook 
 
94 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 him, saying, " when I was in England, I was sergeant in the 
 king's life-guard, and could then use my fists; but now, 
 since I have received the gospel, I must patiently bear all 
 abuse, and suffer my shins to be kicked by every little 
 boy ; but I will have you know that the power of God will 
 defend our cause." 
 
 Her followers had proclaimed Mother Ann immortal, but 
 to her also came the grim king. She died at Watervliet, on 
 the 8th day of Sept., 1784, aged forty-eight years and six 
 months. Whatever we may think of her peculiar religious 
 theories, she certainly seems to have inculcated industry and 
 benevolence by shrewd maxims, which were, however, little 
 more than platitudes. Her piety, as shown in the Shaker 
 book, seems to have been eminently practical. " To a sister 
 she said, 'Be faithful to keep the Gospel; be neat and 
 industrious ; keep your family's clothes clean and decent,' 
 &c. Further, * Little children are innocent, and they should 
 never be brought out of it. If brought up in simplicity 
 they would receive good as easy as evil. Never speak to 
 them in a passion ; it will put devils into them. . . Do 
 all your work as though you had a thousand years to live, 
 and as though you were going to die to-morrow.' " 
 
 On the death of Mother Ann the leadership devolved upon 
 James Whittaker, who "was freely acknowledged by the 
 whole society as their elder." Whittaker was born at 
 Oldham, Feb. 28th, 1751, and is thought to have been a 
 relative of Ann Lee, as his own mother bore the same name. 
 His parents were members of the Shaker society under Jane 
 and James Wardley, and he was brought up under the care 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 95 
 
 of Mother Ann, and was the one who is said to have 
 succoured her when in prison, in the manner already des- 
 cribed. Father James, as he was styled, died at the early 
 age of thirty-seven. 
 
 In 1786, Ann Lee, the neice of the foundress, abandoned 
 the celibate order to marry Richard Hocknell, probably a 
 son of John Hocknell, one of the original emigrant band. 
 Partington also left the society, but was helped by it in his 
 declining years, notwithstanding this backsliding. 
 
 Mother Ann prophesied that James Whittaker would suc- 
 ceed her in the ministry, but this seems hardly to have been 
 the case. Father James no doubt influenced the society, 
 but it was an American convert, Joseph Meacham, who 
 became its leader, and organised it on that basis of commu- 
 nity of labour and property which now forms its most 
 distinguishing feature. " His gift of Divine revelation was 
 deeper than that of any other person, excepting Mother 
 Ann." It was he who introduced the greater part of the 
 " spiritualist " portion of the Shaker creed and doctrine. 
 Meacham was succeeded by a female, Lucy Wright, but we 
 need not farther follow the history of the sect. Its interest 
 for us centres in its English origin. 
 
 In the New England travels of the celebrated Dr. Dwight, 
 he gives an account of a visit, made in 1799, to the Shaker 
 colony at New Lebanon : " It consists," he says, " of a 
 small number of houses, moderately well-built, and kept, 
 both within and without doors, in a manner very creditable 
 to the occupants. Everything about them was clean and 
 tidy. Their church, a plain, but neat building, had a 
 
96 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 courtyard belonging to it, which was remarkably 'smooth 
 shaven green.' Two paths led to it from a neighbouring 
 house, both paved with marble slabs. By these, I was 
 informed, the men enter one end of the church, and the 
 women the other." 
 
 Their claims to miraculous powers he justly ridicules. 
 They told him that they had restored the broken limb of a 
 youth who then lived at Enfield, but, on enquiry, he found 
 that the use of the limb was lost and the patient's health 
 ruined. The Shaker Testimony contains several cases in 
 which believers had received " a gift of healing." It is not 
 necessary to detail these cases. They are not of great 
 importance, and if we consider the curative powers of the 
 imagination when under the influence of superstitious excite- 
 ment, it will be possible to account for at least some of them 
 without accusing the elders of the church of intentional 
 deception. 
 
 On being present at one of their meetings for worship, 
 Dr. Dwight was told that both words and tune were inspired. 
 The tune was Nancy Daw son ; and the sounds "which they 
 made, and which they called language could not be words, 
 because they were not articulated. One of the women 
 replied, 'How dost thee know but that we speak the 
 Hotmatot language? The language of the Hotmatots is 
 said to be made up of such words.'" He challenged 
 them to speak in Greek, Latin, or French, but they prudently- 
 kept silent. 
 
 Brown speaks thus on this topic "Respecting such as 
 speak in an unknown tongue, they have strong faith in this 
 
Ann Lee, tJie Manchester Prophetess. 97 
 
 gift ; and think a person greatly favoured who has the gift 
 of tongues; and at certain times when the mind is over- 
 loaded with a fiery, strong zeal, it must have vent some 
 way or other : their faith, or belief at the time being in this 
 gift, and a will strikes the mind according to their faith ; 
 and then such break out in a fiery, energetic manner, and 
 speak they know not what, as I have done several times. 
 Part of what I spake at one time, was ' Liero devo jiran- 
 kemango, ad fileabano, durem, subramo, deviranto dia- 
 cerimango, Jaffa vah pe cu evanegalio ; de vom grom seb 
 crinom, as vare cremo domo.' When a person runs on 
 in this manner of speaking for any length of time, I now 
 thought it probable that he would strike into different 
 languages, and give some words in each their right pro- 
 nunciation : as I have heard some men of learning, who 
 have been present, say, a few words were Hebrew, three or 
 four of Greek, and a few Latin." 
 
 From 1785 until the close of the century, Shakerism ex- 
 erted very little propagandist influence; but in 1801 came 
 the Kentucky Revival, by which the infant church was con- 
 siderably enlarged. Since then its progress has steadily, if 
 slowly, increased, and at the present time is an object of 
 great curiosity to outsiders. 
 
 The census of the United States supplies some meagre 
 details respecting the Church organisation of the Shakers. 
 In 1850 there were eleven churches, capable of accommo- 
 dating 5,150 persons, and owning $39,500 of property. In 
 1860 there were twelve churches, which would hold 5,200 
 persons; the property of the church was $41,000. In 1870 
 
98 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 there were eighteen distinct Shaker organisations, possessing 
 eighteen church edifices, capable of seating 8,850 persons ; 
 the wealth of the church was $86,900. These Shaker com- 
 munities are found in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, 
 Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and Ohio. 
 
 The most important of the Shaker villages is that at New 
 Lebanon. A few passages, condensed from the account of 
 a visit by the correspondent of an illustrated paper to this 
 place, may be permitted : 
 
 It is a great mistake to suppose that, like Romish monks 
 and nuns, they shut themselves completely out of the world, 
 and are unwilling that "publicans and sinners" should 
 penetrate to their retreats and observe their manner of life. 
 No people, as we can personally testify, are more hospitable, 
 or welcome outsiders with greater apparent pleasure. They 
 will readily show you over their establishments; they will 
 freely explain to you their rules and regulations, taking care 
 to point out the reasons for them ; and they will even admit 
 you to their meetings and religious ceremonies. Of course 
 the man of the world is inclined to ridicule the grotesque 
 postures and movements which he sees in their chapels ; but 
 there is someting so quaint, simple, and sincere in their de- 
 votions, that even if a sense of their propriety did not check 
 the smile or sneer, a sense of respect for their earnestness 
 would. At Mount Lebanon there are three separate soci- 
 eties within sight of each other : they are called the " North 
 Family," "Church Family," and "Second Family." The 
 word " family " betrays the chief social characteristic of the 
 sect. Fancy a hundred men and women living together, 
 
Ann Lee, the Manctiester Prophetess. 99 
 
 enjoying all things, from the acres of the mutual estate, to 
 the hats, thimbles, and books, in common : no one person 
 owning a title of property himself, for his own particular use 
 and enjoyment ; each labouring for all the others, and for 
 the common weal ; working and taking pleasure in common, 
 confessing to each other, worshipping together ! Neither do 
 the Shakers marry, nor are they given in marriage. They 
 live a strictly celibate life. We are told of husbands and 
 wives who have been converted to Shakerism, who have 
 lived for years in close married communion, and who, having 
 entered the fold of "Believers," separate their bond, live 
 apart each in the quarter of his or her sex, and, seeing each 
 other every day, can only meet and converse as all the other 
 brethren and sisters do. (See Graphic, yth May, 1870.) 
 
 Shakers are fully aware of their lowly commencement. 
 " The first in America who received the testimony of the 
 Gospel were satisfied that it was the truth of God against 
 all sin, and that in faithful obedience thereunto, they should 
 find that salvation and deliverance from the power of sin 
 for which they sincerely panted. And being made par- 
 takers of the glorious liberty of the sons of God, it was a 
 matter of no importance with them from whence the means 
 of their deliverance came, whether from a stable in Beth- 
 lehem or from Toad Lane in Manchester." (Testimony, 
 p. 609.) 
 
 From this humble origin has sprung one of the most 
 interesting and peculiar of the phenomena of the New World. 
 "By their works ye shall know them." The testimony of 
 travellers is very strongly in favour of the Shakers. They 
 
ioo Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 are known as an honest and industrious people throughout 
 the States. With an entire absence of those compelling 
 forces which ensure a modicum of work and order in the 
 outside world, the " Believers " have greatly surpassed in 
 peace and industry those of the outside world. " Order, 
 temperance, frugality, worship these," says Mr. Hepworth 
 Dixon, "are the Shaker things which strike upon your senses 
 first ; the peace and innocence of Eden, when contrasted 
 with the wrack and riot of New York." They are capital 
 agriculturalists, and have a reputation for thoroughness in 
 all their industrial occupations. Every man has a trade ;. 
 every man and woman works with his hands for the good of 
 the community. 
 
 The doctrine of celibacy has already been mentioned. 
 Elder Frederick Evans, according to Mr. Dixon's report, says 
 "that they do not hold that a celibate life is right in every 
 place and in every society at all times; and they consider that 
 for a male and female priesthood, such as they hold them- 
 selves to be, as respects the world, this temptation is to be 
 put away." This is scarcely historically orthodox, or why 
 should Ann Lee have raised her voice against the sexual law 
 in the streets of Manchester? The Shakers, like the 
 Quakers, have toned down. To-day they seek no converts, 
 but wait for the Spirit of God to bring people into their fold. 
 They are not the fiery missioners of a century ago. They 
 look now for increase to those cycles of religious enthusiasm 
 which sweep over some portions of English and American 
 society from time to time, and are known as revivals. 
 
 Their communistic views have also been named. Proba- 
 
Ann Lee, the Marictietter Prophetess. 101 
 
 tioners are allowed to retain their private possessions, but the 
 Covenanters have all things in common. 
 
 As might have been expected from their history, they 
 firmly believe in the possibility of intercourse with the world 
 of spirits. For them there is no death. The departed 
 surround them in every action of life. They are living in 
 " resurrection order," the seen and the unseen in daily com- 
 munion. Ann Lee is not dead, she has merely withdrawn 
 behind a veil, and her followers can speak with her as when 
 she inhabited a tabernacle of flesh. 
 
 There is a charm about these mysterious people, offspring 
 though they are of ignorance, credulity, and undisciplined 
 enthusiasm. They have impressed many minds by their 
 seemingly passionless existence, their abstinence and industry, 
 and by their claims of being able to pierce that darkness 
 which hides from us the loved and lost. 
 
 These feelings have been well expressed in some lines 
 which appeared in the Knickerbocker years ago, and were 
 suggested to their writer, Charlotte Cushman, by a visit to 
 the settlement near Albany : 
 
 Mysterious worshippers ! 
 Are you indeed the things that seem to be 
 Of earth yet of its iron influence free 
 
 From all that stirs 
 
 Our being's pulse, and gives to fleeting life 
 What well the Hun has termed "the rapture of the strife?" 
 
 Are the gay visions gone, 
 
 Those day-dreams of the mind, by fate there flung, 
 And the fair hopes to which the soul once clung, 
 
IO2 Lancashire 'Gleanings. 
 
 And battled on ; 
 
 Have ye outlived them ? all that must have sprung 
 And quicken'd into life, when ye were young ? 
 
 Does memory never roam 
 To ties that, grown with years, ye idly sever, 
 To the old haunts that ye have left for ever 
 
 Your early homes ? 
 
 Your ancient creed, once faith's sustaining lever, 
 The love who erst prayed with you now may never ? 
 
 Has not ambition's pean 
 Some power within your hearts to wake anew 
 To deeds of higher emprise worthier you, 
 
 Ye monkish men, 
 
 Than may be reaped from fields ? Do ye not rue 
 The drone-like course of life ye now pursue? 
 
 The camp the council all 
 That woos the soldier to the field of fame 
 That gives the sage his meed the bard his name 
 
 And coronal 
 
 Bidding a people's voice their praise proclaim ? 
 Can ye forego the strife, nor own your shame? 
 
 Have ye forgot your youth, 
 When expectation soared on pinions high, 
 And hope shone out on boyhood's cloudless -sky, 
 
 Seeming all truth 
 
 When all looked fair to fancy's ardent eye, 
 And pleasure wore an air of sorcery ? 
 
 You, too ! What early blight 
 Has withered your fond hopes, that ye thus stand 
 A group of sisters, 'mong this monkish band ? 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 103 
 
 Ye creatures bright ! 
 
 Has sorrow scored your brows with demon hand, 
 Or o'er your hopes passed treachery's burning brand ? 
 
 Ye would have graced right well 
 The bridal scene, the banquet, or the bowers 
 Where mirth and revelry usurp the hours 
 
 Where, like a spell, 
 
 Beauty is sovereign where man owns its powers, 
 And woman's tread is o'er a path of flowers. 
 
 Yet seem ye not as those 
 Within whose bosoms memories vigils keep : 
 Beneath your drooping lids no passions sleep ; 
 
 And your pale brows 
 Bear not the tracery of emotion deep 
 Ye seem too cold and passionless to weep ! 
 
 SHAKER BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
 
 The following works, with others, have been examined in the prepar- 
 ation of this notice : 
 
 An Account of the people called Shakers : their Faith, Doctrines, and 
 Practice exemplified in the life, conversations, and experience of the 
 author, during the time he belonged to the society, to which is affixed a 
 history of their rise and progress to the present day. By Thomas Brown, 
 of Cornwall, Orange County, State of New York. "Prove all things, 
 hold fast to that which is good." Apostle Paul. " An historian should 
 not dare to tell a falsehood or leave a truth untold." Cicero. Troy : 
 Printed by Parker and Bliss. Sold at the Troy Book Store : by Web- 
 sters and Skinners, Albany; and S. Wood, New York, 1812. I2mo. 
 
 New America. By William Hep worth Dixon. Eighth edition. 
 London. 1869. Pp. xii, 448. 8vo. 
 
 Travels in New England and New York. By Timothy Dwight, 
 
IO4 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 S.T.D., L.L.D., late President of Yale College. In four volumes. 
 New Haven, 1822. 8vo. (See vol. iii, pp. 149 169.) 
 
 Tests of Divine Inspiration; or the Rudimental Principles by which 
 
 True and False Revelation in all Eras of the World can be unerringly 
 
 discriminated. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." 
 
 Rev. xix, 10. By F. W. Evans. New Lebanon: published by the 
 
 United Society called Shakers. 1853. 8vo. Pp. 127. 
 
 [NOTE. Offered to the public as an explanation of the great enigma 
 
 paradox of the age spiritual manifestations ; and also as a solution 
 
 of what has often, and not inappropriately, been designated the 
 
 "great problem of the age," a social organisation that shall secure 
 
 "not merely the greatest good to the greatest number," but also 
 
 " the greatest good to the whole number of its members."] 
 
 Third Edition. Shakers' Compendium of the Origin, History, Prin- 
 ciples, Rules and Regulations, Government and Doctrines of the United 
 Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing : with Biographies of 
 Ann Lee, William Lee, Jas. Whittaker, J. Hocknell, J. Meacham, and 
 Lucy Wright. By F. W. Evans. "O my soul, swallow down under- 
 standing, and devour wisdom ; for thou hast only time to live." Esdras. 
 New Lebanon, N.Y. : Anchampaugh Brothers. 1859. I2mo. 
 
 Autobiography of a Shaker, and Revelation of the Apocalypse, with 
 an Appendix. " The Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things 
 of God." Inquirers and Booksellers may apply to, or address, F. W. 
 Evans, Mt. Lebanon, Col. Co., N.Y. June, 1869. 8vo. Pp. 162. 
 
 Religious Communism, A Lecture by F. W. Evans (Shakers) of 
 Mount Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, U.S.A., delivered in St. 
 George's Hall, London, Sunday Evening, August 6th, 1871 ; with In- 
 troductory Remarks by the Chairman of the Meeting, Mr. Hepworth 
 Dixon. Also some Account of the Extent of the Shaker Communities, 
 and a narrative of the Visit of Elder Evans to England. An Abstract 
 of a Lecture by the Rev. J. M. Peebles, and his testimony in regard to 
 the Shakers. London. 8vo. Pp. 32. 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Proplietcss. 105 
 
 The Kentucky Revival, or a Short History of the late extraordinary 
 outpouring of the Spirit of God, in the Western States of America. 
 With a brief account of the entrance and progress of what the world 
 call Shakerism, among the subjects of the late Revival in Ohio and 
 Kentucky. By Richard McNemar. * * Cincinnati, printed : Albany, 
 re-printed by E. and E. Hosford. 1808. I2mo. Pp. 119. 
 
 Report of the Examination of the Shakers of Canterbury and En field 
 before the New-Hampshire Legislature, at the November Session, 
 1848; including the Testimony at length; several extracts from Shaker 
 publications; the Bill which passed the House of Representatives; the 
 Proceedings in the Pillow Case; together with the letter of James W. 
 Spinney. From Notes taken at the Examination. Concord, N. H. : 
 printed by Ervin B. Tripp . . . Main Street. 1849. 8vo. Pp. IOO. 
 [NOTE. This book contains some revelations as to the harsh disci- 
 pline of the children adopted by the Shakers. A boy said to have been 
 beaten to death ; women laid upon their backs on the floor in the 
 public meetings, whilst others walked over them. (P. 17.) One 
 witness said, " I have never seen so much contention and quarrelling, 
 and hard feeling, in an equal number of the world's people as I 
 have seen there." (P. 18.) 
 
 The following was one of their popular hymn-songs : 
 Of all my relations that ever I see 
 My own fleshy kindred are fartherest from me : 
 How ugly they look ; how distant they feel ; 
 To hate them despise them increases my zeal. 
 How ugly they look, &c.] 
 
 Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing, exemplified by the princi- 
 ples and practice of the true Church of Christ. History of the 
 progressive work of God, extending from the Creation of Man to the 
 " Harvest," comprising the four great dispensations now consummating 
 the Millennial Church. Published by the United Society called 
 Shakers. Fourth Edition. Albany. 1856. 8vo. Pp. xxiv, 632. 
 
 A return of Departed Spirits of the highest characters of distinction, 
 
106 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 as well as the indiscriminate of all nations, into the bodies of the 
 " Shakers," or " United Society of Believers in the Second Advent of 
 the Messiah." By an Associate of the said Society. "Millions of 
 spiritual creatures walk the earth, both when we wake and when we 
 sleep." Philadelphia: published by J. R. Colon, 203^, Chestnut 
 Street. 1843. 8vo. Entered for copyright by L. G. Thomas. 
 
 [NoTE. The return of departed spirits is spoken of in 1843 as being 
 " more recently " introduced than the gifts of prophecy. " Disem- 
 bodied spirits began to take possession of the bodies of the 
 brethren and sisters ; and thus, by using them as instruments, 
 made themselves known by speaking through the individuals whom 
 they had got into ; after which they were welcomed to Zion to hear 
 the true Gospel of Christ." Amongst those visitants are named 
 Geo. Washington, William Penn (much admired by the believers, 
 who style him " Father Penn "), Napoleon, Girard, Mahomet, Pope 
 Pius (which ? he had come piping hot from hell, but said it was 
 not a material fire) and several other popes ; all of them acknow- 
 ledged the committal of much crime in their public and private 
 relations, but having repented of it, they had been gathered amongst 
 the faithful. Saint Patrick, Samson, the passengers of the lost 
 steam-ship "President," "whose fate has hitherto been unknown," 
 arrived at Watervliet early in March, 1843, and many others, includ- 
 ing a crowd of " indiscriminate characters of different nations."] 
 
 A Revelation of the Extraordinary Visitation of Departed Sisters of 
 distinguished men and women of all nations, and their manifestation 
 through living bodies of the Shakers. By a guest of the " Community " 
 near Watervliet, N.Y., Philadelphia : published by L. G. Thomas, No. 
 27, Sansom Street. 1869. 8vo. 
 
 [NOTE. In this we have a narrative of the spirit of the deceased 
 sister standing beside its own body, and discoursing through a living 
 sister.] 
 
 The Youth's Guide in Zion, and Holy Mother's Promises. Given by 
 inspiration at New Lebanon, N.Y., January 5th, 1842. 
 
Ann Lee, the Manchester Prophetess. 107 
 
 [NOTE. From the above title it will be seen that Ann Lee was an 
 after-death authoress. In this occurs the following poem (?) : 
 
 God is with me, and I'm with God, 
 
 And ever was and e'er will be; 
 We have all power to use the rod, 
 
 To rend the earth and spill the sea. 
 All heaven is at our command ; 
 
 We speak thereto, it doth obey; 
 And what is earth beneath our hand ? 
 
 It is but one light ball of clay. 
 
 Now think of this, ye helpless worms ! 
 
 Ye little specks of mortal clay ! 
 Since at our word all heaven turns, 
 
 Dare ye presume to disobey ? 
 Dare ye presume to scoff at God ? 
 
 And mock and scorn his holy power ? 
 Beware, I say, lest with his rod 
 
 He smite your souls in that same hour. 
 
 O little children, could you know 
 
 The call of mercy unto you, 
 You'd sacrifice all things below, 
 
 And cast off nature clear from you. 
 The world with its alluring charms 
 
 Of pleasure, false and vain delight, 
 Its riches, husbands, wives, and farms, 
 
 Would be disgusting in your sight.] 
 
 A Brief Sketch of the Religious Society of People called Shakers. 
 Communicated to Mr. [Robert] Owen, by Mr. W. S. Warder of Phila- 
 delphia, one of the Society of Friends. London. 1818. 8vo. Pp. 16. 
 
MASTER JOHN SHAWE. 
 
 He shoots all his meditations at one butt, and beats upon the text, 
 not the cushion, making his hearers, not the pulpit, groan. EARLE'S 
 Microcosmography. 
 
 A LTHOUGH his autobiography has been thrice printed, 
 -t\. we doubt not that there are many who never heard 
 the name of Master John Shawe, a notable Puritan of the 
 seventeenth century, who was connected as a preacher and 
 teacher with the counties of York, Chester, Derby, and 
 Lancaster. The MS. in which Shawe wrote down the im- 
 pressions of his life has passed out of sight, but that good 
 antiquary, Ralph Thoresby, made a transcript of it, and this, 
 at the sale of his " Museum," was bought by Thomas Birch, 
 and is now in the British Museum. It was printed for 
 private circulation in 1824 for the friends of Mr. John 
 Broadley, F S.A. ; in 1875 it was included in one of the 
 issues of the Surtees Society; and in 1882 it was reprinted, 
 with careful annotations, by the Rev. J. R. Boyle. (Memoirs 
 of Mr. John Shawe, . . . written by himself in the year 
 1663-4, edited by the Rev. J. R. Boyle. Hull: M. C. 
 Peck and Son. 1882.) Shawe's account of his own life was 
 
Master John SJiawe. 109 
 
 written for the benefit of a son of his old age, to whom he 
 addresses his narrative with many moral reflections and 
 scriptural applications, which, however pertinent, are some- 
 what tiresome, and invite the exercise of that last of literary 
 accomplishments, the art of "skipping." 
 
 John Shawe was born at Sikehouse, in the chapelry of 
 Bradfield, in the parish of Ecclesfield, 23rd June, 1608. His 
 father's family were yeomen, who had been in the neigh- 
 bourhood for a century at least. His studious disposition 
 early showed itself, and overcame the desire of his parents 
 to retain with them their only child. Before he was fifteen 
 he had become a pensioner of Christ's College, Cambridge, 
 where he had for tutor Chappell, who was afterwards Bishop 
 of Cork, but had to flee in the Irish rising in 1641. Although 
 Shawe must have had Milton, who was also a pupil of 
 Chappel's, as a fellow-student for five or six years, he has 
 not a word to say of that illustrious Puritan. One cannot 
 but lament that he used his opportunities so poorly, and had 
 so little divination as to what posterity would desire at his 
 hands. He was placed in " a chamber called Lancashire," 
 where he met with sober companions, who preserved him, he 
 says, " from that sad plague and ruin of young scholars 
 viz. : bad company." In his seventeenth year, or there- 
 abouts, he went with some students to the preaching of 
 Thomas Weld, who was then Vicar of Terling, but was 
 afterwards deprived, and went for a time to New England, 
 of whose heretical teachers he wrote a short account. This 
 sermon had so much effect upon Shawe that he was " much 
 taken notice of in the colledge, and much opposed for a 
 
no Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Puritane;" but he remained there until he took his M.A. 
 degree in 1630. His departure from the University was 
 hastened, as he frankly admits, by fear of the pestilence 
 which was then "very sore" in Cambridge. His desire to 
 avoid the plague was joined to an earnest wish to become a 
 preacher of the gospel, and his first settlement was at 
 Brampton, near Chesterfield. Soon after his arrival he had 
 to see Bishop Morton in order to obtain a licence. Mprton 
 is perhaps best known to us now as the real author of that 
 Book of Sports which had so strange an influence upon the 
 fortunes of the Stuarts. The Bishop seems to have found 
 in Shawe a young man of mettle, and after a scholastical 
 dispute gave him liberty to preach, and did it in a very 
 hearty and complimentary fashion. 
 
 In 1632 Shawe married Mistress Dorothy Heathcote of 
 Culthorpe Hall. He was invited to preach before the 
 Devonshire Merchants in London, and a year later was 
 urged by them to accept the ministry of Chumleigh in 
 Devonshire. The custom of these merchants was to main- 
 tain a minister for three years at one place, and then, unless 
 the people were willing to continue him at their own cost, he 
 was removed to another locality. Shawe and his wife with 
 their two children were "tabled" that is boarded in the 
 house of Mr. Roger Skinner. Laud looked with an evil eye 
 upon these mercantile patrons, as he suspected that their 
 nominees were Puritans, if not Nonconformists. This and 
 the necessity of settling the estate of his now deceased father 
 led to Mr. Shawe"s return in the year 1636. He was 
 appointed, by what influence is not named, chaplain to the 
 
Master John Shawe. m 
 
 choleric Philip, Earl of Pembroke, who when Lord Cham- 
 berlain used his staff of office to such purpose that he was 
 said to have broken many wiser heads than his own. This 
 would probably not be a difficult task. He was, it is thought, 
 the only peer who ever sat in the House of Commons, in 
 which assembly he represented the county of Buckingham 
 in 1649. 
 
 John Vaux, the Lord Mayor of York, was then a Puritan, 
 and it was probably owing to the strength of the party in 
 York that Shawe received the appointment of Lecturer to 
 the church of All Hallows. Archbishop Neile sent for him, 
 and after a preliminary brow-beating, in which he expressed 
 his determination to break Vaux and the Puritans, threatened 
 the new preacher, until he found out his connection with 
 the princely house of Pembroke. This stood him in good 
 stead afterwards, for when his cousin, the vicar of Rother- 
 ham, died, he was offered the living. Lord Pembroke was 
 then at Berwick with the King, whose ecclesiastical innova- 
 tions had excited the ire of the prelate-hating Scotch. When 
 Shawe reached his patron there was an English army on one 
 side of the Tweed and a Scotch one on the other. Matters 
 were patched up, and Mr. Shawe was commissioned to 
 express to Bishop Neile the thanks of Lord Pembroke for 
 the good services of his son, Sir Paul Neile. The Bishop 
 "wept for joy" at the compliment. The peace did not last 
 long, and the English army was defeated by the Scots, "at 
 or near Newburne, August 28, 1640. . . . Whereupon 
 the King and some nobles fled back to York in all haste on 
 the Lord's day." When the treaty was referred to a Com- 
 
112 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 mission for the two nations, Shawe was appointed Chaplain 
 to the English lords, and in that capacity preached before 
 them. The Archbishop, suspecting that Shawe was "no 
 friend to bishops," sent another preacher to Ripon, but on 
 the remonstrance of the Earl of Bedford took him back 
 again. The treaty of Ripon brought Shaw into contact with 
 Alexander Henderson, the famous divine, who endeavoured 
 to make Charles I. into a Presbyterian. 
 
 The echoes of the civil war were doubtless heard in the 
 vicarage of Rotherham, for not only would a man of Shawe's 
 principles and temper take a keen interest in these troublous 
 times, but, in addition, some of the leading actors, like 
 Stafford and Fairfax, were connected with the district. 
 Shawe was at a dinner at Lady Carlingford's, at Doncaster, 
 when the king enquired of Sir Thomas Glenham, " Cannot 
 I starve Hull? I am told I can take their fresh water from 
 them." "Your Majesty," Sir Thomas replied, "is misin- 
 formed ; for though you may cut off from them the fresh 
 spring that runs to Hull, yet the very haven is fresh at low 
 water, and every man can dig water at his door, and they 
 cannot bury a corpse there but the grave first drowns him 
 ere it buries him." When the King was being deluged with 
 unwelcome petitions at York, Shawe met Lord Mowbray 
 (afterwards Earl of Arundel) who asked him if he were that 
 Shawe who was at Ripon of whom he had heard so good a 
 report from the lords commissioners. This soft impeach- 
 ment being acknowledged, the peer continued "But what 
 are you akin to one Shawe of Rotherham, for we hear at 
 the court as much ill of him?" From which it may fairly 
 
Master JoJm S/iaiue. 1 1 3 
 
 be concluded that the influence of the Puritan preacher was 
 riot small, and was not exerted in the way that pleased the 
 advocates of the right divine of kings to govern ill. Charles 
 I. raised his standard at Nottingham in August, 1642, and 
 the country was in a flame. Shawe fled by night with his 
 wife to Hull, but Sir John Hotham objected to his presence 
 there and he proceeded to Beverley, where he preached a 
 sermon, which was printed with the designation of "A Broken 
 Heart." This was published because "the watery eyes, atten- 
 tive ears, and tongues of many most begged this." In it 
 there is an allusion to the use of the hour-glass by which the 
 clergy regulated the length of their sermons. He considers 
 the "extraordinary redoubled tides," the storms and strange 
 births reported in various quarters as so many "signs" of the 
 troubles that were now coming upon the nation. What he 
 termed Sabbath breaking "and that with authority," was a 
 grievous offence to this Puritan preacher. Thomason, the 
 bookseller, lent his copy of this sermon to Charles I., who, 
 upon his way to the Isle of Wight, accidentally let it fall into 
 the mud. This soiled copy may still be seen in the British 
 Museum. When Lord Fairfax was at Selby to prevent the 
 royalists, who then held York, from spoiling the country, 
 Shawe preached before him a discourse of " The Two Clean 
 Birds," which was printed, and contains some curious matter. 
 Lord Fairfax was to him " the Joshua of the north." He 
 laments that he is far asunder from his library, which was 
 afterwards plundered. " How have the people of God been 
 scorned and nicknamed a long time, for Waldenses, Hussites, 
 Lollards, Lutherans, Hugenots, Precisians, Puritans, or all in 
 
114 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 one, Roundheads (as a parliament man said well, the word 
 Puritan, in the mouth of an Arminian, signifies an orthodox 
 divine; in the mouth of a drunkard signifies a sober man; 
 in the mouth of a papist signifies a protestant)," &c. He 
 speaks with exultation of the successful stand made by a 
 handful of the people of Rotherham, who successfully repelled 
 an attack of the royalists during sermon time on a Sunday 
 morning. The sermon is otherwise a very laborious, earnest, 
 plain-spoken Puritan discourse. 
 
 Shawe returned to Rotherham, and when it capitulated to 
 the Earl of Newcastle in 1643 he was one of four persons 
 who were each fined a thousand marks. The royalists 
 sought to take him prisoner, but with a faithful servant he 
 found a hiding-place in the steeple of the church, and though 
 the soldiers came several times into the room the two men 
 remained undiscovered. They succeeded in getting clear 
 during the night, and made their way to Manchester, which 
 was then a stronghold of the Puritans and Parliamentarians. 
 Most of his children remained at Rotherham in the care of 
 his mother, but his wife joined him in Lancashire. Sir 
 William Brereton offered him the living at Lymme, which 
 he accepted, but he kept house in Manchester, riding to 
 Lymme each Saturday and returning on Monday or Tues- 
 day. He was appointed to preach every Friday in Man- 
 chester, which was a sort of city of refuge for the Puritans 
 of Yorkshire, " so that there was a sermon every day in the 
 week, besides 2 or 3 sermons on the Lord's day." For his 
 services he was promised ^50 ; but as he ruefully remarks 
 he " never got a penny " of this offered reward. Whilst on 
 
Master John Shawe. 115 
 
 a visit to Sir George Booth's at Dunham, he was invited to 
 go for seven or eight weeks to Cartmel to instruct its people, 
 "who were exceeding ignorant and blind as to religion." 
 With the consent of his congregation at Lymme he set forth 
 with the hope of making the people of Cartmel sensible of 
 the need of a settled minister. He went to Cartmel in 
 April, 1644, and soon had a thousand hearers, and preached 
 or catechised seven or eight times a week. The quality of 
 the material he had to work upon may be judged from the 
 following statement of Mr. John Shawe : 
 
 " One day an old man (about 60), sensible enough in other 
 things, and living in the parish of Cartmell, but in the chap- 
 elry of Cartmell-fell, coming to me about some business, I 
 told him that he belonged to my care and charge, and I 
 desired to be informed in his knowledge of religion. I asked 
 him, How many Gods there were ? He said, he knew not. 
 I, informing him, asked him again how he thought to be 
 saved ? He answered, he could not tell, yet thought that 
 was a harder question than the other. I told him that the way 
 to salvation was by Jesus Christ, God-man, who, as he was 
 man, shed his blood for us on the crosse, &c. Oh, sir (said 
 he), I think I heard of that man you speake of, once in a 
 play at Kendall, called Corpus-Christi play, where there was 
 a man on the tree, and blood ran downe, &c. And after, he 
 professed that though he was a good Churchman, that is, he 
 constantly went to Common-Prayer at their chappel, yet he 
 could not remember that ever he heard of salvation by Jesus 
 Christ, but in that play." 
 
 This is curious not only as an evidence of the state of 
 
1 1 6 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 religious instruction, but as showing at how late a date the 
 mediaeval miracle plays survived in the North Country. The 
 coming of Prince Rupert's soldiers forced the earnest 
 preacher to flee into Yorkshire, whilst his wife escaped by 
 sea. But Marston Moor followed, when "though all the 
 three generals on the Parliament's side fled, yet their forces 
 won the day," and the Puritans were in the ascendant. Mr. 
 Shawe was appointed Chaplain and Secretary to the Com- 
 mittee which sat at York " for the casting out of ignorant 
 and scandalous ministers." The official records he thought 
 it prudent to destroy after the Restoration. 
 
 His wife had escaped from Cartmel and made her way to 
 Manchester, from whence Mr. Shawe brought her to York. 
 After a short stay as preacher at Skerringham he settled as 
 minister of the Low Church in Hull, and was afterwards 
 transferred to the High Church, where he was Lecturer for 
 seventeen years. He was promised ,150 and a good house, 
 but he was not paid with that regularity that is desirable in 
 such matters. On the occasion of the taking of the "Solemn 
 League and Covenant " at York by Lord Fairfax, the city 
 and the army, Shawe was the preacher, and " Britain's Re- 
 membrancer," as his discourse was entitled, is especially 
 commended to his "dearly-beloved friends at Lym and 
 Warburton in Cheshire, at Skerringham, to that kind and 
 hungering people after the means of grace at Cartmel and 
 Furnesse in Lancashire, as also to my quondam neighbours 
 of Kendall, and in Westmerland." Master Shawe's success 
 in Hull was not unmixed, and his endeavour to " keep off 
 dogs and swine " from the Lord's supper was not appreciated 
 
Master John Shawe. 117 
 
 by the persons to whom he applied those not very com- 
 plimentary epithets. He attended the Commission that 
 managed the siege of Newark, and was instrumental in 
 effecting the return of the great guns of Hull to that town 
 after they had done their part in the siege. He also attend- 
 ed the Commission which vainly endeavoured to come to 
 terms with Charles I. at Newcastle, before his surrender by 
 the Scots. 
 
 Shawe was now involved in disputes with John Canne, 
 who had been a printer, and was the favourite preacher of 
 the soldiers, who had the chancel of Trinity Church, Hull, 
 separated by a thick wall from the body of the structure, in 
 order to have a separate meeting place. Canne denounced 
 Shawe as a turn-coat, who by reason of a " corrupt mayor " 
 could put whom he liked in office as aldermen and sheriffs. 
 " He is," cries Canne, " a most corrupt man, and hitherto 
 countenanced by men as corrupt and rotten as himself." 
 Shawe is not less severe, and quotes a biting epigram which 
 ends : 
 
 But lay John here, and lay 
 
 Canne thereabout ; 
 For if they both should meet, 
 
 They would fall out. 
 
 In 1651 Shawe became Master of the Charterhouse at 
 Hull, and claims that he released it from a debt of ;ioo, 
 contented himself with ^10 a year payment, increased the 
 number of the almsmen from twelve to forty, advanced 
 the yearly allowance of each man, and otherwise improved 
 the charity. 
 
1 1 & Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 During the Protectorate Shawe was sometimes called upon 
 to preach at Whitehall, and if his own statement can be 
 relied upon did so, " with the freedom and plainness of old 
 Latimer." His plainness did not give offence, for his stipend 
 was augmented. He preached several assize sermons at 
 York, two of which are in print. In one of these he leaves 
 it to their " honors to judg whether one post in a weeke, 
 which need not travel on the Lord's-day at all (when no case 
 of necessity, or extraordinary) was not better than two, who 
 travel every Lord's-day, all the day constantly." 
 
 In 1657 Shawe lost his wife, and to her memory dedicated 
 a sermon, to which he gave the quaint title of " Mistris 
 Shawe's Tombstone"; but this elaborate grief did not hinder 
 his remarriage, two years later, to Mistress Margaret 
 Stillington. 
 
 The Restoration, which was so disastrous to some of the 
 Puritans, had no terrors for Shawe. He had preached before 
 the two Protectors, Oliver and Richard, and he was present 
 at the coronation of their successor, and appointed chaplain 
 to Charles II. His influence, however, was on the wane, 
 and another, whom Shawe describes as " a drunken beggarly 
 Tosspot," was appointed to preach in his place at Hull, and 
 in 1 66 1 Shawe was inhibited from preaching. He had an 
 interview with the King, who promised to take care of and 
 for him, but insisted on the execution of his order. He also 
 saw the Bishop of London, to whom he confessed that 
 although he had never said anything against Episcopacy or 
 Common Prayer, yet if they had never come in he would 
 never have fetched them. Shaw continued to preach at the 
 
Master John Shawe. 119 
 
 Charterhouse, to which the people flocked until they were 
 prevented by the soldiers. After some trouble, Shawe was 
 forced to give up his post as Master of the Charterhouse, 
 which he left in 1662 and went to live at Rotherham, where, 
 not being affected by " that black and sad day of Bartholo- 
 mew," he continued to preach occasionally until his death in 
 1664. The Latin brass which once covered his grave is 
 gone ; but Calamy has given this translation of it : 
 
 " Here lie the remains of the Rev. John Shawe, M.A. He 
 was educated at Christ College, Cambridge, and was some- 
 time vicar of this Church. He was ever esteemed for his 
 eminent literature, piety, and labour in word and doctrine 
 among the first divines of the age. In administering divine 
 consolation he was a Barnabas, and in wielding divine thun- 
 ders he was a Boanerges. He was translated to the celestial 
 mansions April 19 [1672], aged 65." 
 
 Shawe's will makes provision for his widow and family, 
 and leaves threescore English Bibles to be given to poor 
 people. During his lifetime he had given a copy of Foxe's 
 " Book of Martyrs " to the church at Bradfield, " and un- 
 feignedly begs God's blessing in y e reading, and all conscien- 
 tious readers thereof." He made a similar donation to 
 Penistone Church. 
 
 It is somewhat difficult to appraise the character of Master 
 John Shawe. We have chiefly to depend upon his own 
 presentation of the facts of his life, and these may easily 
 have appeared to him in a more roseate hue than they wore 
 to his neighbours. That he was an earnest and able man is 
 evidenced by the important influence he wielded during the 
 
I2O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 struggles and successes of the Puritans. That a Boanerges 
 of the Commonwealth should retain any office during the 
 Restoration may have been a sufficient excuse to his enemies 
 to gird at him as a time-server. The freeness with which he 
 dispenses offensive adjectives, although a fashion of those 
 times, is not a pleasant trait. We see him to the greatest 
 advantage in Lancashire, where he appears to have laboured 
 with apostolic fervour amongst a population whose religious 
 knowledge was apparently not very extensive. The worldly 
 strain in his character perhaps makes him in some respects 
 a better type than others who suffered more and had less of 
 temporal success. His life shows how strongly the Puritan 
 preachers, earnest, able, fanatical, superstitious, and too often 
 intolerant, influenced their time, and how great was the 
 power they exercised in moulding the destinies of the 
 nation. 
 
TRADITIONS COLLECTED BY 
 THOMAS BARRITT. 
 
 some call her Memory, 
 
 And some Tradition. 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT, Spanish Gypsy, bk. ii. 
 
 HTHERE is now in the possession of Mr. John Adam 
 A Eastwood, of Manchester, a MS. volume, which is one 
 of the most interesting of the many relics left to us of the 
 " painful " labours of Thomas Barritt, the Manchester anti- 
 quary. He was born in 1743, and died October 2pth, 1820, 
 at the age of 77. He was by trade a saddle maker, in Shude- 
 hill, but devoted a great part of his time to the study of archae- 
 ology. His collection of antiquities was dispersed, but the bulk 
 of his MSS. became the property of the Chetham Library, and 
 have been frequently drawn upon by subsequent writers. 
 Barritt was very far from being a poet, but he was almost 
 as fond of rhyming as Dr. Byrom, and, like him, sometimes 
 selected strange subjects for his poetical essays. The MS. 
 is an elaborate imitation of the illuminated works of earlier 
 ages. It consists of eighteen leaves of parchment, mostly 
 
122 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 backed with paper or cloth. Each leaf treats of a separate 
 subject, and is ornamented by a drawing, sometimes executed 
 in colours. The text is written in characters formed like 
 printed black-letter. The reverses have in some cases 
 inscriptions, which can be read through the cloth on being 
 held up to a strong light. That on the first leaf identifies 
 the writer, and reads, " Composed for my two boys, Valen- 
 tine and Arthur, Thomas Barritt, 1807." That which he 
 had " composed " were two short "poems." 
 
 The Goose, the Calf, the little Bee, 
 Are great on Earth I prove to thee, 
 And rules the great affairs of Man, 
 Explain this riddle if thou can. 
 
 Through old worn books I long have por'd, 
 
 And what old people say, 
 I faithfully relate again, 
 
 Although a friar grey. 
 
 With the substitution of the word " saddle maker " for friar, 
 this would not inaptly describe the author himself, and the 
 alteration would not damage the quality or quantity of the 
 verse. The venerable riddle refers to the fact that quills, 
 parchment, and wax, held the world together during many 
 ages. The second leaf narrates the Legend of the Cross, a 
 story dea^r to the mediaeval heart. It asserts that the Rood- 
 tree on (*&vniy grew from a seed of the Tree of Life, which 
 Seth obtained and placed in the mouth of Adam ere he 
 died. Mr. Baring-Gould has given full particulars of this 
 wild fancy in his " Curious Myths of the Middle Ages " (2nd 
 
Traditions Collected by Thomas Barritt. 123 
 
 series iii.) With the fourth leaf we enter upon the local 
 matter. Its subject is the story of Sir Lancelot du Lake. 
 He was sent by King Arthur to Manchester, there to do 
 battle " against a giant Tarquin was his name." Having 
 duly overthrown the pagan, 
 
 Dauntless he entered, ranged the castle o'er, 
 Of captives he released three score and four. 
 
 This tradition is referred to by Hollingworth, writing in the 
 middle of the seventeenth century. "The Rev. Mr. 
 Whitaker," says Barritt, "has some probable and enter- 
 taining remarks in his history of Manchester upon this old 
 tale." That they are entertaining is quite true, but that they 
 are probable is very improbable. The fifth leaf is a tradition 
 to account for the name of the Roodee at Chester. It 
 appears that the rood at Harden [Hawarden] Church, in 
 Flintshire, fell from the loft 
 
 Upon an aged dame and did her kyll, 
 And human blood the crucifix did spill. 
 
 The veneration for it was quite dispelled, and, as little cared 
 for as a discarded African fetich, it was knocked about until 
 at last it got into the Dee, and floated down to a meadow 
 near the river. 
 
 From this same accident a field ys named 
 
 Rood Dee, a place for games and pastime famed. 
 
 The sixth leaf recalls the statement made in Higden's 
 Polycbronicon, that the Welsh princes were able to make 
 
124 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 nightingales sing when no one else could accomplish the 
 feat ! We have next an epitaph upon Hugh Lupus, Earl of 
 Chester, which is said to have been formerly in the Cathedral 
 of Chester. 
 
 Although my Corps it lies in Grave, 
 
 And that my flesh consumed be ; 
 My Picture here now that you have 
 
 An Earle sometyme of thys Cittye, 
 Hugh Lupe by Name, 
 Sonn to the Duke of Brittayne ; 
 Of Chivalrye then being Flower, 
 And Sister's Son to William Conquerour ; 
 To the Honour of God I did edifie 
 The Foundation of this Monastery, 
 The ninth Year of this my Foundation, 
 God changed my life to his heavenly mansion. 
 And the Year of our Lord then being so, 
 A thousand one hundred and two, 
 I changed this life verily 
 The xvii. Daye oijuly. 
 
 Then comes a dragon story. There was " a dreadful beast 
 called a griffin," which eat up all the cattle that came in its 
 way, to the terror of all the milkmaids round about Lymme. 
 
 But there is an end to all things, even griffins 
 
 
 
 A youth from Farnworth stout of strength, 
 O'ercame this cruel beast at length ; 
 He slew the monster in his hould, 
 Since then men call him Bold of Bold. 
 
 And as that family bear a griffin as their crest it would be 
 out-doing St. Thomas to doubt any part of the story ! The 
 
Traditions Collected by Thomas Barritt. 125 
 
 ninth leaf is occupied with the Black Knight of Ashton. 
 Tradition asserts that the annual ceremony of the riding of 
 the black-lad at Ashton-under-Lyne arises from the remem- 
 brance of a former lord Sir Ralph Assheton who was at 
 last shot by one of the tenants on whom he practised various 
 forms of tyrannical cruelty. The next is the legend of the 
 Eagle and Child, so long associated with the crest of the 
 Stanley family. Then we have a version of the Bewsey 
 tradition, which has been dealt with by other local rhymers. 
 This is followed by a tradition that Henry VII. fled after 
 the battle of Towton to Lancashire, but his hiding-place, 
 near Whalley, was betrayed "by two of Talbot's name," 
 
 But Henry's curse they say upon them fell, 
 A heavy judgment 'twas as some did tell ; 
 That every other son a fool should be, 
 Of the base treacherous Talbot's family. 
 
 Henry is generally said to have gone to Scotland after the 
 defeat at Towton, but in 1464 he was a fugitive in Lanca- 
 shire and Westmoreland, and was taken prisoner at 
 Waddington Hall, Yorkshire, in 1465, through the treachery 
 of a monk of Abington. Whitaker has noticed this tradi- 
 tion in his " History of Whalley." The legend of Mab's 
 Cross is that Sir William Bradshaw, of Haigh, having gone 
 on a pilgrimage, was so long away that his wife, by freewill 
 or force, was on the point of being married to another, when 
 he returned disguised as a palmer, and made himself known 
 by a ring dropped into a cup of wine the lady was drinking. 
 Then comes a metrical account of the feud between Sir 
 
126 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 William Atherton and Sir William Button, showing how 
 they stole cattle and horses from each other. " The original 
 deed of arbitration," says Barritt, " is in the possession of 
 Charles Chadwick, of Healey Hall, near Rochdale." The 
 next is a synopis of the prophecies of Merlin ; we have then 
 a leaf headed Prudence and Mercy ; and another containing 
 the farewell to his profession of an old man-at-arms. The 
 last leaf contains the Trafford and Byron feud, which has 
 been printed in Harland's "Ballads and Songs of Lancashire." 
 If Barritt's zeal in collecting prevented him from being 
 critical it is only fair to say that he was not unconscious of 
 the high purposes which even family traditions may serve. 
 He felt that the inheritance of the memory of great deeds 
 should be a potent influence for good. It was in this spirit 
 that Barritt transcribed some lines from Chaucer 
 
 Thys first stock was full of righteousness, 
 True of his word, sobre, piteous, and free ; 
 Cleane of his ghoste and loved business, 
 Againste the vice of slouthe in honestie. 
 And but his heire love vertue as did he, 
 He is not gentle though he rich seme, 
 All weare he mytre, crowne, or diademe. 
 
DID SHAKSPERE VISIT LANCASHIRE? 
 
 To me it seems as if when God conceived the world, that was Poetry ; 
 He formed it, and that was Sculpture ; He coloured it, and that was 
 Painting; He peopled it with living beings, and that was the grand, 
 divine, eternal drama. CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN. 
 
 MR. E. J. L. SCOTT, in a communication to the 
 Athenaum, No. 2830, January 21, 1882, gives a 
 letter from Henry le Scrope, ninth Baron Scrope of Bolton 
 (Yorkshire), Governor of Carlisle and Warden of the West 
 Marches, to William Asheby, English Ambassador at the 
 Court of James VI. : 
 
 "After my verie hartie comendacions : vpon a letter 
 receyved from Mr. Roger Asheton, signifying vnto me that 
 yt was the kinges earnest desire for to have her Majesties 
 players for to repayer into Scotland to his grace : I dyd 
 furthwith dispatche a servant of my owen vnto them wheir 
 they were in the furthest parte of Langkeshire, whervpon 
 they made their returne heather to Carliell, wher they are, 
 and have stayed for the space of ten dayes, whereof I 
 
128 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 thought good to gyve yow notice in respect of the great 
 desyre that the kyng had to have the same to come vnto 
 his grace; And withall to praye yow to gyve knowledg 
 thereof to his Majestic. So for the present, I bydd yow 
 right hartelie farewell. Carlisle the xxth of September, 1589. 
 
 "Your verie assured loving frend, 
 
 " H. SCROPE." 
 
 Mr. Scott continues : 
 
 " There is no further letter relating to the subject among 
 Asheby's correspondence, but it is very interesting to think 
 that Shakspeare visited Edinburgh at the very time when 
 the witches were tried and burned for raising the storms 
 that drowned Jane Kennedy, mistress of the robes to the 
 new queen, and imperilled the life of Anne of Denmark 
 herself. In that case the witches in Macbeth must have had 
 their origin from the actual scenes witnessed by the player 
 so many years previously to the writing of that drama in 
 1606." 
 
 The editor of the Manchester City News> -February 4, 
 1882, in reprinting the letter, says: 
 
 "The letter is, however, specially worthy of note in these 
 columns, because it shows not only that Shakspere was in 
 Edinburgh at the period named (1589), but that he and his 
 company of players were summoned to go from Lancashire 
 here spelt ' Langkeshire.' " 
 
 It may, however, be pointed out that there is other 
 evidence of the Queen's players having been in Lancashire. 
 
 The Queen's players came to Stratford in 1587, and this, 
 
Did Shakspere Visit Lancashire? 129 
 
 as Mr. Furnivall says, was probably the turning point in 
 Shakspere's life, though Mr. Fleay holds that he must have 
 left his native place in 1585. He is supposed to have 
 joined this company, but we have no direct evidence of the 
 fact, or of either of the companies called " The Queen's 
 Players" having been James Burbage's company. The first 
 note of Shakspere's connection with Burbage's men, who 
 played at " The Theatre" in Shoreditch, occurs at Christmas, 
 1593, when, in the accounts of the Treasurer of the Chamber, 
 his name appears after that of Kempe and before that of 
 Burbage, in the list of "Lord Strange's servants." 
 
 The " Stanley Papers," issued by the Chetham Society, 
 contain evidence that the company with which the name of 
 Shakspere is traditionally associated was in Lancashire both 
 before and after this supposed visit to Scotland. The 
 Derby Household Book mentions the visit to the New Park 
 in Lathom of the Queen's players on the tenth of October, 
 1588, and their visit to Knowsley on the 25th June, 1590, 
 whence they departed on the following day. ("Stanley Papers," 
 edited by F. R. Raines, pt. ii. pp. 51, 82). One would 
 like to associate the princely house of Derby with the name 
 and fame of our great dramatist; and there is sufficient 
 ground for supposing that Shakspere may have visited 
 Lancashire, though the evidence is certainly not strong 
 enough to warrant us in asserting that he did. 
 
THE LANCASHIRE PLOT. 
 
 Hast thou betrayed my credulous innocence 
 With vizor'd falsehood and base forgery ? 
 
 MILTON, Comus 697. 
 
 THE town of Manchester was in a state of indignant and 
 feverish excitement on the iyth of October, 1694, 
 being the sixth year of the reign of William the Deliverer. 
 Everywhere groups of townspeople were discussing the all- 
 absorbing topic of the Lancashire plot, for on that day there 
 came to the town four of their Majesties' judges, with every 
 circumstance of pomp and parade, to try for their lives 
 gentlemen of the best blood of Lancashire and Cheshire ; 
 unfortunate prisoners who were accused of having conspired 
 against the Deliverer, of having been guilty of the treason of 
 remaining faithful to the old king, whom the rest of the 
 nation had cast off. The prisoners were brought into town 
 strongly guarded, amidst the sympathetic demonstrations of 
 their neighbours, who were equally liberal of groans and 
 hisses for the wretched informers who were about to do 
 their endeavour to bring them to the scaffold. 
 
 Lancashire, which in the civil war struck some hearty 
 
The Lancashire Plot. 131 
 
 blows for parliament, was now a hotbed of disaffection. 
 The old cavalier families, in spite of bitter experience of 
 Stuart ingratitude, remained faithful in spirit to the exile of 
 St. Germains ; and the common people would have no love 
 for King William, who was a foreigner, nor for Queen Mary, 
 who sat upon the throne of her royal father, whilst he wan- 
 dered a weary exile in a foreign land. The accused then 
 would have been pretty certain of sympathy had the public 
 mind been convinced of the reality of the supposed con- 
 spiracy. How much more so, then, when it was shrewdly 
 suspected that the charge had been trumped up by a gang 
 of villains eager for blood-money, and supported by greater 
 rogues anxious for a share of the estates which would be 
 forfeited upon the conviction of their victims ? Nor was 
 the suspicion altogether groundless, for covetous eyes were 
 fixed longingly on these fine Lancashire acres, and the 
 Roman Catholic gentry ran great danger of being defrauded 
 of their inheritance s. 
 
 In 1693 a commission sat at Warrington to inquire into 
 certain lands and property alleged to have been given to 
 " superstitious uses," i.e., to ascertain whether the Roman 
 Catholic gentry had applied any portion of their estates or 
 income to the promotion of their faith, or the sustenance of 
 its ministers, and if they could be convicted of this heinous 
 crime the property was to be confiscated, and one-third por- 
 tion given as the reward of the undertakers. So confident were 
 these persons of their prey that the plunder was prospectively 
 allotted. As the result of this commission, where the 
 defendants were not heard, the matter was carried into the 
 
132 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Exchequer Chamber. Here it was pretended that at a 
 meeting at the papal nuncio's house, Lord Molyneux, 
 William Standish, Thomas Eccleston, William Dicconson, 
 Sir Nicholas Sherburne, Sir W. Gerard, and Thomas 
 Gerard, had all promised money or lands for Papish uses. 
 But the accusers had been very clumsy, for the falsehood 
 of each separate item of the accusation was so abundantly 
 proved, that the Government was forced to abandon all 
 further proceedings. 
 
 When, therefore, in the next year it was bruited about 
 that a plot had been discovered to bring back King James 
 and murder King William of Orange ; that men had been 
 enlisted, commissions received from St. Germains, arms 
 bought and concealed in the old halls of Lancashire and 
 Cheshire, and that those who had by the Warrington inquiry 
 been in danger of losing their broad acres, were now also- 
 likely to lose their lives ; men said, not unnaturally, that it 
 was a base and horrible conspiracy against the Lancashire 
 gentlemen ; and that this was the next move in the iniquitous 
 game begun at Warrington. If broken tapsters and branded 
 rogues were to be encouraged in devoting to the traitors' 
 block gentlemen of rank and estate, whose life was safe ? 
 
 Such was the state of feeling amongst the crowds which 
 surrounded the Sessions House, opposite to where the 
 present Exchange is erected. It was not until the 2oth that 
 the trial before a jury began. On that Saturday Sir Roland 
 Stanley, Sir Thomas Clifton, William Dicconson, Philip 
 Langton, Esquires, and William Blundell, Gent., were placed 
 at the bar, and, in long verbose sentences, accused both in 
 
The Lancashire Plot. 133 
 
 Latin and English, generally of being false traitors to our 
 Sovereign Lord and Lady, and specifically of having 
 accepted commissions for the raising of an army from 
 James the Second, late King of England. After the case 
 had been opened, Sir William Williams, their Majesties' 
 counsel, called, as first witness, John Lunt, who was asked 
 if he knew all the five men at the bar ? Lunt, with front of 
 brass, answered that he did know them all. Here Sir 
 Roland Stanley cried out, "Which is Sir Roland Stanley?" 
 Whereupon, to testify how intimately the informer was 
 acquainted with them, he pointed out Sir Thomas Clifton ! 
 Great was the outcry in the court, which did not lessen 
 when the judge bid Lunt take one of the officers' white 
 staves, and lay it on the head of Sir Roland Stanley, and he 
 again indicated the wrong man. Being asked which was 
 Sir Thomas Clifton he unhesitatingly pointed out Sir Roland 
 Stanley. Having thus shown his accuracy he was allowed 
 to proceed with his narrative of the plot. His evidence 
 asserted that in 1689 one Dr. Bromfield, a Quaker, was 
 sent by the Lancashire gentry to the court at St. Germains, 
 to request King James to send them commissions, that they 
 might enlist men for his service. Bromfield, being known 
 as a Jacobite agent, it was determined to employ some one 
 less known, and Lunt was pitched upon for the purpose. 
 So, in company with Mr. Threlfall, of Goosnargh, he came 
 over in a vessel which landed at Cockerham. At the residence 
 of Mr. Tildesley they separated and Threlfall went into York- 
 shire to distribute commissions, whilst Lunt was summoned 
 to attend a midnight meeting of the Lancashire Jacobites, 
 
134 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 held at the seat of Lord Molyneux, at Croxteth. Here the 
 persons now accused were present, and many others, none 
 of whom Lunt had ever seen before. The commissions 
 were delivered, the health drunk of their Majesties over the 
 water, and some little additional treason talked. At this 
 point in the evidence Sir Roland Stanley remarked how 
 improbable it was that he should accept a commission 
 which might endanger his life and estate from an utter 
 stranger. " But," cries Lunt, " I brought you with your 
 commission Dr. Bromfield's letter." Then the judge said 
 to Sir Roland, "You are answered that was his creden- 
 tials ;" but did not think fit to say that Lunt had made no 
 mention in his depositions of this circumstance, which was 
 evidently invented on the spur of the moment to confound 
 Sir Roland Stanley. The judge also observed there was no 
 great matter in Lunt not being able to point out the 
 prisoners correctly. Lunt, thus encouraged by Sir Giles Eyre, 
 proceeded with his veracious narrative swore that the Lanca- 
 shire gentlemen had given him money to enlist men and 
 buy arms ; that he beat up sixty men in London, who were 
 quartered in different parts of the county palatine ; and 
 particularised some persons to whom arms had been sent. 
 In 1691 (about July or August), he was sent to France, to 
 acquaint the Pretender with what his friends had been 
 doing, and to inquire when they might expect him in 
 England. The spring following was named as the happy 
 time when the Stuarts were to be re-established on the 
 English throne. He also named a meeting at Dukenhalgh, 
 when some more commissions were distributed by Mr. 
 
The Lancashire Plot. 135 
 
 Walmsley, one of the accused. Mr. Dicconson now asked 
 Lunt why he had not disclosed the existence of this terrible 
 plot, or why he had revealed it at all ? Lunt was evidently 
 prepared for this inquiry, and his retort was prompt and 
 crushing. Some proposals had been made to which he 
 could not assent. Being pressed by the Court to be less 
 reticent, and explain his meaning, he said that there was a 
 design to murder King William ; that the Earl of Melfort 
 (the Pretender's friend and minister) had asked him to aid 
 in the assassination ; he had consented to do so, but a 
 Carthusian friar, to whom he had revealed it under con- 
 fession, told him that it would be wilful murder if King 
 William were killed, except in open battle, and he had 
 revealed the plot lest his old colleagues should carry out 
 their wicked project. 
 
 Such, in brief, was the evidence of Lunt, deviating often 
 from the tenour of his previous depositions, which had been 
 made before he had been under the moulding influences of 
 Aaron Smith, an unscrupulous Jacobite hunter, whose delight 
 and duty it was to manage these little matters, to procure 
 witnesses and favourable juries. Favourable judges were 
 supplied by his betters. And to fully understand the 
 gravity of the prisoners' position it should be recollected 
 that they could not have the assistance of counsel; their 
 witnesses could not be compelled to attend ; they were 
 ignorant of the witnesses to be produced against them ; and, 
 until they stood in the dock, had not heard the indictment 
 against them. Every circumstance was in favour of the 
 crown. Lunt's evidence was corroborated by Womball, a 
 
136 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 carrier, and one Wilson, who had been branded for roguery, 
 as to the delivery of commissions and arms. Colonel Uriah 
 Brereton (who was, it is said, a saddler's apprentice and 
 common sharper) testified that he had received money from 
 Sir Roland Stanley for the service of King James. This 
 worthy Captain Bobadil being asked if he was not poor and 
 necessitous when he received these gifts, cried out, in true 
 ruffler style, " Poor ! That is a question to degrade a 
 gentleman." The remaining evidence we need not go into, 
 save that of John Knowles, who, having been sworn, 
 declared " by fair yea and nay, he knew nout on't." 
 
 Then, after short speeches by Stanley and Dicconson, the 
 witnesses for the defence were examined. The first half- 
 dozen made some damaging attacks upon the character 
 of John Lunt, representing him as a mean scoundrel, a 
 bigamist, and a notorious highwayman. Then Lawrence 
 Parsons, his brother-in-law, testified that he had been 
 invited by Lunt to aid him in denouncing the Lancashire 
 gentlemen, but had refused the offer of 205. per week and 
 ^"150 at the end, rather than "swear against his country- 
 men that he knew nothing against." Mr. Legh Bankes, a 
 gentleman of Gray's Inn, told how Taafe, an intimate friend 
 of Lunt's, and who was expected to be a witness for the 
 crown, had been to the wife of Mr. Dicconson, and revealed 
 to her the whole design of Lunt, offering to introduce some 
 friend of the prisoner's to Lunt, as persons likely to be 
 serviceable in any swearing that might be needed to hang 
 the prisoners. Mr. Bankes was suspicious of this being a 
 trap; but having been introduced to Lunt, that worthy, 
 
The Lancashire Plot. 137 
 
 over a glass of ale, very frankly said that he wanted gentle- 
 men of reputation to back his own evidence, and if Bankes 
 would join he should be well provided for. He produced 
 his "narrative of the plot," and Taafe read aloud this 
 manuscript, which named several hundreds besides the 
 prisoners. " Why were these not taken up also ? " inquired 
 Bankes. Lunt's answer was, "We will do these people's 
 business first, and when that hath given us credit we will 
 run through the body of the nation." When the next 
 witness arose, Lunt and Aaron Smith must surely have 
 trembled, for it was their old friend Taafe, who, after adding 
 his testimony to Lunt's villainous character, gave a brief 
 account of that worthy gentleman's career as a discoverer of 
 plots. How the first one he discovered (it was in Kent) 
 came to nothing, as he had failed to find corroborative 
 evidence ; and how he was near failing again from the same 
 cause; how Aaron Smith had edited and improved his 
 original narrative. Lunt wanted Taafe as a witness, com- 
 plained that the men he had hired to swear were blockish, 
 and of such low caste as to carry little weight. Could Taafe 
 introduce him to some gentleman (God save the mark !) 
 willing to perjure his soul, consign innocent men to the 
 scaffold, and receive blood-money from Aaron Smith? 
 Taafe, from some motive not clear, determined to baulk 
 the villainy of his fellow-informer, hence the circumstances 
 narrated by Mr. Legh Bankes, whose suspicions of treachery 
 had prevented a full discovery. Taafe had partially opened 
 his mind to the Rev. Mr. Allenson, who had also distrusted 
 him in a similar manner. In Roger Dicconson, brother of 
 
138 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the prisoner, he found a bolder and more adventurous 
 spirit. The evidence of Mr. Allenson need not be analysed. 
 He was followed by Mr. Roger Dicconson, who told how 
 he was introduced by Taafe to Lunt, as a proper person to 
 aid in the plan, at a coffee-house in Fetter-lane, when they 
 adjourned to a private room. Dicconson called himself 
 Howard, a member of the Church of England, willing to 
 join in the plot for a valuable consideration. Lunt said 
 that they had gold in for ; 100,000 a year, and that the 
 informants were to have a third of the forfeited estates. He 
 asked Lunt if he knew Dicconson's brother ? and Lunt, all 
 unconscious that he was sitting face to face with him, 
 replied, "Yes; very well, for he had delivered commissions 
 to Hugh and Roger Dicconson about Christmas !" 
 
 Many more witnesses were examined some of whom 
 established that certain of the prisoners were not in the 
 neighbourhood of Croxteth and Dukenhalgh at the time of 
 the alleged Jacobite meetings at those places ; whilst others 
 gave most damaging evidence as to the utter rascality of 
 Lunt and his chief witnesses Womball, Wilson, and 
 Brereton. The judge, in his summing up, contented him- 
 self with saying that the matter deserved great consideration, 
 in which opinion the jury did not agree, for, after a short 
 consultation, and without leaving court, they returned for 
 each prisoner a verdict of NOT GUILTY. Mr. Justice Eyres 
 then discharged them, with an eulogy upon the merciful and 
 easy Government under which they lived, and advised them 
 to beware of entering into plots and conspiracies against it. 
 Lord Molyneux, Sir William Gerard, and Bartholomew 
 
The Lancashire Plot. 139 
 
 Walmsley, Esq., were then put to the Bar, but, no witnesses 
 appearing, they were also declared Not Guilty, which gave 
 Mr. Justice Eyres an opportunity for another cynical speech, 
 concluding with these words : " Let me therefore say to you, 
 go and sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you." As they 
 had just been pronounced innocent, the meaning and fitness 
 of his remarks are somewhat questionable. But if his bias 
 prejudiced him against the prisoners, they would have com- 
 pensation in the popular satisfaction at their acquittal. Man- 
 chester went mad with joy. Lunt and his merry men were 
 pelted out of the town, and only escaped lynching by the 
 intervention of the prisoners' friends ; and all concerned in 
 the prosecution came in for a share of popular hatred. The 
 peril which the Lancashire gentlemen thus strangely escaped 
 was a very great one, but the peril which the country escaped 
 was greater still, for had there been wanting the disaffection 
 of Taafe to his brother rascal Lunt, the courage and address 
 of Roger Dicconson, and the honesty of the Manchester 
 jury, England might have seen a repetition of the atrocities 
 of Titus Gates and William Bedloe; might have seen a 
 bigamist highwayman going from shire to shire and fattening 
 on the blood and ruin of the best of her nobles and gentle- 
 men. 
 
 It is only fair to add that those who believe in the reality 
 of the " plot " may cite the resolution of the House of Com- 
 mons (who examined many witnesses on the subject some 
 months after this trial), that there had been a dangerous 
 plot, and that the special assize at Manchester was justifiable* 
 That resolution strikes one as being more political than 
 
140 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 judicial. A prosecution for perjury against Lunt was aban- 
 doned, because it was understood that persistence in it would 
 bring on the prosecutors the weight of the harsh penal laws. 
 
 The following books may be consulted on the subject : Histoire de 
 la derniere conspiration d' Angleterre [Par Jacques Abbadie], London, 
 1696. Jacobite Trials at Manchester in 1694. Edited by William 
 Beamont, 1853 (Chetham Society, vol. xxviii.). 
 
 I. Abbott's Journal; II. The Trials in Manchester 1094. Edited by 
 Rt. Rev. Alexander Goss, D.D., 1864 (Chetham Society, vol. Ixi.). 
 
 A Letter out of Lancashire to friends in London, giving some account 
 of the late Tryals there. [By Thomas Wagstaffe], London, 1694. 
 
 Ainsworth's novel of "Beatrice Tyldesley" relates to these Jacobite 
 Trials. 
 
SHERBURNES IN AMERICA. 
 
 Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 
 
 'Tis only noble to be good. 
 Kind hearts are more than coronets, 
 
 And simple faith than Norman blood. 
 
 TENNYSON, Lady Clara Vere de Vere. 
 
 f^ ENEALOGICAL studies are increasingly popular in the 
 vJ United States, and one result is that of recording many 
 links connecting the Old and the New World. Mr. James 
 Rindge Stanwood, of Boston, has written "The Direct 
 Ancestry of the late Jacob Wendell, of Portsmouth, New 
 Hampshire," which was printed in 1882. He has prefixed 
 to it a sketch of the early Dutch settlement of the province of 
 New Netherland from 1614 to 1664. Mr. Stanwood is the 
 grandson of Jacob Wendell, who was descendant in the 
 sixth generation of Evert Jansen Wendell, a native of 
 Embden, in East Friesland, who settled in Albany in 
 1640. Jacob Wendell, who was born in 1691, was the 
 first of that name who removed to New England, and his 
 nephew, Col. John Wendell, has amongst his descendants 
 Wendell Phillips, the famous orator, and Dr. Oliver Wendell 
 
142 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Holmes, the ever delightful Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. 
 The first Oliver Wendell was born in 1733, and his Christian 
 name was also his mother's maiden name. John Wendell, 
 who was born at Boston in 1731, married in 1778 Dorothy 
 Sherburne, of whose father the following account is given : 
 "The Hon. Henry Sherburne, born April 4th, 1709, a 
 citizen of abundant wealth, prominent station and influence 
 in the province of New Hampshire, who married, Oct. 2nd, 
 1740, Miss Sarah, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Hill) War- 
 ner, of Portsmouth. He graduated at Harvard College in 
 1728, was clerk of the Courts of Province from 1729 to 
 1739, and from 1745 for twenty-one years representative from 
 Portsmouth to the Provincial Assembly, of which he was 
 Speaker the last ten years. He was delegate to the Colonial 
 Congress at Albany in 1754; in 1765 was made Chief Justice 
 of the Superior Court, and in 1766 was appointed Councillor. 
 He was great-grandson through Henry (born 1674), Samuel 
 (born 1638) of the first American ancestor, Henry Sherburne 
 (born 1611), who emigrated from Hampshire, England, to 
 the Piscataqua in 1632, who was the second son of Joseph 
 Sherburne, of Odiham, Hampshire, died 1621, who was the 
 lineal descendant in a younger branch through Henry (born 
 1555), of Oxford, Hugh (born 1534), of Haighton, Richard 
 (born 1510), of Bayley and Haighton; Richard (born 1488), 
 of Wiswall, the second son of Sir Richard Sherburne, knight, 
 of Stonyhurst, in the town of Aighton, Lancashire (born 1465) 
 the ninth in regular descent to whom had fallen that princely 
 inheritance." (" MS. of Edward Raymond Sherburne.") 
 Jacob Wendell, in 1815, was concerned with others in 
 
Sherburnes in America. 143 
 
 establishing some of the earlier mills in New Hampshire. 
 " This undertaking " we are told " was first initiated by some 
 gentlemen of Dover, at what was known as the Upper Factory, 
 where they were at that time spinning yarn and making 
 nails. Isaac Wendell, my father, entered warmly into the 
 enterprise, and enlisted in its interests, and in those of the 
 new mills established at Dover, and subsequently at Great 
 Falls; his brother, Jacob Wendell, and others with his 
 partner, John Williams, of Dover. The location and rise of 
 the Great Falls Manufacturing Company dates from 1823, 
 the Legislative Act granting it incorporation, bearing date 
 June nth of that year. 
 
 " The inspection of mechanical details in the factory at 
 Dover was intrusted to William Blackburn, an experienced 
 weaver from the city of Manchester, in England, while Isaac 
 AVendell occupied the position of agent, and exercised a 
 general supervision over the interests of the mills. Of the 
 working capacity of these factories, some idea may be gained 
 when we state that the first year (1821) three thousand 
 spindles were put in operation in the wooden mill at Dover 
 (since removed), while the total number operated at both 
 places exceeded thirty thousand. The bricks necessary for 
 these buildings were made on the ground, while much of the 
 iron work needed was furnished by a small furnace erected 
 on the Bellamy river. The mills made shirtings, print 
 cloths, and sheetings, and the annual production was very 
 large. Twelve to fifteen hundred operatives were employed 
 on the corporation, while the amount of money disbursed 
 monthly, exclusive of the cost of cotton, amounted to a 
 
144 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 large sum. In 1825 the Company attempted the manu- 
 facture of woollen cloth and carpets, erecting a mill for that 
 purpose, but it soon relinquished this project, and put the 
 new factory also upon cotton." ("MS. of Ann Elizabeth 
 Wendell.") The mills were ruined, however, in the great 
 panic of 1827-28, and Jacob Wendell lost severely by them. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE. 
 
 Thespis, the first professor of our art, 
 
 At country wakes sang ballads from a cart. 
 
 DRYDEN. Prologtte to Lee's Sophonisba. 
 
 THE ephemeral literature of the streets the account of a 
 great fire, the lamentation for some public calamity, 
 the apocryphal penitential verses of hardened and bloody- 
 minded murderers, the satirical rhymes, the tender and 
 amorous lay has an interest all its own. There are few of 
 us but must confess to having stopped to listen to the mouldy 
 " patter " of the seedy-looking tatterdemalions who, keenly 
 alive to business, occasionally amuse a street crowd by their 
 voluble oratory or melancholy chant. In 1871, Reeves 
 and Turner, of London, published a quarto vol. entitled 
 " Curiosities of Street Literature." This consists of reprints 
 of some choice specimens of the literature by which the 
 flying stationers of former days made a living. From its high 
 price and the small number (456) printed, this work is little 
 known to the general public. As several of the ballads and 
 broadsides have a local flavour, a few words of note may not 
 
146 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 be out of place. " The Liverpool Tragedy ; Showing how 
 a Father and Mother Barbarously Murdered their own Son," 
 is a ballad narrating the story on which Lillo founded his 
 play of " Fatal Curiosity." It is one of these legends dear 
 to the hearts of the people, which has been narrated of many 
 localities, and is dealt with more fully in another part of this 
 volume. " Th' Owdam Chap's Visit to th' Queen " (p. 66) is 
 in the Lancashire dialect, and written upon the occasion 
 of the birth of the Prince of Wales. There is one, entitled 
 " Peterloo," which has at least the merit of brevity : 
 
 See ! see ! where freedom's noblest champion stands, 
 Shout ! shout ! illustrious patriot band, 
 Here grateful millions their generous tribute bring 
 And shouts for freedom make the welkin ring, 
 While fell corruption and her hellish crew 
 The blood-stained trophies gained at Peterloo. 
 Soon shall fair freedom's sons their right regain, 
 Soon shall all Europe join the hallowed strain 
 Of Liberty and Freedom, Equal Rights and Laws. 
 Heaven's choicest blessing crown this glorious cause, 
 While meanly tyrants, crawling minions too, 
 Tremble at their feats performed on Peterloo. 
 Britons, be firm, assert your rights, be bold, 
 Perish like heroes, not like slaves be sold j 
 Firm and unite let millions be free, 
 Will to your children glorious liberty ; 
 While coward despots long may keep in view, 
 And, silent, contemplate the deeds on Peterloo. 
 
 A more modern sample of the liberal muse is given on p. 
 104, "A New Song to the Memory of the late R. Cobden, 
 Esq., M.P." which ends 
 
Curiosities of Street Literature. 147 
 
 For ever shall his name endure, 
 
 Tho' numbered with the dead, 
 His name through earth's immortalised, 
 
 " He got the people bread. " 
 
 '"Manchester's an Altered Town" occurs at p. 122 : 
 
 Once on a time this good old town was nothing but a village 
 Of husbandry and farmers too, whose time was spent in tillage : 
 But things are altered very much, such building now alloted is 
 It rivals far, and soon will leave behind, the great Metropolis. 
 O dear O, Manchester's an altered town, O dear O. 
 
 Once on a time, were you inclined your weary limbs to lave, sir, 
 
 In summer's scorching heat, in the Irwell's cooling wave, sir, 
 
 You had only to go to the Old Church for the shore, sir ; 
 
 But since those days the fish have died, and now they are no more, sir. 
 
 When things do change, you ne'er do know what next is sure to follow ; 
 For, mark the change in Broughton now, of late 'twas but a hollow ; 
 For they have found it so snug, and changed its etymology, 
 They have clapt in it a wild beast's show, now called the Gardens of 
 Zoology. 
 
 A market on Shudehill there was, and it remains there still, sir : 
 The Salford old bridge is taken away, and clapt a new one in, sir ; 
 There's Newton Lane, I now shall name, has had an alteration, 
 They've knocked a great part of it down to make a railway station. 
 
 There's Bolton Railway Station in Salford, give attention, 
 Besides many more too numerous to mention ; 
 Besides a new police, to put the old ones down stairs, sir, 
 A Mayor and Corporation to govern this old town, sir. 
 
 There's Manchester and Salford old bridge that long has stood the 
 
 weather, 
 Because it was so very old they drowned it altogether ; 
 
148 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 And Brown-street market, too, it forms part of this sonnet, 
 Down it must come they say, to build a borough gaol upon it. 
 
 Not long ago, if you had taken a walk through Stevenson Square, sir, 
 You might have seen, if you look'd, a kind of chapel there, sir, 
 And yet this place, some people thought, had better to come down, sir ; 
 And in the parson's place they put a pantaloon and clown, sir. 
 
 In former times our cotton swells were not half so mighty found, sir, 
 But in these modern times they everywhere abound, sir ; 
 With new police and watchmen, to break the peace there's none dare, 
 And at every step the ladies go, the policemen cry, " Move on there." 
 
 In former days this good old town was guarded from the prigs, sir, 
 By day by constables, by night by watchmen with Welsh wigs, sir ; 
 But things are altered very much, for all those who're scholars 
 May tell the new policemen by their numbers on their collars. 
 
 "Luke Hutton's Lamentation" (p. 165), which has been 
 previously printed by Mr. Payne Collier, is a doleful ditty 
 setting forth the sorrows of a highwayman who was " hanged 
 at York" in 1598. The same fate awaited William Nevison, 
 who is said to have performed the exploit attributed to- 
 Dick Turpin by a Manchester novelist. Nevison's ride from 
 London to York was certainly a wonderful feat, if it ever 
 happened at all. The ballad of "Bold Nevison the High- 
 wayman" (p. 169) has often been reprinted. The murder 
 of Mrs. Hutchinson at Liverpool in 1849, by John Gleeson 
 Wilson, is set forth at page 197. The circumstances of that 
 brutal triple murder were imprinted on many memories 
 by their bizarre horror. "The Wigan Murder" (p. 203) 
 relates the "examination and confession of John Healey." 
 
Curiosities of Street Literature. 149 
 
 John Healey is my name, 
 
 It was strong whisky did my head inflame, 
 
 With four companions, at their desire, 
 
 At Button Pit, near Wigan, 
 
 To thrust poor James Barton in the furnace flames of fire. 
 
 The last line, it will be seen, is, if not good measure, at least 
 "pressed down and running over." "The Execution of 
 James Clitheroe, of St. Helens " (p. 208), is a brief prose 
 biography of a gentleman who murdered a paralytic woman 
 with whom he cohabited in adulterous intercourse. " Miles 
 Weatherhill, the Young Weaver, and his sweetheart, Sarah 
 Bell" (p. 215), is a ballad story of a young man executed at 
 Manchester. The poet's sympathy is clearly with the crimi- 
 nal. He had been refused permission to see his sweatheart, 
 who was a servant at Todmorden Parsonage, and in revenge 
 made a murderous attack upon the inmates of the house. 
 
 Three innocent lives has been sacrificed, 
 And one serious injured all through true love, 
 If they'd not been parted, made broken-hearted, 
 Those in the grave would be living now ; 
 
 And Miles would not have died on the gallows 
 For slaying the maiden and Parson Plow. 
 ***** 
 
 And all good people, oh, pray consider 
 Where true love is planted, there let it dwell ; 
 And recollect the Todmorden murder, 
 Young Miles the weaver, and Sarah Bell. 
 
 "Trial, Character, Confession, and Behaviour of Alice Holt" 
 (p. 223), who was executed at Chester for the murder of her 
 
150 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 mother. The poor old lady appears to have died of an 
 insurance for ^26, a not altogether novel complaint. At 
 p. 213 we have a sympathetic elegy upon Allen, Gould, and 
 Larkin : 
 
 To God I recommend them, in his mercy to defend them ; 
 
 May their souls shine in glory upon the blessed shore. 
 Safe within His keeping, where there will be no weeping, 
 
 Now Allen, Gould, and Larkin, alas ! are now no more, 
 
 The contents mention (p. 235) an execution paper of John 
 Gregson for the murder of his wife at Liverpool, but this 
 morceau has been cancelled and another attraction substi- 
 tuted in its place. These notes may serve to show how 
 varied and extensive is the literature of the streets, in which 
 is embodied in not too flattering shape the form and pres- 
 sure of the time. 
 
THOMAS AND JOHN FERRIAR. 
 
 Seeking the bubble reputation 
 Even in the cannon's mouth. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 AMONGST the gallant soldiers whom Manchester may 
 claim to have reared, a place of honour must be given 
 to Thomas Ilderton Ferriar, and his brother, John Ferriar. 
 Thomas was the eldest son of Dr. John Ferriar, the well- 
 known author of the Illustrations of Sterne. The details 
 of his life are exceedingly scanty. In 1817 he was living 
 in the Netherlands on half-pay as a lieutenant of the 23rd 
 Light Infantry. Here his attention, was attracted to the 
 struggle for liberty in South America. The great name of 
 Bolivar was one that excited the enthusiasm of many young 
 and ardent minds. Amongst those who joined the British 
 Legion, formed to help those striving to throw off the 
 galling yoke of old Spain, was young Ferriar. It was 
 expected that Captain Sturowitz would follow to take 
 the command of these volunteers. The news reached his 
 younger brother, who had also distinguished himself by 
 
152 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 military ardour. John Ferriar at an early age became 
 attached to the commissariat of the British army in the 
 Peninsula, and was present at the battles of Vittoria and 
 Toulouse. He sailed with Sir John Keane in the expedition 
 to New Orleans, and was afterwards sent to Flanders, where 
 he arrived two days after Waterloo. On the conclusion of 
 peace he tried, but vainly, to obtain military employment in 
 India or the colonies. He caught eagerly at the prospect of 
 going to South America, but his letter, asking to be allowed 
 to join the expedition, did not reach Flushing until after the 
 departure of his elder brother. Nothing daunted, he decided 
 to follow, and did so notwithstanding the difficulties that 
 had been thrown in the way of foreign enlistment. When 
 the brothers met near Angostura the first words of the elder 
 were : " Jack, I am heartily sorry to see you here." Both 
 brothers were under the leadership of Paez, and in 1821 the 
 command of the British Legion was entrusted to Col. Thomas 
 Ferriar. The history of the corps is somewhat obscure. 
 Originally, there was, in addition to the English Legion, a 
 battalion of Irish recruits, who had been organised by 
 General D'Evereux. They were under the leadership of an 
 officer who made himself very unpopular, and this led the 
 hot-tempered sons of Erin to break out in open mutiny on 
 St. Simon's day, which was being celebrated as the national 
 feast day. This disaffection probably led to the fusion of the 
 two battalions under the name of the British Legion, or more 
 probably it was formed of the fragments of the various corps 
 of British volunteers who had from time to time joined the 
 Columbian army. Their fighting quality was severely tested 
 
Thomas and John Ferriar. 153 
 
 at the battle of Carabobo. Of this there is a vivid descrip- 
 tion in a recent work by a Manchester author now unhappily- 
 deceased : 
 
 "In 1821 was fought the decisive battle of Carabobo, 
 which gave Venezuela to the patriots. The plain could 
 only be approached by the defile of Buena Vista, whose 
 outlet was commanded by the Spanish artillery, backed by 
 strong masses of infantry in two lines of battle, and sup- 
 ported on their flanks by strong bodies of cavalry. The 
 Spaniards had 9,000 men, whilst Bolivar had only 6,000. 
 The royalist position was absolutely impregnable. It was 
 determined, therefore, that Paez should go by a path danger- 
 ous and little known, and attempt to turn the enemy's right. 
 This path winds from the road to San Carlos over a wooded 
 hill, and into a ravine so full of briars that the men had to 
 pass singly through it. The royalists discovered the move- 
 ment of Paez as his men entered the ravine, and four of 
 their best battalions were at once directed against him. 
 Unable to withstand this terrible charge the soldiers of Apure 
 gave way, and it was only by the gallantry and coolness of 
 the men of the British Legion that the fortunes of the day 
 were ultimately turned in favour of the patriots. Filing off 
 under a tremendous fire, they formed in battle array, and, 
 kneeling down, withstood every effort to dislodge them. Not 
 an inch did they yield, although nearly all their officers were 
 killed or wounded, and their desperate resistance gave time 
 for the battalion of Apure to re-form. Afterwards Bolivar 
 called the British Legion ' the saviours of his country.' Re- 
 inforcements under General Heras and the famous body- 
 
154 Lancashire G leaning's. 
 
 guard of Paez now came on the scene of action ; the royalists, 
 attacked in front and rear, were totally routed and pursued 
 to Valencia, whence, with the shattered fragments of his host, 
 La Torre withdrew to Puerto-Cabello, which was carried by 
 assault in November of the same year." (" Land of Bolivar," 
 by James Mudie Spence, London, 1878, vol. i., p. 132.) 
 
 The accuracy of this account of the battle is confirmed 
 by various contemporary authorities. Bolivar, whilst giving 
 the chief credit to Paez, speaks in high terms of Ferriar and 
 the British battalion. " El bizarro General Paez, a" la cabeza 
 de los dos batallones de su division y del regimiento de 
 caballeria del valiente Coronel Munoz marchd con tal in- 
 trepidez sobre la derecha del enemigo, que, en media hora, 
 todo el fue envuelto y cortado. Nada hara jamas bastante 
 honor al valor de estas tropas. El batallon britanico man- 
 dado por el beneme'rito Coronel Farriar \sic\ pudo aun 
 distinguirse entre tantos valientes, y tuvo una gran perdida 
 de oficiales. La conducta del General Paez en la ultima y 
 mas gloriosa victoria de Colombia, le ha hecho acreedor al 
 ultimo rango en la milicia ; y yo, en nombre del Congreso le 
 he ofrecido, en el campo de batalla, el empleo de General en 
 gefe del Eje"rcito." (Larrizabal : " Vida de Bolivar," ii. 85.) 
 
 Mendez, then Minister of War, in his official report to the 
 Congress, stated that " the firmness of the British legion, en- 
 during the fire of the enemy until they had formed, and the 
 intrepidity with which they charged with the bayonet, sus- 
 stained by the battalion of the Apure who had re-formed, and 
 by two companies of sharpshooters who were led by their 
 commander, Lieutenant Colonel Haras, decided the battle." 
 
Thomas and John Ferriar, 155 
 
 (" Colleccion de Documentos relatives a la vida publica del 
 libertador Simon Bolivar," Caracas, 1826, p. 281, torn, ii.) 
 Baralt and Diaz, in their account of the battle, likewise tell 
 us that the Republicans were giving way, when the English, 
 under the command of Colonel Ferriar, aided them. The 
 Royalists had attacked one battalion of the Republicans 
 with four of their own best battalions, and the issue of the 
 unequal struggle was not very doubtful " when those valiant 
 strangers defiled and formed themselves in battle array." 
 Under a horrible fire, and with an almost incredible serenity, 
 they knelt down upon the earth to take aim, and it was 
 impossible to move them.* 
 
 General Paez, who was the leader of the battalion of the 
 Apure, has himself borne hearty witness to the help given to 
 him by the British Legion, who, he says, under the command 
 of their high-spirited colonel, Ferriar, were worthy com- 
 patriots of those who a few years earlier fought with so much 
 
 * El cuerpo republicano al fin logro pasar, pero no pudiendo resistir 
 solo carga que le dieron, se arremolinaba ya y cedia cuando flegaron en 
 su ausilio los ingleses al mando del coronel Juan Ferrier. El enemigo 
 habia empenado en el ataque cuatro de sus mejores batallones contra 
 uno solo del ejercito libertador; sucesivamente podia haberlos contendo 
 y arrollado a todos. Mas aquellos valerosos estranjeros desfilaron y se 
 formaron en batalla baja un fuego horroroso con una serenidad que no 
 parecia criaturas racionales ; despues hincaron la rodilla en tierra y no 
 hubio medio de hacerles dar un paso atras. Muchos alii gloriosamente 
 perecerien y casi todos sus oficiales quedaron heridos, pero el servicio 
 que prestaron no fue por eso menos grande. (Baralt y Diaz : " Resumen 
 de la Historia de Venezuela," Paris, 1841, torn. ii. p. 46.) 
 
156 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 coolness at Waterloo. He describes them as forming in line 
 of battle under the fire of the enemy, and continuing the 
 struggle until their cartridges were all exhausted, and then as 
 charging with the bayonet. (" Autobiografia del General 
 Jose Antonio Paez," Nueva York, 1869, vol. i., p. 206.) 
 
 The Legion suffered greatly in this battle. Thirty were 
 killed and one hundred wounded ; amongst the latter, Col. 
 Ferriar. Bolivar was overjoyed at the victory by which 
 the Spanish power was broken. The Congress decreed the 
 erection of a memorial of those who had fought in the 
 struggle, and the name of Ferriar was omitted. Ducoudray 
 Holstein says : " In speaking of this decree I must be per- 
 mitted deeply to regret that the glorious death of Colonel 
 Ferriar was not noticed in it. He died at the head-quarters of 
 the British Legion. His merit surely entitled him to a con- 
 spicuous place in one of the four columns of a paper devoted 
 to the fame of those who fought for the liberty of Colombia." 
 ("Memoirs of Bolivar," Eng. edit, 1830, ii., 174.) But the 
 vote of the Congress was, perhaps, immaterial, for, in the 
 confusion which followed, the monument so solemnly 
 decreed in the name of the nation was never erected. The 
 battle of Carabobo was fought on 24th June, 1821. Col. 
 Ferriar was carried wounded from the field, and died at 
 Valencia on the i;th of the following month. The Liberator 
 showed his sense of the loss which Colombia had sustained 
 by following the body to the grave as chief mourner. 
 
 It was not till the 2pth of the following Sept. that the 
 Manchester public heard of the battle in the pages of the 
 Guardian. In the paper of that date a correspondent 
 
Thomas and John Ferriar. 157 
 
 describes the victory, adding that Bolivar mentioned the 
 Colonel of the Legion in the handsomest terms. He adds : 
 " The Colonel, Ferriar, whom I knew intimately well, received 
 a ball through his thigh, and the second in command, Lieut.- 
 Col. Davey, was severely wounded." The subsequent death 
 of Ferriar was announced in the Guardian of the ith Dec. 
 as having occurred on the iyth July, of the wound received 
 in the decisive battle of Carabobo. He is described as the 
 eldest son of the late Dr. Ferriar, and as " Colonel in the 
 Colombian service, and Adjutant-General of the army of the 
 Apure : a fearless soldier and an amiable and high-minded 
 gentleman." Aston's Exchange Herald of i8th Dec. also 
 mentions the Colonel's decease and the proposal of the 
 Supreme Congress to erect a public monument to his memory. 
 On the death of Colonel Ferriar he was succeeded by 
 Colonel Young, who soon after resigned, and the command 
 of the British Legion was then given to Colonel John 
 Ferriar. After the departure of Bolivar for Peru he had an 
 opportunity of showing his courage in another fashion. His 
 old leader and personal friend, General Paez, having headed 
 a revolt, against the Liberator, Ferriar assembled his men, and 
 warmly represented to them the duty of fidelity to the 
 republic they had sworn to protect. His appeal was effectual, 
 and on Bolivar's return he did not fail to show his gratitude. 
 Col. Ferriar received a special decoration in addition to that 
 of the Order of the Liberator, which he already possessed. 
 After leaving Maracaybo, where he was very popular, he 
 became military governor of the province of Coro. His 
 fatal illness was a consequence of the pestilential climate of 
 
158 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Carthagena, where he was in garrison. After a month's 
 dysentery he died on the i8th of March, 1829, at Pasto, near 
 Carthagena. The notice of his death did not appear in Man- 
 chester papers until the following August. 
 
 Ability, courage, fidelity, these were the qualities dis- 
 played in a remarkable degree by the two brothers; and 
 these, united to a charm of manner, entitled them to the 
 love as well as to the gratitude of the Republicans of South 
 America, for whose liberties they gave their lives. 
 
TURTON FAIR IN 1789. 
 
 Now he goes on, and sings of fairs and shows, 
 
 For still new fairs before his eyes arose : 
 
 How pedlars' stalls with glittering toys are laid, 
 
 The various fairings of the country maid : 
 
 Long silken laces hang upon the twine, 
 
 And rows of pins and amber bracelets shine : 
 
 How the tight lass, knives, combs, and scissors spies, 
 
 And looks on thimbles with desiring eyes : 
 
 Of lott'ries next with tuneful note he told, 
 
 Where silver spoons are won and rings of gold : 
 
 The lads and lasses trudge the street along, 
 
 And all the fair is crowded in his song : 
 
 The mountebank now heads the stage, and sells 
 
 His pills, his balsams, and his ague spells ; 
 
 Now o'er and o'er the nimble tumbler springs, 
 
 And on the rope the vent'rous maiden swings, 
 
 Capital Jack Pudding, in his party- colour 'd jacket, 
 
 Tosses the glove, and jokes at every packet : 
 
 Of raree-shows he sung, and Punch's feats, 
 
 Of pockets pick'd in crowds, and various cheats. 
 
 GAY. Shepherd's Week. 
 
 THE village of Turton, which is associated in our minds 
 with memories of the pious Humphrey Chetham, the 
 founder, has also produced a poet who has left in halting 
 
160 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 rhyme a record of the burning indignation which fired his 
 soul at the enormities of Turton Fair. The title page runs : 
 " A Picturesque Description of Turton Fair, and its Perni- 
 cious consequences. A Poem. By William Sheldrake. 
 
 Quo, quo, scelesti ruitis ? Hor. 
 
 Unhappy men ! the path in which you go, 
 Will doutless terminate in endless woe. 
 
 London : Printed for the Author, and sold by B. Jackson, 
 Bolton. 1789." The work is dedicated to William Cross, 
 Esq., Collector of Excise, Manchester. "I have long thought 
 and am happy in finding you to possess the same sentiment, 
 ' That there are more young people debauched and undone 
 by attending the giddy multitude in dissipation than by the 
 open allurements of the most immoral.' " Plunging into the 
 " Poem," we have a description of the village of " Turton 
 alias Chapel Town " : 
 
 * * * Thirteen houses are the most 
 
 Of which the great inhabitants can boast ; 
 
 A little chapel too, of decent form, 
 
 And e'en a school to make stiff youth conform. 
 
 The roads, we are told, "be narrow and knee deep in mud." 
 The people live by agriculture and weaving, and, although 
 generally sluggards, work hard enough for weeks before the 
 fair in order to have money to waste. It was the custom, we 
 are told, of the " by-brewers " (an expressive word) to fix the 
 bough of a tree to their houses as a substitute for a sign. 
 The cattle fair our poet looks upon as simply a pretext. It 
 is quickly over : 
 
Turton Fair in 1789. 161 
 
 So quick they're driven to the destined field, 
 Poor injur'd innocents compell'd to yield ; 
 Most cruel treatment they must needs endure, 
 Yet their submission makes no lashes few'r ; 
 And still to make these creatures smart the more, 
 With sharpest goads their painful flesh is tore, 
 Till their lank sides are mantled round with gore. 
 
 The fair seems to have commenced with a service in the 
 chapel, after which 
 
 * * * The pedlars cautiously prepare 
 Their crazy stalls on which t' expose their ware. 
 
 At midday the fun of the fair commences 
 
 Whate'er's their lust, none needs despair to meet 
 With some delightful but envenomed sweet. 
 
 And the author proceeds to lament the presence of young 
 girls at these scenes, and alludes to "the custom in this 
 neighbourhood to court in the night." The fun and frolic, 
 fast and furious, excites our author greatly, and he declares 
 
 * * * 'Tis doubtless bad beyond comparing, 
 
 Unless to sottish Holcombe's curst rush-bearing ; 
 
 But, as 'twas satiris'd by an abler pen, 
 
 I'll say but little on that theme again. 
 
 Yet if reports are true, as prudence tells, 
 
 The last's unrivall'd and bears off the bells, 
 
 Because their interludes and tragic play 
 
 Are chiefly acted on the Sabbath day. 
 
 Poor soul ! how eagerly they ply their lore, 
 
 And to their tawdry garlands add one number more. 
 
 In a footnote he alludes to a poem on rush-bearing. Next 
 
 M 
 
1 62 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 we have a picture of the rustics, inflamed by liquor, indulg- 
 ing in a free fight, whilst 
 
 ' Numerous sharpers, skill'd in wily art, 
 Now on the stalls, then on the pocket dart. 
 
 A rough of the present day need not blush at the following 
 description of his grandfather's prowess : 
 
 To these base men commence the dreadful fight, 
 Kicking amain, and trembling with delight ; 
 Nor will desist till the red current flows 
 From the burst mouth, and from the flattened nose. 
 
 The poem concludes with an invocation to the "zealous 
 few " to help him 
 
 Then we'll the lady of this place bequest 
 To ease our minds and rid us of this pest." 
 
 Whether Mr. Sheldrake's muse was successful in mitigating 
 the enormities of Turton Fair we know not. 
 
THE STORY OF THE THREE BLACK CROWS. 
 
 Rien ne pese tant qu' un secret. 
 
 LAFONTAINE. 
 
 WITTY and wise Mr. John Byrom, when he wrote 
 "The Three Black Crows" to be recited at the 
 breaking-up of the Manchester Grammar School, had prob- 
 ably no other motive than to give a passing pleasure to the 
 friendly audience which would be assembled to hear the 
 young orators of that famous academy. The piece, however, 
 is so whimsically humorous that it immediately hit the public 
 fancy, and became a stock piece wherever there was a de- 
 mand for sly satire couched in facile verse. It still has its 
 admirers, although it must be confessed that younger rivals 
 have arisen and somewhat pushed it backwards into the 
 shade. We quote Byrom's poem in full ; it is one of those 
 good things that will bear repetition : 
 
 THE THREE BLACK CROWS I A TALE. 
 
 "TALE ! " That will raise the question, I suppose, 
 " What can the meaning be of three black crows? " 
 
164 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 It is a London story, you must know, 
 And happen'd, as they say, some time ago. 
 The meaning of it custom would suppress 
 Till to the end we come : nevertheless, 
 Tho' it may vary from the use of old 
 To tell the moral ere the tale be told, 
 We'll give a hint, for once, how to apply 
 The meaning first ; then hang the tale thereby. 
 
 People full oft are put into a pother 
 For want of understanding one another ; 
 And strange amusing stories creep about, 
 That come to nothing if you trace them out ; 
 Lies of the day perhaps, or month, or year, 
 Which having serv'd their purpose, disappear, 
 From which, meanwhile, disputes of every size, 
 That is to say, misunderstandings rise, 
 The springs of ill, from bick'ring up to battle, 
 From wars and tumults, down to tittle tattle, 
 Such, as for instance, (for we need not roam 
 Far off to find them, but come nearer home ;) 
 Such as befal by sudden misdivining 
 On cuts, on coals, on boxes, and on signing, 
 
 Or on what now,* in the affair of mills, 
 To us and you portends such serious ills. 
 To note how meanings that were never meant 
 By eager giving them too rash assent, 
 
 * Some local matters were then in agitation in Manchester, particu- 
 larly an application to Parliament for a Bill to abrogate the custom of 
 grinding wheat at the School Mills. (Miscellaneous Poems, by John 
 Byrom, M.A,, F.R.S., Leeds, 1814, vol. i. pp. 31-3. Cf. Manchester 
 edit., vol. i. pp. 48-50.) 
 
The Story of the Three Black Crows. 165 
 
 Will fly about, just like so many crows 
 Of the same breed of which the story goes, 
 It may, at least it should, correct a zeal 
 That hurts the public or the private weal. 
 
 Two honest tradesmen meeting in the Strand, 
 
 One took the other briskly by the hand ; 
 
 " Hark ye," said he, " 'tis an odd story this 
 
 About the crows ! " " / don't know what it ts," 
 
 Replied his friend. " No ! I'm surprised at that, 
 
 Where I come from it is the common chat. 
 
 But you shall hear, an odd affair indeed ! 
 
 And that it happen'd they are all agreed. 
 
 Not to detain you from a thing so strange, 
 
 A gentleman that lives not far from Change, 
 
 This week, in short, as all the alley knows, 
 
 Taking a puke, has thrown up Three Black Crows ! " 
 
 "Impossible!" " Nay, but indeed 'tis true ; 
 
 I have it from good hands, and so may you." 
 
 "From whose, I pray?" So, having named the man, 
 
 Straight to enquire his curious comrade ran. 
 
 "Sir, did you tell" relating the affair, 
 
 " Yes, sir, I did ; and if 'tis worth your care, 
 
 Ask Mr. Such-a-one, he told it me ; 
 
 But, by the bye, 'twas Two black crows, not Three." 
 
 Resolv'd to trace so wond'rous an event, 
 
 Whip, to the third, the virtuoso went. 
 
 "Sir" and so forth ; " Why, yes ; the thing is fact ; 
 
 Tho' in regard to number not exact ; 
 
 It was not Two black crows, 'twas only One ; 
 
 The truth of that you may rely upon : 
 
 The gentleman himself told me the case." 
 
 " Where may I find him ?" " Why, in such a place. " 
 
1 66 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Away goes he, and having found him out, 
 
 " Sir, be so good as to resolve a doubt? 
 
 Then to his last informant he referr'd, 
 
 And begg'd to know if true what he had heard : 
 
 " Did you, sir, threw up a black crow ? " "Not I." 
 
 " Bless me ! how people propagate a lie ! 
 
 Black crows have been thrown up, Three, Two, and One, 
 
 And here, I find, all comes at last to none. 
 
 Did you say nothing of a crow at all?" 
 
 " Crow ! Crow ! Perhaps I might, now I recal 
 
 The matter over." " And pray, sir, what was't? " 
 
 " Why, I was horrid sick, and at last, 
 
 I did throw up, and told my neighbour so, 
 
 Something that was as black, sir, as a crow." 
 
 Byrom, it will be noticed, calls this a London story, and it 
 is quite possible that he heard it in conversation, and saw 
 that it offered good materials for the Comic Muse. 
 
 It was, however, already invested with venerable antiquity, 
 and there are several literary sources from which Byrom 
 might have borrowed the incident which he has versified. 
 
 The most important of these is Lafontaine, in whose 
 " Fables " we have (livre viii. fab. vi.) the following anecdote 
 of 
 
 LES FEMMES ET LE SECRET: 
 
 Rien ne pese tant qu'un secret : 
 Le porter loin est difficile aux dames ; 
 Et je sais meme sur ce fait 
 Bon nombre d'hommes qui sont femmes. 
 
 Pour eprouver la sienne un mari s'ecria, 
 
 La nuit, etant pres d'elle : " O Dieu ! Qu 'est-ce ce la ? 
 
The Story of the Three Black Crows. 167 
 
 Je n'en puis plus ! on me dechire ! 
 Quoi ! j'accouche d'un ceuf ! D'un oeuf ! Oui, le voila 
 Frais et nouveau pondu : gardez bien de le dire ; 
 On m' appelleroit poule. Enfin n'en parlez pas." 
 
 La femme, neuve sur ce cas 
 
 Ainsi que sur mainte autre affaire, 
 Crut la chose, et promit ses grands dieux de se taire ; 
 
 Mais ce serment s'evanouit 
 
 Avec les ombres de la nuit. 
 
 L'epouse, indiscrete et peu fine, 
 Sort du lit quand le jour fut a peine leve ; 
 
 Et de courir chez sa voisine : 
 " Ma commere, dit-elle, un cas est arrive ; 
 N'en dites rien surtout, car vous me feriez battre : 
 Mon mari vient de pondre un oeuf gros comme quatre, 
 
 Au nom de Dieu, gardez-vous bien 
 
 D'aller publier ce mystere. 
 
 Vous moquez-vous? dit 1'autre"; ah ! vous ne savez guere 
 
 Quelle je suis. Allez, ne craignez rien." 
 La femme du pondeur s'en retourne chez elle. 
 L'autre grille deja d'en center la nouvelle : 
 Elle va la repandre en plus de clix endroits : 
 
 Au lieu d'un oeuf elle en dit trois. 
 Ce n'est pas encor tout, car une autre commere 
 En dit quartre, et raconte a 1'oreille le fait : 
 
 Precaution peu necessaire, 
 
 Car ce n'etoit plus un secret. 
 Comme le nombre d'ceufs, grace a la renommee, 
 
 De bouche en bouche alloit croissant, 
 
 Avant la fin de la journee 
 
 Us se montoient a plus d'un cent. 
 
 Lodovico Guicciardini has the same incident in his 
 "Detti e fatti piacevoli." This curious collection first 
 
1 68 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 appeared about 1569, and was often reprinted and translated 
 into German and French. In adjuring his wife to secrecy 
 he employs the same comic argument : " Ma guarda, ben 
 mio, se tu mi ami, che non ti uscisse di boca, per che tu 
 puoi pensare che dishonore mi sarebbe se si dicesse che d' 
 uomo io fussi diventato una gallina." M. Louis Moland, 
 from whom this quotation is taken at second-hand, refers also 
 to the ' Contes d' Eutrapel," and to the xxiv. chap, of liv. 
 III. of Rabelais, and to Abstemius. (See " (Euvres Complets 
 de la Fontaine," n. e. par M. Louis Moland (Gamier Freres), 
 t. ii. p. 145.) It is also one of the famous jests of Scogin. 
 
 It is the 1 2 Qth of the Fables of Abstemius, as we learn 
 from the latest editor of Lafontaine. Lorenzo Bevilaqua 
 was born at Macerata, in the marches of Ancona, about the 
 end of the fifteenth century. According to the fashion of 
 his time he took the Latinised name of Laurentius Abstem- 
 ius. Having been tutor to the Duke of Urbino he was 
 appointed his librarian. He wrote several works, of which 
 the chief is the "Hecatomythium" a collection of two hun- 
 dred fables which has been included in several collections of 
 fabulists. There was a French translation printed in 1572, 
 from which Lafontaine may have borrowed his fable. Bayle 
 gives a curious account of Abstemius and his story of the 
 Five Talents. 
 
 The story is told in " The Book of the Knight of La Tour- 
 Landry," which was translated into English in the reign of 
 Henry VI., and has been printed under the editorial care of 
 Mr. Thomas Wright. (" The Book of the Knight of La Tour- 
 Landry," compiled for the instruction of his daughters . . . 
 
The Story of the Three Black Crows. 169 
 
 With an introduction and notes by Thomas Wright, M.A., 
 F.S.A. London (Early English Text Society) : 1868, pp. 
 96 and 215.) Geoffrey de la Tour-Landry is supposed to 
 have written his book for the instruction of his daughters in 
 1371 and 1372. The English version gives us the story in 
 the following droll form : 
 
 " I wolde you wost the tale of the squier that had a yong 
 wiff, in what wise he said and proued her : c Y wol telle you 
 a gret counsaile, but discover me not for no thinge of this 
 that y saie you, for my worshippe liethe therin, and therfor, 
 for the loue of God, telle it not. There is befalle vnto me 
 suche an auenture, that y have leide .ij. eggis.' And she 
 sware, and assured her husbonde, that she wolde never speke 
 therof vnto no creatoure ; but hereupon she thought longe 
 tyme til that she might fynde a way to goo vnto her godsib, 
 'Y wolde telle you a thing of gret priuete, and ye wille 
 ensure me to holde it counsaile.' And her godsib benight 
 her to do so. ' So helpe me so, my dear godsib, there is 
 befalle a merueilous auenture vnto my husbonde, for he hathe 
 ylaide .iij. eggis.' ' A ! seint Marie,' said this godsib, ' this 
 is a gret meruaile, how may it be ? it is a straunge thinge ! ' 
 but, whaune alle was saide, thei departed. And the godsib 
 that hadde herde the wiffes counsaile, in alle haste she gothe 
 forthe vnto another godsib that she had, and tolde euery 
 worde the counsaile that such a squier had leyde .v. eggis. 
 And in this wise it was reported, furst bi the wiff, and affter 
 bi the godsibbes in counsaile from one to an other, tille alle 
 the centre spake thereof, and that the squier herde of the 
 speche, and how it was renounced that he had leide .v. eggis. 
 
170 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 And thanne he called his wiff vnto hym before her frendes 
 and her kin, and saide vuto her, 'Dame, y tolde you in 
 counsaile such thinge as ye haue discouered and saide it 
 forth in suche wise as now alle the centre spekithe thereof; 
 for there y tolde you that y had leide .ij. eggis, thanked be 
 God and your good report, ye haue encreased hem vnto the 
 noumber of .v. eggis ; and thoughe it be the contrarie of alle 
 that ye haue saide, y feyned such a thing and tolde it you in 
 counsaile, and all was forto preue you how ye wolde kepe 
 myn counsaile as ye behight me to do. Wherin y haue 
 founde you of gret defauute, and not true vnto me.' And 
 hereupon the wiff was so sore ashamed, that she wost not what 
 she might do nor sey, for there was none excusacion in her 
 folye. And bi this ensaumple alle goode women ought to be 
 ware and auised that they discouer not the counsaile of her 
 husbonde, but euer more, as she is ybounde, to keepe his 
 counsaile and fulfelle his comaundement." 
 
 This translation is more moderate in tone than the original, 
 in which, instead of five, a hundred eggs are mentioned. 
 Mr. Wright says that the story of the squire was rather a 
 favourite story in the middle ages. " A rather different ver- 
 sion will be found in the "Menagier de Paris," torn, i., p. 180." 
 This work I have not seen, and am unable to state in what 
 the difference consists between that and the other versions. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Wright has printed a Latin version from the 
 "Promptuarum Exemplorum," a collection of stories intended 
 to point the moral of the preacher's sermon, and compiled 
 early in the fifteenth century : 
 
 " Erant duo fratres, quorum unus laicus, alter clericus. 
 
The Story of the Three Black Crows. 171 
 
 Laicus saepe audiverat a fratre suo quod mulieres secretum 
 alicujus non poterant occultare. Cogitabat experiri hoc cum 
 uxore sibi dilecta, cui dixit una nocte, ' Carissima, secretum 
 habeo tibi pandere, si certus essem quod nulli diceres ; quia 
 si contrarium faceres, confusio intolerabilis mihi esset.' At 
 ilia, ' Domine, noli timere : unum corpus sumus, bonum 
 tuum est meum, et e converse etiam malum similiter.' Qui 
 ait, * Cum ad privata accessissem ut opus naturae facerem, 
 corvus nigerimus a parte posteriori evolebat; de quo sum 
 contristatus.' Quae ait, 'Laetus esse debes, quod a tanta 
 passione es liberatus.' Mane vero mulier surrexit, ad domum 
 proximi sui ivit, et dominas domus dixit, ' O domina carissi- 
 ma, potero tibi pandere aliqua secreta?' Quae ait, 'Ita 
 secure sicut animae tuae.' Quas dixit, 'Mirabilis casus 
 accidit marito meo nocte ista : accessit ad privata, ut opus 
 naturae faceret, et certe duo corvi nigerrimi a parte posteriori 
 evolabant, de quo multum doleo.' Et ilia ad aliam vicinam 
 narravit de tribus, et tertia de quatuor ; et sic ultra, quod ille 
 diffamatus est quod .lx. corvi de eo evolassent. Ille turbatus 
 de rumore, convocavit populum, cui narrat rem gestam, quo- 
 modo mulierem voluit experire si sciret secretum tenere." 
 (A Selection of Latin Stories from MSS. of the thirteenth 
 and fourteenth centuries . . . edited by Thomas Wright, 
 M.A., F.S.A. London: Percy Society, 1842, pp. 104 and 
 
 2 39-) 
 
 The "Gesta Romanorum" is a still earlier collection of tales 
 used by the preachers to render their discourses more accept- 
 able to the flock. It is identical with the one just quoted, 
 which has been purposely left in the original coarseness of 
 
1/2 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 its mediaeval Latinity. In the "Gesta Romanorum" each story 
 is fitted with a most artificial moral. Imagine the preacher 
 after reciting this anecdote saying, " My beloved, the lay- 
 man is any worldly-minded man who thinking to do one 
 foolish thing without offence falls into a thousand errors. But 
 he assembles the people that is past and present sins and 
 by confession expurgates his conscience." It is clear that 
 he found the black crows difficult to turn into religious sym- 
 bols, so he added another incident. "Soon after this, his 
 wife dying, he ended his days in a cloister, where he learnt 
 three letters ; of which one was black, the second red, and 
 the third white." This, as the translater justly observes, 
 " seems merely introduced to tell us in the application that 
 the black letter is recollection of our sins ; the red, Christ's 
 blood ; and the white, the desire of heaven." (" Gesta Roman- 
 orum" . . . trans, by Rev. Charles Swan, revised by 
 Wynnard Hooper. London : Bell, 1877, pp. 226 and 397.) 
 This fancy was, and still is, popular. Thus "Bishop 
 Babington had a little Book, containing only Three Leaves, 
 which he turned over Night and Morning : the first Leaf 
 was Black, to mind him of Hell, and God's Judgments due 
 to him for Sin ; the second Red, to mind him of Christ and 
 his Passion ; the third White, to set forth God's Mercy to 
 him, through the Merits of his Son, in his Justification and 
 Sanctification." (Clarke's "Examples" v. i. p. 540). Another 
 instance of this fancy is " The Worldless Book," which con- 
 tains in succession two pages of black, red, white, and gold. 
 These with the covers make the book. It is a religious 
 allegory in which original sin, redemption, grace, and the 
 
The Story of the Three Black Crows, 173 
 
 happiness of heaven are symbolised by the colours named. 
 (Cf. Axon's "Smallest Books in the World," Manchester, 
 1876, p. 6.) 
 
 As Byrom's library has been preserved, it might be ex- 
 pected to throw some light on the immediate source from 
 which the witty Mancunian borrowed this story. Unfortu- 
 nately, this is not the case. The collection is in every sense 
 curious ; but of the books we have named as containing the 
 fable of the too credulous and too talkative lady it has only 
 one, and that is the edition of Lafontaine's " Fables Choises" 
 printed in London in 1736. This is very unlikely to have 
 been the source, for Lafontaine speaks of eggs, whilst Byrom, 
 like the writer of the "Gesta Romanorum," talks of crows. If 
 we cannot prove each descent, we can at least show that the 
 black crows had been flying about for centuries before they 
 came home to roost at the Manchester Grammar School. 
 
 Since the preceeding was written, some additional Byrom 
 MSS. have been brought to light, and from one of these 
 which is described by Mr. John Evans in the Manchester 
 Quarterly, vol. i. p. 48, it appears that the story was told to 
 Byrom sometime after 1741 by his friend John Taylor, 
 LL.D., the translator of Demosthenes. They were afterwards 
 greatly enlarged, the original draft having only 54 lines. 
 Whether Dr. Taylor derived the story from a literary source 
 or from oral tradition does not appear. 
 
LANCASHIRE BEYOND THE SEA. 
 
 Be England what she will, 
 With all her faults she is my country still. 
 
 CHURCHILL. The Farewell. 
 
 THERE is a pleasant passage in one of the books written 
 by Elihu Burritt, " the Learned Blacksmith," wherein 
 he speculates as to the manner in which the early American 
 settlers gave names to the new homes they created, often in 
 the midst of the wilderness. "A few men," he says, "with 
 their axes, and their wives and children on ox-sleds, would 
 venture out ten or twenty miles into the woods, and set to 
 work building a little hamlet of log houses. Before a child 
 was born in it this infant town must be christened and have a 
 name. I have often wondered how they made up their minds 
 what to call it. Perhaps there was a good deal of earnest talk 
 among them on this point, perhaps some voting, too, with 
 ballots made of pine or white-wood chips, with town names 
 written on them with coal, and then dropped into the old 
 weather-beaten round-topped hat of one of the company. 
 Who knows how many fireside debates, adjourned from house 
 
Lancashire Beyond the Sea. 175 
 
 to house, took place before this important point was settled ? 
 One of their number, his wife and eldest son, might have 
 been born in Colchester, another father or mother in Chelms- 
 ford, a third in Ipswich, two or three in Reading, and four 
 or five in Lancaster, in England. ' Which of these names 
 shall we give to the town we are building?' That is the 
 question. Can you not imagine the group gathered around 
 the great fire in that snow-covered cabin of logs ? I fancy I 
 can see them now old men with grey hair and thoughtful 
 faces, and strong, hard-handed men in their prime, and young 
 men, and boys and girls, and mothers with babies in their 
 arms, all sitting there in the firelight, some silently dwelling 
 upon sunny memories of the fatherland, while one of the 
 village fathers with his right finger pressed against the centre 
 of the palm of his left hand is trying to show why Lancaster 
 would be a better name than Reading. Why it should be so 
 it would be difficult for us to say if we had now to decide the 
 question. But he knows, or thinks he knows, why. See 
 how his nut-brown face lights up with animation as he grows 
 earnest in the matter. There are other faces that gleam with 
 the same light as he goes on with his argument. The fact is 
 there are more of the company born in old England's Lan- 
 caster than in Reading, and that decides the question ; and 
 Lancaster is the name of this meek little hamlet of huts, 
 planted in the midst of the wild woods, and eyed suspiciously 
 not only by the thieving bears and growling wolves, but also 
 by the Red Indians, who do not like such doings on their 
 hunting grounds." This is, no doubt, the correct explanation 
 of the origin of a large number of those American names of 
 
176 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 places that are identical with those in England. Thus there 
 are at least 15 Readings in the United States, and 29 Lan- 
 casters in the United States and Canada. Even a casual 
 examination of the entries in " Lippincott's Gazetteer of the 
 World," published at Philadelphia in 1883, will show the 
 existence of a Lancashire beyond the sea. In addition to 29 
 Lancasters there are 18 Prestons in the United States, and 
 there is also Preston Bluff, Preston Cape, Preston Hollow, 
 and Preston Lake. There is no Blackburn, but Oldham 
 occurs in Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, and Ohio. There is 
 also an Oldham in Nova Scotia. Rochdale, which was for- 
 merly known as Clappville, is a post village in Massachusets. 
 There are three Stockports in the United States. In Pen- 
 dleton, West Virginia, the population in 1870 was 6,455, f 
 whom 6,449 were American born. There are also Pendle- 
 tons in the States of Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, 
 New York, Ohio, Oregon, and South Carolina. Caton in 
 New York and Catonsville in Maryland are perhaps Lan- 
 cashire reminiscences. Gorton is the name of a station in 
 Minnesota. There is a Standish in Maine, and another in 
 Michigan. Duxbury occurs in Massachusets and in Ver- 
 mont. There is a Crompton in Rhode Island, and at least 
 a dozen Boltons in the United States and in Canada, but 
 our Lancashire town may not have been the prototype of 
 them all. There are eleven Prescots in America. Burnley, 
 in Ontario, is also known by the name of Grimshawe's 
 Mills. 
 
 Without staying to look for further instances let us see 
 what has been the influence in this particular fashion of the 
 
Lancashire Beyond the Sea. 177 
 
 two great cities of Lancashire. In England beyond the sea 
 there are fifteen place-names of which Liverpool forms a 
 part. Two are in Ohio, one in Illinois, one in Indiana, one 
 in Oregon, and one in Pennsylvania. Liverpool in the 
 State of New York manufactures over a million bushels of 
 salt yearly. There are two Liverpools in* the Dominion of 
 Canada one is in New Brunswick, and the other is a town 
 and port of entry for Nova Scotia, and is situated on the left 
 bank of the river Mersey. Liverpool Cape is the name of a 
 headland on the south side of the entrance to Lancaster 
 Sound, Northern Canada, and of another headland bounding 
 Liverpool Bay in the Arctic Ocean, immediately south-west 
 of Cape Bathurst. Then we have Liverpool, a mountain 
 range in East Australia; Liverpool Plains in New South 
 Wales, and Liverpool River in North Australia. 
 
 There are forty Manchesters outside of Lancashire. There 
 is one in California, and another in Connecticut, where they 
 have paper mills, cotton mills, woollen factories, manufac- 
 tories of silk, gingham, and stockinet ; there are two in 
 Illinois, and one in Indiana. Manchester in Iowa seems 
 to be well provided with modern adjuncts, for though its 
 population is only 1,566 it possesses five churches. Manches- 
 ter in Kentucky is noted for its salt manufactories. There 
 is a Manchester in Maine, and the name is borne by a 
 popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast of Massachusets. 
 Close by, in the sea, is the mass of rocks known as " Nor- 
 man's Woe," the name of which will be familiar to the 
 admirers of Longfellow's "Wreck of the Hesperus." Man- 
 chester in Michigan has woollen and other industries. 
 
178 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Manchester in Minnesota has a population of 721. There 
 is one Manchester in Montana, and two in New Jersey. 
 Another tiny Manchester is situated in county Oneida, New 
 York, and its population of 158 are provided with a church 
 and an iron furnace. There is one Manchester in North 
 Carolina, four in Ohio, and three in Pennsylvania. The 
 only one in South Carolina, we regret to say, is "a decayed 
 village." A post village in Tennessee is the home of 
 Manchester College. There is another place bearing the 
 name in Texas. Near Manchester in Vermont are the 
 marble quarries of Mount Elias. There is another in 
 Virginia, with several manufactories. There is a Man- 
 chester in Wisconsin. The most important is Manchester 
 in New Hampshire, which stands on the Merrimac River, 
 and is 59 miles from Boston. Its sjgfet is a plane elevated 
 9oft. above the surface of the river. The principal street, 
 which is looft. wide, extends north and south parallel 
 to the river. The town contains a court-house, sixteen 
 churches, eight hotels, a Catholic orphan asylum, a convent, 
 four national banks, five savings banks, a State reform school, 
 a high school, and a free public library. Two daily and four 
 weekly newspapers are published there. Manchester has 
 several public parks, a system of waterworks which cost 
 $600,000, and a paid fire department, with four steam fire 
 engines. The river here falls 54 feet, and affords great 
 hydraulic power, which is employed in manufactures of 
 cotton and woollen goods. There are five large " corpora- 
 tions" which manufacture sheetings, drillings, delaines, 
 seamless bags, &c. The capital invested in the manufac- 
 
Lancashire Beyond the Sea. 179 
 
 tures of Manchester is about $10,000,000. There are also 
 manufactures of steam engines, locomotives, linen goods, 
 hosiery, paper, edge tools, carriages, shoes, soap, machinery, 
 leather, &c. The value of the goods manufactured in a 
 year is about $25,000,000. The population in 1850 was 
 13,932 ; in 1860, 20,107 ; and in 1870, 23,536. 
 
 There are three Manchester in Canada two are in 
 Ontario and the third in Nova Scotia. The population of 
 these transatlantic Manchesters is not stated in every case, 
 but the twenty-one places about which the information is 
 afforded contain an aggregate population of 151,110. As 
 the narrowest limits of the original Manchester contain 
 341,508 it is clear that her many namesakes have not yet 
 passed her in the race, but it must be observed that she had 
 a considerable start of them, as the oldest cannot be much 
 over two centuries old, whilst she was in existence nearly 
 2,000 years ago. It is curious that Lippincott, whilst record- 
 ing such a multiplicity of Manchesters, only registers one 
 Salford in the New World, a post village in Ontario, rejoicing 
 in 100 inhabitants. It may be remarked that the transatlan- 
 tic Manchesters and Salford do not contain as many people 
 as the borough of Salford alone, which has now 176,233 
 inhabitants. No doubt in some, perhaps in many, instances 
 these names are not direct geographical reminiscences of the 
 Old World, but have been derived from family names. Even 
 if these could be deducted there would still remain a 
 considerable Lancashire beyond the sea. 
 
MURDERS DETECTED BY DREAMS. 
 
 Murdre wol out that scene day by day. 
 
 CHAUCER. Nonnes Preestes Tale. 
 
 A VERY extraordinary case of a murder discovered 
 through a dream is given in Dr. John Webster's 
 " Discovery of Witchcraft," a book which was published in 
 1677. Webster, after quoting a brief notice of the case from 
 Sir Richard Baker, says : " But we shall give it more at large 
 as it was taken from the mouths of Thomas Haworth's Wife, 
 her Husband being the dreamer and discoverer, and from 
 his Son, who together with many more, who both remember 
 and can affirm every particular thereof, the narrative was 
 taken April the i7th, 1663, and is this: 
 
 In the year above said, John Waters of Lower Darwen 
 in the county of Lancaster, gardener, by reason of his calling 
 jwas much absent from his family : in which his absence, his 
 Wife (not without cause) was suspected of incontinency with 
 one Gyles Haworth of the same town ; this Gyles Haworth 
 and Waters Wife conspired and contrived the death of Waters 
 
Murders Detected by Dreams. 181 
 
 in this manner. They contracted with one Ribchester a poor 
 man to kill this Waters. As soon as Waters came home and 
 went to bed, Gyles Haworth and Waters Wife conducted 
 the hired Executioner to the said Waters, Who, seeing him 
 so innocently laid between his two small Children in Bed, 
 repented of his enterprize, and totally refused to kill him. 
 Gyles Haworth, displeased with the faint-heartedness of Rib- 
 chester, takes the Axe into his own hand, and dashed out his 
 brains : the Murderers buried him in a Cow-house, Waters 
 being long missing the Neighbourhood asked his Wife for 
 him ; she denied that she knew where he was. Thereupon 
 publick search was made for him in all pits round about, lest 
 he should have casually fallen into any of them. One Thomas 
 Haworth of the said Town, Yeoman, was for many nights 
 together, much troubled with broken sleeps and dreams of 
 the murder; he revealed his dreams to his Wife, but she 
 haboured the concealment of them a long time : this Thomas 
 Haworth had occasion to pass by the House every day where 
 the murder was done, and did call and inquire for Waters, 
 as often as he went near the House. One day he went into 
 the House to ask for him, and there was a Neighbour who 
 said to Thomas Haworth, It's said that Waters lies under 
 this stone, (pointing to the Hearth stone), to which Thomas 
 Haworth replied, And I have dreamed that he is under a 
 stone not far distant. The Constable of the said Town being 
 accidentally in the said House (his name is Myles Aspinal) 
 urged Thomas Haworth to make known more at large what 
 he had dreamed, which he related thus. I have, (quoth 
 he) many a time within these eight weeks (for so long was 
 
1 82 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 it since the murder) dreamed very restlessly, that Waters 
 was murdered and buried under a broad stone in the Cow- 
 house j I have told my troubled dreams to my Wife alone, 
 but she refuses to let me make it known : But I am not able 
 to conceal my dreams any longer, my sleep departs from 
 me, I am pressed and troubled with fearful dreams which I 
 cannot bear any longer, and they increase upon me. The 
 Constable hearing this made search immediately upon it, and 
 found, as he had dreamed the murdered body eight weeks 
 buried under a flat stone in the Cow-house ; Ribchester 
 and Gyles Haworth fled and never came again. Anne Waters 
 (for so was Waters wifes name) being apprehended, confessed 
 the murder, and was burned." 
 
 This is all the more notable because the narrator was 
 neither credulous nor superstitious, but far in advance of his 
 age. 
 
 The remarkable narrative of the Miller of Chester-le-street, 
 may be given. It may be found in various miscellanies but 
 is here quoted from the Arminian Magazine for 1785 
 
 (P- 3 2 ) : 
 
 "About the year of our Lord 1632, near unto Chester, in 
 the Street, there lived one Walker, a man of a good estate, 
 who had a young woman, called Anna Walker, his kins- 
 woman, that kept his house ; who was suspected to be with 
 child by him. One night she was sent away with Mark 
 Sharp, a collier, who had been born in Blackburn Hundred 
 , in Lancashire ; and was not heard of for a long time. [It 
 was given out that she had removed into Lancashire.] In 
 the winter, one James Graham, a miller, living two miles 
 
Murders Detected by Dreams. 183 
 
 from the place where Walker lived, was one night very late 
 in the mill, grinding corn. About twelve or one o'clock, as 
 he came down the stairs from the hopper (the mill doors 
 being shut) there stood a woman upon the midst of the floor, 
 with her hair about her head hanging down, and all bloody, 
 with five large wounds on her head. He being much 
 affrighted, began to bless himself, and at last asked who she 
 was, and what she wanted ? To whom she answered, " I am 
 the spirit of such a woman, who lived with Walker; and 
 being with child by him, he promised to send me to a private 
 place, where I should be well looked to, until I was brought 
 to bed, and well-recovered, and then I should come home 
 again, and keep his house. But, one night I was sent away 
 with one Mark Sharp, who slew me with a pick, such as 
 men dig coals with, giving me these five wounds, and after 
 threw my body into a coal-pit hard by, and hid the pick 
 under a bank. His shoes and stockings being bloody, he 
 endeavoured to wash them ; but seeing the blood would not 
 wash out, he hid them there. The apparition told the miller 
 further, That he must be the man to reveal it, or else she 
 must appear and haunt him. The miller returned home, 
 very sad and heavy, and spoke not one word of what he had 
 seen ; but shunned, as much as he could, to stay in the mill 
 after night, without company ; thinking thereby to escape 
 seeing again the frightful apparition. But one night when 
 it began to be dark, the apparition met him again, seemed 
 very fierce and cruel, and threatened that if he did not 
 reveal the murder, she would continually pursue and haunt 
 him. Yet, for all this he concealed it, until some few 
 
184 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 nights before Christmas, when walking in his garden, she 
 appeared again, and then so threatened him, and affrighted 
 him, that he faithfully promised to reveal it the next morning. 
 In the morning he went to a Magistrate, and made the 
 whole matter known, with all the circumstances. And dili- 
 gent search being made, the body was found in a coal-pit, 
 with five wounds in the head, and the pick, shoes, and 
 stockings, in every circumstance, as the apparition had re- 
 lated to the miller. On this, Walker and Sharp were both 
 apprehended ; but would confess nothing. At the assize 
 following, viz. at Durham, they were arraigned, found guilty, 
 condemned and executed ; but would never confess the fact. 
 There are many persons yet alive (says the relator) that can 
 remember this strange murder, and the discovery of it : and 
 the whole relation was printed, though now not easily to be 
 gotten." 
 
 A modern instance may fittingly be added. The Mirror 
 for June i, 1844, contains this extraordinary narrative : 
 " A gentleman of veracity, the Rev. H. Alexander, lecturing 
 at Lancaster, stated a remarkable fact which had occurred 
 some years before. An amiable young man, named Hor- 
 rocks, had been robbed and murdered. He was found with 
 his head beaten in, apparently by bludgeons. For many 
 months vigilant search was made for the perpetrators, but 
 all in vain. 
 
 " One night, an individual who had been on very friendly 
 terms with Horrocks, awoke much disturbed, and told his 
 wife his conviction was that God had revealed to him in a 
 vision that Samuel Longwith, of Bolton, was the murderer 
 
Murders Detected by Dreams. 185 
 
 of his poor friend. Longwith was a person with whom the 
 dreamer had no acquaintance, and whom he had scarcely 
 ever seen, and lived twenty miles off. His wife told him to 
 think no more about it, but to go to sleep. He did so ; but 
 again woke from the effects of the same dream. He resolved 
 to set out for Bolton instantly, and apply for a warrant 
 against Longwith. 
 
 " He acted upon this determination ; but the magistrate to 
 whom he applied refused to grant one upon such evidence. 
 Passing through the market place he met Longwith, whom 
 he immediately desired to go to a public-house with him to 
 hear something he had to communicate. There, locking the 
 door, he charged Longwith with the murder. The man was 
 seized, and faintly denied the accusation. In his confusion 
 he said he was innocent, for he did not strike the blow. 
 'Then jou know who did,' replied the friend of the mur- 
 dered man ; and Longwith was taken up and examined. He 
 prevaricated in his statement, and was remanded for three 
 days ; at the end of which, after many hours' prayer, he con- 
 fessed that he had been induced to join three men in a 
 robbing expedition, when, meeting Horrocks, who made 
 some resistance, his companions murdered him. This con- 
 fession came out before the grand jury, and Longwith was 
 brought to trial. The dream was, of course, not offered in 
 evidence ; the jury felt satisfied, and Longwith was cast. He 
 was doggedly silent after being found guilty, but again 
 confessed his crime just before his execution." 
 
 According to Mr. Clegg's Bolton Record, Longwith was 
 gibbeted on Dean Moor in 1796. 
 
THE BLACK KNIGHT OF ASHTON. 
 
 Well may it sort, that this portentous figure 
 Comes armed through our watch. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 A LTHOUGH shorn of some of its former splendours, 
 JLJL and not altogether escaping from the competitive 
 spirit of the age, the ancient ceremony of the " Riding of 
 the Black Lad," is still kept up with great vigour in the 
 borough of Ashton-under-Lyne. On the Easter Monday of 
 1883, as on most recent occasions, instead of one there 
 were several paraded through the town, and though they 
 could not all claim any great amount of knightly resemblance 
 they were all duly attended by a retinue of merry men, who 
 were importunate in their beseechings for money from 
 the curious throngs that crowded the busy streets. The 
 most important of these " blake lads " was the effigy of a 
 man partly in armour, but with a velvet mantle, which is 
 fastened on the back of a horse. This personage, with men 
 bearing flags and several others collecting money in tin cans, 
 and accompanied by a band of music, marched through the 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 187 
 
 streets, stopping at every public-house on the way. The 
 imitations were not without a tinge of party spirit, one being 
 labelled with the name of the Prime Minister, and another 
 professing to represent that mysterious entity the redoubt- 
 able " No. i." 
 
 The tradition is that the "Black Lad" is intended to 
 perpetuate the memory of Sir Ralph Assheton, the 
 "Black Knight of Ashton," and the manner of the former 
 celebration is thus described by Dr. Hilbert-Ware : " An 
 effigy is made of a man in armour ; and since Sir Ralph 
 was the son of a second marriage . . . the image is 
 deridingly emblazoned with some emblem of the occupation 
 of the first couple that are linked together in the course of 
 the year. The Black Boy is then forced on horseback, and 
 after being led in procession round the town, is dismounted, 
 made to supply the place of a shooting butt, and, all fire- 
 arms being in requisition for the occasion, he is put to an 
 ignominious death." The shooting, now a " custom more 
 honoured in the breach than in observance," was formerly 
 done near the Old Cross, where the Black Knight is said to 
 receive his death wound from a woman's hand. Formerly, 
 any curious spectator, if respectably dressed, ran great 
 danger of being pelted with clods, or old rags soaked in the 
 water that ran from a pit at the top of Cricket's Lane in the 
 direction of the Old Cross. This barbarous usage is also 
 a thing of the past. 
 
 The speculations as to the origin of this strange ceremony, 
 which still survives in what is apparently the most modern 
 of towns, have been varied, and although it is tolerably 
 
1 88 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 certain that it is intended to preserve the memory of one of 
 the Asshetons, it is not clear whether it is meant to give 
 him honour or infamy. The family of Assheton took their 
 name from that of the town, which is apparently of Saxon 
 origin. It formed part of the great territory which William 
 the Conqueror bestowed upon Roger of Poictou, and after- 
 wards became a member of the barony of Manchester, whose 
 baron, Albert de Gresley, senex, gave some land in Ashton 
 to his daughter Emma on her marriage with Orm Fitz- 
 Ailward. The manor itself appears to have passed to the 
 son of this marriage, Roger Fitz-Orm de Ashton, who was a 
 benefactor of the Abbey of Cockersand. The lord of 
 Ashton was, however, still under the feudal seigniory of the 
 baron of Manchester, and in 1412 he paid a yearly rent of 
 22 shillings and one hawk, and a contribution towards the 
 maintenance of the foresters of Horwich and Blackley. 
 
 The Assheton family early made their mark in history. 
 Sir Robert in 1324 served in the great Council at West- 
 minster, and accompanied Edward III. in his invasion of 
 France. Here he was Governor of Guynes, near Calais, 
 and a few years later reached the important position of Lord 
 Treasurer of England. He was apparently a man whose 
 talents could be adapted to various positions, for after 
 serving a year as Governor of Sandgate, near Calais, we hear 
 of him as Admiral of the Narrow Seas, and his versatility 
 was further shown by his filling the responsible offices of 
 Justiciary of Ireland, King's Chamberlain, and Chancellor 
 of the Exchequer. Apparently he might have taken with 
 some confidence the boasting motto of George Gascoigne, 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 189 
 
 Tarn Marti quam Mercuric. Sir Robert de Assheton was 
 one of those to whom Edward III. entrusted the execution 
 of his last will, and the Lancashire knight appears to have 
 also earned the good will of Edward's successor, by whom 
 he was appointed Governor of Dover Castle and Warden of 
 the Cinque Ports. His son Thomas fought in the army of 
 Queen Phillippa at the battle of Nevill's Cross in 1346, and 
 in the course of that famous fight distinguished himself by 
 securing the royal standard of Scotland. Apparently valour 
 was economically rewarded in those days, for even this 
 exploit did not secure him knighthood, and he still ranked 
 as an esquire when he went with John of Gaunt, " time- 
 honoured Lancaster," to Spain. His uncle, Dr. William de 
 Assheton was the law councillor of the Duke of Lancaster 
 as King of Castile and Leon. A great grandson of Thomas 
 was Sir John de Assheton, who was made a Knight of the 
 Bath at the coronation of Henry IV. He was Seneschal of 
 Bayeux and Bailiff of Constance. Baines says that one of 
 Sir John Assheton's exploits is recorded by Froissart. ( * ' Hist, 
 of Lane." ii. 539.) This probably refers to an incident in 
 the year 1370, when Sir Robert Knolles ravaged Picardy. 
 This is told in the following picturesque manner in the 
 translation of Lord Berners : " The lande of the Lord of 
 Coucy abode in peace, for ther was nother man nor woman 
 that had any hurt, the value of a penny, yf they sayd they 
 belonged to the lorde of Coucy. And so at last the englyssh- 
 men came before the cyte of noyon, the whiche was well 
 furnished with men of warre ; ther the englysshmen taryed, 
 and aproched as nere as they might, and aduysed to se yf 
 
I go Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 any maner of assaut might preuayle them or not, and there 
 they sawe that the towne was well aparelled for defence. 
 And sir Robert Canoll was loged in the abbey of Dolkans, 
 and his people about him : and on a day he came before the 
 cyte, raynged in maner of batayle, to se yf they of the gary- 
 son and comontie of the towne wolde yssue out and fight or 
 nat : but they had no wyll so to do. There was a scottysh 
 knyght dyde there a goodly feate of armes, for he departed 
 fro his company, his speare in his hande, mounted on a good 
 horse, his page behynde hym, and soo came before the 
 barryers ; this knyght was called sir Johan Assueton a hardy 
 man and a couragious : whan he was before the barryers of 
 Noyon he lighted afote, and sayd to his page, holde, kepe 
 my horse and departe nat hens ; and so went to the barryers. 
 And within ye barryers ther were good knightes, as sir Johan 
 of Roy, sir Launcelat of Lowrys, and a x. or xii. other, who 
 had great marueyle what this sayde knight wolde do : Than 
 he sayd to them, Sirs, I am come hyder to se you, I se well 
 ye wyll nat yssue out of your barryers, therfore I wyll entre 
 and I can, and will proue my knyghthode agaynst yours : 
 wyn me and ye can : and therwith he layed on rounde about 
 hym, and they at hym : and thus he alone fought against 
 them more than an hour, and dyd hurt two or thre of the ; 
 so that they of the towne on the walles and garettes stode 
 styll and behelde them, and had great pleasure to regarde 
 his valiatnesse, and dyde hym no hurt, the whiche they 
 might haue done, if they had de lyst to haue shotte or cast 
 stones at hym, and also the frenche knightes charged them to 
 let hym and them alone togyder. So long they fought that at 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 191 
 
 last his page came nere to the barryers, and spake in his 
 language and sayd, Sir coe away, it is tyme for you to depart, 
 for your company is departyng hens : the knight herde him 
 well, and then gaue a two or thre strokes about him, and so, 
 armed as he was, he lept out of the barryers, and lepte vpon 
 his horse, without any hurt, behynde his page, and sayd to 
 the frenchmen, Adue sirs, I thank you, and so rode forthe 
 to his owne company : the whiche dede was moche praysed 
 of many folkes." (Froissart's " Chronicles," trans, by John 
 Bourchier Lord Berners : reprint of 1812, vol. i. p. 417.) 
 For whom did Froissart intend the appellation of Sir John 
 Assueton? Johnes says that the name was "probably 
 Seton." In the edition of the original issued by J. A. C. 
 Buchon the name is given as "Messire Jean Asneaton," 
 which the editor thinks may be intended for Seton or 
 Swinton. The variations in the names are sufficiently 
 perplexing. Thus, " Sir Robert Canoll " in the passage 
 just cited really stands for Sir Robert - Knolles. That either 
 Assueton or Asneaton would be a more probable mistake 
 for Assheton than for Seton or Swinton needs no argument, 
 but if it was the Lancashire knight who did this deed of 
 derringdo it is difficult to explain the description of him, 
 twice repeated, as a Scotch knight. His son was destined 
 to add fresh interest to the family name. The Asshetons, 
 already notable as statesmen and warriors, now produced a 
 famous alchemist. Sir Thomas Assheton being a liege 
 subject of Henry VI., and knowing that the King suffered 
 much from what the Poet Laureate calls that " eternal want 
 of pence that vexes public men," cast about for a method 
 
1 92 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of remedy. In conjunction with Sir Edmund Trafford he 
 made great efforts to discover the philosopher's stone, and 
 the means by which all " baser " metals might be transmuted 
 into gold. As there was a law of the previous reign against 
 the " undue multiplication of gold and silver " a strange 
 calamity to be averted by the force of law King Henry in 
 1446 granted his Royal licence and protection to the two 
 alchemical knights, but their laborious experiments did not 
 prosper, and instead of paying his debts by new made gold 
 and silver the King had to pawn the revenue of the Duchy 
 of Lancaster for that purpose. The licence may be worth 
 giving as a curiosity : Rex omnibus ad quos, &c. 
 Salutem Sciatis quod cum dilecti & fideles nostri Edmun- 
 dus de Trafford Miles & Thomas Ashton Miles nobis per 
 quandam supplicationem monstravermt quod quamvis ipsi 
 super certis metallis per artem sive scientiam Philosophise 
 operari vellent, metalla imperfecta de suo proprio genere 
 transferre, et tune ea per dictam artem sive scientiam 
 in aurum sive argentum perfectum transubstantiare ad 
 omnimodas probationes & examinationes, sicut aliquod 
 aurum sive argentum in aliqua minera crescens, expectan- 
 dum, & indurandum, ut dicunt, nihilominus certae personae, 
 illis malevolentes, & malignantes, supponunt ipsos per 
 artem illicitam operari, & sic ipsos in probatione dictae 
 artis sive scientiae impedire & perturbare possunt ; nos, 
 praemissa considerantes, & conclusionem dictae operationis 
 sive scientiae scire volentes, de Gratia nostra speciali con- 
 cessimus, & Licentiam dedimus eisdem Edmundo & Thomae, 
 & ipsorum servientibus quod ipsi artem sive scientiam prae- 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 193 
 
 dictam operari, and probare possint licite & impune absque 
 impetitione nostra vel Officiariorum nostrorum quorumcun- 
 que, aliqua Statuta, Acto, Ordinatione, sive Provisione 
 in contrarium fact : ordinat : sive provis : non obstant : 
 In cujus, &c. 
 
 Test : Rege apud West : 
 
 7 die Apr : 1446. (Baines' "Lancashire," vol. i, p. 406.) 
 
 A brother of Sir Thomas the alchemist, but born of a 
 second marriage, was Sir Roger Assheton of Middleton, to 
 whose career we shall have presently to return. The heir 
 of the alchemist was Sir John Assheton, who was knighted 
 before the battle of Northampton in 1460, where he fought 
 side by side with the King. His successor, Sir Thomas 
 Assheton, was knighted by Henry VII., at Ripon. John de 
 Assheton, his son, died without issue, and thus the male 
 line became extinct. One of Sir Thomas's daughters 
 married Sir William Booth of Dunham, and was the ances- 
 tress of the Earls of Stamford and Warrington. The history 
 of her descendants, although of great importance, both to 
 the history of the district and of the nation, need not now 
 be pursued, and we return to Sir John de Assheton, Knight 
 of the Bath and Bailiff of Constance. He was twice 
 married ; his first wife, Jane, daughter of John Savile of 
 Tankersley, was the mother of the alchemist, and his second 
 wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir John Byron of Clayton, gave 
 birth to Sir Ralph Assheton of Middleton, who is believed 
 to be commemorated in the annual procession of the Black 
 Lad. 
 
 Ralph Assheton was a page of honour in the iyth year 
 
194 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of Henry VI., and in the same year married Margaret, the 
 heiress of the Bartons of Middleton, and thus became lord 
 of that manor. In the reign of Edward IV. he acquired 
 various other dignities. He was Sheriff of Yorkshire, and 
 showed the old righting spirit of his race at the battle of 
 Huttonfield, in Scotland, where he was made a knight 
 banneret for the courage he then displayed. He was under 
 the command of the Duke of Gloucester, who soon after- 
 wards became Richard III., and then rewarded Sir Ralph's 
 devotion to the House of York by the grant of lands 
 formerly belonging to Sir John Fogge, Sir George Browne, 
 and Sir John Guilforde. This was in 1483, and in that 
 year he was entrusted with the functions of Vice Constable 
 of England and Lieutenant of the Tower. 
 
 There is on record some curious evidence as to the state 
 of Ashton-under-Lyne in 1422. The occupations of the 
 inhabitants were chiefly agricultural, and the largest farm 
 paid a rent of 395. 6d. yearly. The general tenure was by 
 payment of rent twice a year for twenty winter terms. The 
 tenants, besides paying rent, had to make a " yole " present 
 to the lord of the manor, who in return provided a feast at 
 Christmas time, to which all were free, "but the saied 
 tenants and their wifes," stipulates the economical Sir John, 
 " though it be for their ease not to come, they shal send 
 neither man nor woman in their name, but if he be their 
 son other daughter dwellyng with them unto the dinner. 
 For the Lord is not bounden to feed save al only the gud 
 man and the gud wife." It needs no great power of 
 imagination to realise the rude festivities in the hall of 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 195 
 
 Ashton, when the lord of the manor, accompanied by his 
 friends and relatives of the neighbouring gentry, looked 
 down from the raised gallery upon the merry faces that 
 danced and " marlocked " around the yule fire in the great 
 hall. We know the names and trades of many of these 
 rustic revellers. There was Roger the baxter or baker, 
 William the arrow-smith an important craftsman in an 
 age when the Lancashire bowmen were famous for their 
 skill Robert the walker, who may be regarded as a fore- 
 shadowing of the modern importance of the textile industry ; 
 John the slater, and Robin the cropper. Nor must we for- 
 get the buxom charms of Widow Margot and Nan of the 
 Windy Bank, or the more delicate beauty of Elyn the Rose. 
 The antiquaries, however, who do not hesitate to lay 
 sacrilegious hands even upon the fair name of a woman, 
 say that this damsel did not owe her floral appellation to 
 her native blushes. A brother of Sir John Assheton was a 
 Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and held 
 some land by the yearly payment of a rose. The actual 
 tenant was Richard de Bardsley, and the profits were handed 
 over by him to the Grand Master of the Order, but the rose 
 rent was yearly presented to the lord of the manor, and the 
 girl who performed the office thereby acquired the pleasant 
 name of Elyn or Elynor the Rose. The festivities were 
 not without some danger of degenerating into license, but 
 the revellers were kept in order by " Hobbe the King," one 
 of those ancient lords of misrule whose office was probably 
 no sinecure. 
 
 The Yule gift was not the only service required from the 
 
196 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 tenants. They had to do a certain amount of ploughing for 
 the lord whether he "be liever in wheat seeding or in 
 lenton [or spring] seeding," and the tenants had to " harrow 
 a day with their harrow in seeding time when they bin 
 charged." They had also to cart turf for him from 
 " Doneam Moss," to shear four days, and to cart corn one 
 day. Hence the old proverb that an unpaid labourer has 
 "been served like a boon shearer." At the death of a 
 tenant his best beast became the property of the lord as a 
 " heriot." " Holy Kirk " also claimed a mortuary, or corse 
 present, which was brought to the church with the dead 
 man's body. The tenants had to grind at the lord's mill, 
 but they had liberty to send their swine to feed in the 
 demesnes of the manor from the end of August till sowing 
 time, if the animals were properly ringed so that they could 
 do no harm. The somewhat servile regulations that have 
 been named would probably apply only to the tenants at 
 will, in addition to which there was a smaller class of free 
 tenants who had probably received or held their land by 
 some military service. Sir John had a further source of 
 income from tolls and fines, and derived some profit from 
 the annual " gyst-ale " of the town, which was managed by 
 Margaret (widow of Hobbe the King), Hobbe Adamson,. 
 Roger the Baxter, Robert Somaster, Jenkin of the Wood, 
 and Thomas of Curtnall. Jack the Spencer paid the lord 
 6s. 8d. for the privilege of " hobriding." It is to be 
 assumed that Jack, dressed in motley and mounted on a 
 hobby horse, was able to collect enough of money from the 
 admiring spectators to make this a profitable investment. 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 197 
 
 Altogether the gyst-ale yielded Sir John the sum of 205., 
 and the total annual money income of his manor was .36 
 145. 6^d. In addition to this there would be the value of 
 the presents, heriots, and boon work. Further, the difference 
 in the value of money must be taken into account. Thus 
 when his son married a daughter of Sir John Byron, a 
 settlement of lands and tenements valued at 9 25. yd. 
 was thought to be a sufficient provision for the young 
 couple. 
 
 The lord of the manor had also jurisdiction even, it is 
 believed, to the power of life and death. A meadow near 
 the town was, until quite recently, known as gallows field. 
 This baronial power, which in the beginning may have been 
 arbitrary, soon took a more regular form in the institution 
 of the great Hall Mote of Ashton, in which the free tenants 
 and tenants at will formed a jury to inquire of trespasses 
 and offences against the real or supposed interests of the 
 town. If any stranger came to do harm the residents on 
 being warned were to arrest him, and any one failing to 
 take part against the interloper, or "resetting," or main- 
 taining, was liable to a fine of 40^., which might be dis- 
 trained within fifteen days. The Ashtonians quarrelled not 
 only with strangers but amongst themselves if we may judge 
 by the provisions against fighting. One who fought with 
 another " in his beginning " was let off for half a mark, but 
 a second offence entailed a payment of a mark, and a 
 third repetition involved a penalty of 205-. These would be 
 very considerable fines, and if rigorously enforced must 
 have prevented many pugilistic encounters. " Any resetter 
 
Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 also," says Dr. Hibbert-Ware, "was, upon conviction, bound 
 to amend it to the party grieved, and to give the lord the 
 pains set upon him." 
 
 Finally, there is one entry in this old custumal which 
 must be cited in relation to the Black Knight. " Rauf of 
 Assheton, and Robyn of Ashton, have the Sour Carrguld 
 Rode and stane rynges for the terme of their lives. Rauf 
 of the gifte of John Assheton, Knyghte the elder, and Robyn 
 of the gifte of John Assheton, Knyghte the younger, the 
 farm." The explanation of this is that there was much low 
 wet land in the vicinity of Ashton, which was overrun with 
 corn marigolds (Chrysanthemum segetum), still known in 
 Scotland as " carr-gulds." These were regarded as so- 
 dangerous to the crops that a manorial supervision, known 
 as carrguld riding, was instituted. The two brothers named 
 rode on a certain day in spring over the carr-guld road, and 
 levied fines on the luckless farmers whose lands showed the 
 pretty but objectionable plant.' When the fines were not 
 forthcoming the offenders were placed in the stocks or stone 
 rings. This regulation would never be very popular, and 
 when exercised by the powerful lord of a neighbouring 
 manor would become additionally obnoxious. The tyran- 
 nical manner in which the levies were made is said to have 
 driven the tenants to desperation, and on one of his visita- 
 tions it is traditionally asserted that Sir Ralph was slain. 
 This is substantially the explanation given by Dr. Hibbert- 
 Ware, but others have thought that it was whilst exercising 
 the despotic authority of Vice Constable of England that he 
 incurred the terror expressed in the old rhyme : 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 199 
 
 Sweet Jesu for thy mercy's sake, 
 
 And for thy bitter passion, 
 Save us from the axe of the Tower, 
 
 And from Sir Ralph of Assheton. 
 
 The two last lines were sometimes thus varied : 
 
 Oh ! save me from a burning stake, 
 And from Sir Ralph de Assheton. 
 
 On his death the custom of guld riding was abolished, 
 and a small rent was reserved for the purpose of perpetuating, 
 in an annual ceremony, the once dreaded visitations of the 
 Black Knight of Ashton, and though the rent has been lost 
 the custom is sufficiently profitable to survive. 
 
 It seems somewhat extraordinary that the head of the 
 Assheton family should thus provide for the lasting remem- 
 brance of the infamy of one of his near and distinguished 
 relatives, and this difficulty has led to the suggestion that 
 the ceremony really commemorates the capture of the 
 Scotch standard by Thomas of Assheton. This theory can 
 only be named to be refuted, for whoever was the original 
 Black Knight, he has been remembered only as an object 
 of scorn and execration. 
 
 Some of the traditions are of outrages that seem to be 
 connected with the droit de seigneur, and a slight digression 
 may be permitted on this subject. The latest investigator 
 is Dr. Karl Schmidt, of Colmar. (" Jus Primae Noctis : 
 eine geschichtliche Untersuchung." Von Dr. Karl Schmidt. 
 Freiburg in Breisgau : Herder'sche Verlaghandlung, 1882.) 
 
 Before we say anything as to the subject of this book a 
 
2OO Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 word of praise is due to its complete and methodical 
 appearance. It is well printed, and in Roman letters, 
 instead of the alphabetical nightmare which too many 
 Germans still affect. The preface gives a list of those 
 with whom the author has been in correspondence and is 
 followed by a table of contents, enabling us at once to 
 perceive the elaborate manner in which the different por- 
 tions of the subject have been classified and arranged. We 
 have then a list of books cited, with an indication of the 
 era of the authors. This extends to thirty-one pages, and, 
 although we shall indicate some trifling omissions, it is 
 certainly the most exhaustive bibliography of the subject 
 that has yet appeared. That of Lon de Labessade is mere 
 child's play in comparison. The text of the book, carefully 
 arranged, concludes with a recapitulation, and is followed by 
 capital chronological, topical, and personal indexes. These 
 may appear trifles, but it is the want of such methods and 
 appliances that hinders the usefulness of many otherwise 
 meritorious books. 
 
 The real or supposed existence of the droit de seigneur is 
 known to most lovers of literature. It is the motive of a 
 play by Beaumont and Fletcher, and it is the foundation of 
 a once well-known English comedy. There are many 
 allusions to it in Voltaire's polemical writings, and he has 
 also made it the subject of a trifling dramatic work. In 
 the national exhibition at Milan in 1881 there was an oil 
 painting by Signer A. Ferraguti, which was supposed to 
 represent a victim of this infamous law. 
 
 And now Dr. Schmidt calmly assures us that this law or 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 201 
 
 custom, cited a thousand times to prove the brutality of the 
 Middle Ages and the abject slavery of the poor under the 
 feudal system, never had existence, and that the belief in it 
 is merely " ein gelehrter Aberglaube." The superstition, if 
 not killed, will certainly be scotched by Dr. Schmidt's 
 vigorous attack. His examination of all the evidence 
 usually relied upon shows that it is quite inadequate to 
 support the vast superstructure which has been reared upon 
 it. Hector Boethius appears to be the originator of the 
 belief. In his account of the mythical King Evenus, the 
 contemporary of Augustus in Scotland, he says : " Fecit 
 ad haec plura, relatu indigna, leges tulit improbas omnem 
 olentes spurcitiam : ut licerit singulis suae gentis plures 
 uxores, aliis sex, aliis decem pro opibus ducere. Nobilibus 
 plebeiorum uxores communes essent, ac virginis novae 
 nuptae loci dominus primam libandi pudicitiam potestatem 
 habaret." 
 
 Boethius died in 1550, and there is no earlier testimony 
 as to the existence of the jus primae noctis in Scotland. 
 That law, which is believed to have extended over a large 
 part of Europe, has left no evidence of its existence in laws, 
 charters, decretals, trials, or glossaries. It is inconceivable 
 that it should have been left undenounced by the preachers, 
 and unsatirised by the poets. But if this utter silence is 
 conclusive against the existence of such law or custom, how 
 shall the general belief at a later date in its existence be 
 explained ? Various causes contributed. There was classical 
 witness to ancient traditions of tyrants who had distinguished 
 themselves by proceedings of the nature which the jus 
 
2O2 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 primae noctis was supposed to legalise. From various parts 
 of the world came reports of travellers as to tribes among 
 whom defloration was the privilege or duty of kings, priests, or 
 other persons set apart for the purpose. Finally, the 
 existence on the part of the feudal lord of a claim to a 
 determining voice in the marriage of his vassals, and to 
 receive payment at the ceremony, is undoubted. To this 
 mercheta mulierum, the fine paid for permission to marry, 
 a grosser meaning has been attached than the words will 
 warrant. Dr. Schmidt has given every passage that is 
 usually cited in proof of the reality of the jus primae noctis^ 
 and his criticism upon them seems to us to be as successful 
 as it is destructive. 
 
 To the vast array of authorities cited by Dr. Schmidt we 
 may add that the Pascual de Andagoya is very explicit as to 
 defloration by the priests of Nicaragua cf. Schmidt, p. 
 358 ; Andagoya, " Narrative," p. 33 (Hakluyt Society, 1865). 
 Some analogy may be found between the mercheta and the 
 tax known as Bhet marocha the money given to the 
 zamindar in Lower Bengal on each marriage among his 
 ryots. It is still paid, though now regarded as a voluntary 
 gift ("Mookerjee's Magazine," September, 1872, p. 146). 
 Finally, we may call attention to the curious tract published 
 in 1714 (there were earlier issues) under the title of a 
 " Modern Account of Scotland." It was issued without 
 author's name, but is known to have been written by 
 Thomas Kirk, of Leeds; and on p. 19 there is an 
 apparent reference to the existence of the jus, or at least to 
 the custom in Scotland at that date. Kirk travelled in 
 
The Black Knight of Ashton. 203 
 
 North Britain in 1677; and a MS. of his notes of travel, 
 the material from which he constructed his bitter attack 
 on all things north of the Tweed, was published in 1832 
 as an appendix to Thoresby's Letters. A perusal of it does 
 not give one a favourable impression of its writer, and it 
 contains no reference to the jus primae noctis. That was an 
 additional insult thrown in when he compiled his " Modern 
 Account." 
 
 Returning from this digression it must be confessed that 
 no adequate explanation has yet been offered of the Riding 
 of the Black Lad. Easter Monday is a great holidaytime in 
 the Ashton district, and the advance of modern ideas does 
 not prevent hundreds from regarding with interest and 
 curiosity the degenerate remains of a custom whose origin 
 is lost in the mists of bygone ages. 
 
 Dr. Hibbert- Ware's "Customs of a Manor in the North 
 of England," printed at Edinburgh in 1822, and reprinted in 
 the Chetham Society series (vol. 74), is the chief authority 
 on the subject. 
 
ROBERT TANNAHILL IN LANCASHIRE. 
 
 He could songes make, and wel endite. 
 
 CHAUCER. Canterbury Tales : Prologue. 
 
 THERE are probably many Lancashire men, who are 
 familiar with the fame ( of the "Flower of Dunblane," 
 and who, in imagination, have heard the cold wind blowing 
 keenly on the "Braes of Gleniffer," who are not aware that the 
 singer of them was for a time a workman in the busy town 
 of Bolton. 
 
 Robert Tannahill was born at Paisley, 3rd June, 1774; 
 he was but sickly in his early years, and the bashfulness of 
 a lame child never forsook him in after life. His parents 
 were not without education, and gave their children the 
 benefit of such school instruction as they could afford. 
 Robert did not distinguish himself except by the rhyming 
 talent which is said to have been shown as early as his tenth 
 year. In 1786 he was apprenticed to his father as a weaver. 
 In 1795 he began his courtship of Jenny Tennant, the 
 nymph who inspired the beautiful song of "Jessie the 
 Flower of Dunblane." The " course of true love did not 
 
Robert Tannahill in Lancashire. 205 
 
 run smooth." Perhaps the shy poet was not a sufficiently 
 brisk wooer for the lively and beautiful girl. It is said that 
 Jenny Tennant, with the consent of her betrothed, went to 
 a party with another man, and that the moody poet saw the 
 cavalier snatch a kiss at parting. Then it was that he wrote 
 
 But when I knew thy plighted lips 
 
 Once to a rival's prest, 
 Love -smothered independence rose 
 
 And spurn'd thee from my breast. 
 
 The "Flower of Dunblane" married another, and her 
 descendants in Canada and elsewhere still boast of their 
 beautiful ancestress. The depression in trade and, perhaps, 
 also this disappointment in love, led him to leave his native 
 town. , About the end of the year 1799, in company with 
 his younger brother Hugh, he came to England. They 
 came to Preston, and from thence to Bolton. They tried in 
 vain to find work of any kind. Their small stock of cash 
 was nearly exhausted, and they were contemplating a further 
 tramp when they met with a cheerful individual William 
 Kibble who felt a touch of sympathy for the poor young 
 fellows. He guessed that they were Paisley weavers, told 
 them that he had been one in the past, and offered them the 
 hospitality of a Bolton weaver. Next morning he found 
 work for Robert, and Hugh returned to Preston. Tannahill 
 did not stay long in Lancashire, but in his brief stay he 
 became a favourite with those amongst whom his lot had 
 been cast. It is possible that we may not easily understand 
 the position of the operatives of the Lancashire that was 
 
206 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 then just rising to that industrial activity of which we now 
 see the fruits. If sometimes it had dark days of enforced 
 idleness, there was another side to the picture. Charles 
 Hulbert, writing of this very period, says : " Many families by 
 their industry, then lived happily and dressed genteelly, 
 perhaps much above their station. Hair powder was worn 
 by every one making any pretensions to gentility, and so 
 prevalent was the custom that I have seen it on the heads 
 of well-dressed weavers, fustian cutters, tailors and shoe- 
 makers, and they could not be distinguished from real 
 gentlemen. I remember when living at my Uncle Smiths', 
 about the year 1792, one Sunday evening standing with the 
 youth of the family near my uncle's gate, two well-dressed 
 gentlemen, with long watch chains, and heads loaded with 
 powder, commenced a rude and silly attack on my aunt's 
 maid, which was instantly resented by the whole party, and 
 a neighbour secured the fellows with an intent to deliver 
 them to a constable, when, demanding their names and 
 professions, they declared themselves to be two journeymen 
 calenderers from Manchester, and made a suitable apology. 
 This foolish custom of making their heads like cauliflowers 
 originated with a ballad singer in Paris, who, to obtain notice, 
 powdered his hair." The two brothers were recalled to their 
 home by the news of their father's illness, and they arrived 
 in Paisley somewhere about the end of December, 1801, or 
 early in January, 1802. 
 
 The poet was not quite silent during his stay in England. 
 In 1800 he wrote a piece not improbably taken from his 
 own experience. 
 
Robert Tannahill in Lancashire. 207 
 
 A LESSON. 
 
 Quoth gobbin Tom of Lancashire, 
 
 To northern Jock a lowland drover, 
 " Thoose are foin kaise thai'rt driving there, 
 
 They've sure been fed on English clover." 
 " Foin kaise ! " quoth Jock, "ye bleth'ring hash, 
 
 Deil draw your nose as lang's a sow's ! 
 That talk o yours is queer-like trash ; 
 
 Foin kaise ! poor gowk ! their names are koose. " 
 The very fault which I in others see, 
 Like kind or worse, perhaps, is seen in me. 
 
 There is a second piece of the same date : 
 
 SILLER STANDS FOR SENSE. 
 On a Country Justice in the South. 1800. 
 
 What gars yon gentry gang wi Jock, 
 
 An ca him Sir and Master ? 
 The greatest dunce, the biggest block, 
 
 That ever Nature cuist her ; 
 Yet see, they've plac'd this human stock, 
 
 Strict justice to dispense : 
 Which plainly shows yon meikle folk 
 
 Think siller stands for sense. 
 
 This, says the editor, was "written by Tannahill when he 
 resided in England, in 1800, on a country Justice of the 
 Peace there." 
 
 The first of these is very slight, and the second, although 
 probably representing only a passing mood of bitterness^ is 
 only one of several examples of a satirical fancy. It is not 
 of course on such trifles that the fame of Tannahill rests, but 
 on the fine lyrics, "Jessie the Flower o' Dunblane," the 
 
2o8 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 " Braes of Gleniffer," and the " Summer Gloamin'." It was 
 not until some years later that the shy bard was induced to 
 send his pieces to the printer. Their popularity soon became 
 great. "Perhaps the highest pleasure" he says, "ever I 
 derived from these things, has been in hearing, as I walked 
 down the pavement at night, a girl within doors rattling 
 away at some of them." He continued a bachelor, lived a 
 quiet, careful, saving life, but his mental strength was sapped, 
 and his death was occasioned by his own rash act. Although he 
 was watched by his relatives, he eluded them, and his body 
 was found in the river on the iyth of May, 1810. 
 
 After leaving Bolton he kept up a correspondence with his 
 good friend Kibble. Of one letter the following has been 
 preserved : 
 
 Paisley, i4th March, 1802. 
 
 Alek, poor Alek is gone to his long home ! It was to 
 me like an electric shock. Well, he was a good man, but 
 his memory shall be dear, and his worth had in remembrance 
 by all who knew him. Death, like a thief, nips off our 
 friends, kindred, and acquaintance, one by one, till the 
 natural chain is broken, link after link, and leaves us scarce 
 a wish to stop behind them. My brother Hugh and I are 
 all that now remain at home with our old mother, bending 
 under age and frailty, and but seven years back nine of us 
 used to sit down at dinner together (I still moralise some- 
 times). I cannot but remember that such things were, and 
 those most dear to me." 
 
 In another he complains of the printers, who, owing to 
 his poverty, refused to do anything unless he found security. 
 
Robert Tannahill in Lancashire. 209 
 
 There are two interesting letters from Kibble, who, writing 
 from Bolton, 6th April, 1807, says that he has collected 
 in Bolton and Stockport 26 subscriptions. "I think," he 
 adds, "you may send 30 copies, as I make little doubt 
 but I can part with them." Writing nearly a year later, 
 ist March, 1808, he says, "I have interested myself in 
 your behalf, in regard to your publication as far as my 
 influence can extend, and have got 17 names to my list." 
 He asks for five more proposal papers. " I intend " he says, 
 " to send two to Stockport, as you have more acquaintances 
 in that place at present than in this town our dull trade 
 being the cause of their shifting. Other two to Preston, and 
 another for this town, which shall be in charge of Thomas 
 Wright. I would likewise advise you," continues the kind 
 and shrewd friend, " to enclose two or three of your songs, 
 as I make no doubt it would turn out to your advantage." 
 He then mentions a brother Scot who had sung one of Tanna- 
 hill's songs " at a meeting of the Sons of Comus." Kibble 
 testifies to the badness of trade at that time. Writing in July, 
 he gives a lamentable explanation as to the subscription list. 
 The money received he had given to a messenger, whose 
 arrival at Paisley was by a very leisurely route. Indeed it 
 seems doubtful if he ever reached there, or if Tannahill ever 
 received any benefit from his Lancashire friends. 2 i8s. 
 were sent by this unsatisfactory emissary. Five copies of 
 books were entrusted to a Scotch pedlar, who died of fever 
 at Bradford, in Yorkshire. Kibble had not received a penny 
 for these books. " The Bolton people," he says, " paid me 
 except two copies, which it is doubtful if ever I shall receive, 
 
2io Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 and two more at Stockport, which I think are safe." This 
 was not a satisfactory report, and poor Kibble seems to have 
 been painfully conscious of the fact. " You have ever," he 
 says, "since our first acquaintance, possessed a very large 
 portion of my respect and esteem, and I sincerely believe 
 that on your part it was reciprocal, and to lose which would 
 be to me a circumstance truly afflicting, therefore I entreat 
 you to write. I have nothing," he continues, "new to inform 
 you, but what is of a miserable nature; for were I to describe 
 to you the wretched situation of the manufacturing part of 
 this country, you would think I had ransacked the very 
 intricacies of Pandora's box to fill up my description ; too 
 much labour, and almost nothing for it; exceeding dear 
 markets, and every other attendant evil fills up the cup of 
 our misery." This is the last appearance of Kibble in the 
 correspondence of the poet. (The extracts, &c., in this 
 paper are from " The Poems and Songs and Correspondence 
 of Robert Tannahill, with life and notes by David Semple, 
 F.S.A. Paisley : Alex. Gardner, 1875." It is the fullest and 
 most painstaking edition of the poet's works that has or 
 probably can appear.) 
 
 Mr. James K. Waite, the courteous librarian of the 
 Bolton Free Library, has kindly examined for me the town 
 books and assessment books, but they contain no trace of 
 either Tannahill or Kibble. Neither of them were house- 
 holders of Bolton, or their holding must have been very 
 minute. Thirty years ago the late Mr. G. J. French 
 attempted, but unsuccessfully, to glean some particulars 
 of the poet's stay in Bolton. Yet it is clear that it was 
 
Robert Tannahill in Lancashire. 211 
 
 not unpleasant, that he found work, made warm friends, 
 and had the sympathy and the admiration of his fellow 
 workers among the Lancashire weavers, and we may be 
 allowed to hope that sometimes his thoughts would go back 
 to the rough but kindly hearts he met in Bolton, even when 
 he was wandering in his favourite locality 
 
 Amang the brume brushes by Staneley green shaw. 
 
POPULATION OF MANCHESTER. 
 
 Man is the nobler growth our realms supply, 
 And souls are ripened in our northern sky. 
 
 A. L. BARBAULD. The Invitation. 
 
 IN the reign of Henry VIII. the antiquary Leland visited 
 Manchester, which he described as being the " fairest, 
 best builded, quickest, and most populous town " of all Lan- 
 cashire. This flattering character we hope it may still claim, 
 although its superiority will naturally be challenged by the 
 great seaport city of Liverpool. There were several baronial 
 surveys of Manchester during the middle ages, but any 
 deductions from them as to the number of inhabitants would 
 require to be very cautiously made. But we may safely say 
 with Mr. Harland that of the mediaeval market town the 
 population consisted of two, or at the most three, hundred 
 burgesses, their families and dependants, some of whom 
 would be the bondmen and bondwomen of their free neigh- 
 bours. Doubtless the introduction of the woollen trade, 
 which is supposed to have been planted in South Lancashire 
 by the end of the fourteenth century, would give a certain 
 
Population of Manchester. 213 
 
 impulse to the increase of population. In the memorable 
 year 1588 Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to the College 
 of Manchester, in which the population is stated to be 10,000. 
 The later charter of Charles I. in 1635 names 20,000. In 
 both of these cases the figures are in all probability meant to 
 include the entire parish. In 1717 the population of Man- 
 chester was reckoned at 8,000, but even in this instance it is 
 doubtful whether Salford is included or excluded. In 1757 
 a survey of the two towns showed them to contain 19,839 
 persons. In 1773 the matter was carefully examined into by 
 Dr. Thomas Percival, and the results of his investigations 
 were communicated to the Royal Society and formed the 
 subject of some interesting comments by Benjamin Franklin. 
 PercivaPs papers appeared in the "Philosophical Transac- 
 tions," vols. Ixiv., Ixv., and Ixvi. They are reprinted with 
 Franklin's remarks in Percival's works. Bath, 1807. Vol. 
 iv., p. i. The later figures in this article are derived from 
 the successive Census Reports. Percival's attempt was 
 a veritable census, and the data obtained showed that 
 Manchester and Salford then consisted of 4,268 tenanted 
 and 66 empty houses, which formed the dwellings of 6,416 
 families, numbering in all 27,246 souls. The following 
 details are given of the two towns : Houses : Manchester, 
 3,402; Salford, 866. Families: Manchester, 5,317; Sal- 
 ford, 1,099. Males: Manchester, 10,548; Salford, 2,248. 
 Females: Manchester, 11,933; Salford, 2,517. Married: 
 Manchester, 7,724; Salford, 1,775. Widowers: Man- 
 chester, 432 ; Salford, 89. Widows : Manchester, 1,064 ; 
 Salford, 149. Under 15 : Manchester, 7,782 ; Salford, 1,793. 
 
214 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Above 50 : Manchester, 3,252 ; Salford, 640. Male lodgers : 
 Manchester, 342 Salford, 18. Female lodgers : Manches- 
 ter, 150; Salford, 13. Empty houses: Manchester, 44; 
 Salford, 26. At this time the population of Bolton was 
 4,568, whilst Little Bolton, "a suburb of Bolton, including 
 the manor and extending into the country as far as the 
 inhabitants are subject to suit and service," contained 771 
 people. The present population of Bolton is 105,422. The 
 village of Altrincham contained 1,029 people, whilst it now 
 has 11,249. These and other curious particulars elicited, as 
 we have already mentioned, some comments from Franklin, 
 who, after detailing the method in which a census was under- 
 stood to be taken in China, observes, "Perhaps such a 
 regulation is scarcely practicable with us." Dr. Percival, 
 however, observed that "an enumeration of the people of 
 England would not be so difficult an undertaking as may at 
 the first view be imagined." In 1774 an enumeration was 
 made of the entire parish of Manchester, and the population 
 was then stated at 42,937. From 1773 to 1777 there were 
 built in the two towns 719 houses, of which 151 remained 
 uninhabited. In 1783 there were but 6,195 houses in Man- 
 chester and Salford, and the people were supposed to be 
 over 39,000 in the first named, and over 50,000 in the two 
 combined. At Christmas, 1788, an actual enumeration 
 showed that Manchester had 5,916 houses, 8,570 families, 
 and 42,821 persons. In Salford there were 1,260 houses 
 and an estimated population of 7,566. The people in the 
 two places were a little over 50,000. From this time the 
 number may be said to have increased by leaps and bounds, 
 
Population of Manchester. 2 1 5 
 
 as will be seen from the following statement of the number 
 of persons at each decennial period : 
 
 Manchester (including Ardwick, 
 
 Cheetham, Chorlton, Salford (includ- 
 
 and Hulme). ing Broughton). 
 
 1801 75,275 14,477 
 
 1811 89,054 19,939 
 
 1821 126,031 26,552 
 
 1831 181,768 42,375 
 
 1841 235,162 53>2oo 
 
 1851 33 5 3 8 2 63,850 
 
 1861 338,722 102,449 
 
 1871 355> 6 55 124,805 
 
 1881 34i 3 5 8 176,233 
 
 These figures refer to the district under the control of the 
 Town Councils of Manchester and Salford. By the reform 
 Act of 1832 Manchester and Salford became parliamentary 
 boroughs, and the boundaries assigned to them were not 
 identical with the municipal limits, though those of Salford 
 have since been made uniform. The progress of the parlia- 
 mentary boroughs may be thus stated : 
 
 Manchester. Salford. 
 
 1841 242,983 66,624 
 
 1851 3*6,213 85,108 
 
 1861 357,979 102,449 
 
 1871 383,843 124,801 
 
 1881 393,676 176,233 
 
 By the census taken in 1881 'the population of the 
 municipal borough of Manchester was returned at 341,508. 
 
2i6 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 There is no reason to doubt the substantial accuracy of these 
 figures ; it would therefore appear that an actual decrease has 
 taken place since the census of 1871, when the people in the 
 same area numbered 351,189. A comparison of the figures 
 will show that whilst municipal Manchester has decreased 
 parliamentary Manchester has increased. This suggests the 
 true explanation. There has been no real diminution, and 
 the apparent decrease is due to the displacement of popula- 
 tion caused by the demolition of cottage property under the 
 powers of successive Improvements Acts, and by the gradual 
 conversion of dwelling-houses in the central portions of the 
 city into buildings used only for business purposes. One 
 result has been a large influx of population into the neigh- 
 bouring borough of Salford, where not fewer than 51,432 
 persons have been added to the inhabitants in the last ten 
 years; that is to say, the addition made to the people of 
 Salford in the last decade is larger than the entire population 
 of Manchester and Salford a century ago. To ascertain the 
 truth we must discard the arbitrary limitations indicated by 
 local jurisdictions, for the real Manchester is the busy hive 
 of life which extends for miles around, but has its centre in 
 the Manchester Exchange. The two boroughs, with the 
 urban sanitary districts immediately around them, will have 
 a population of 800,000 persons. 
 
 The increase in rateable value is very remarkable. In 
 1815 the township of Manchester was rated at ,308,634; 
 Ardwick, 1 1,241 ; Cheetham, 8,651; Chorlton, 19,839; 
 Hulme, 9,422. The townships forming the present muni- 
 cipal' borough had therefore a total rateable value of 
 
Population of Manchester. 217 
 
 The valuation for the year 1882 is ^2,761, 468. 
 The valuations of the several townships are : Manchester, 
 ,1,803,499; Chorlton-upon-Medlock, ^334,259 ; Hulme, 
 ,298,676; Ardwick, ;i49> 6 33; Cheetham, ^154,069; 
 Beswick, .21,330. Beswick in 1801 had only six inhab- 
 itants, and its rateable value was nil. In 1815 Broughton 
 was rated at ,5,082, and Salford at ^"49,048. The total of 
 ,54,130 may be compared with its present assessment, 
 which is as follows : Salford, .430,747 ; Broughton, 
 ,167,000; Pendleton, .192,335; Pendlebury (part of), 
 jii,no; total, ^"801, 192. 
 
 London is a word that may be used to indicate very 
 different areas. The City of London contains 6,493 houses 
 and 50,526 people. The city of Manchester has 77,404 
 houses and 393,676 population. But the metropolitan par- 
 liamentary boroughs contain 432,984 houses and 3,452,350 
 people, whilst the wider area embraced within the metropol- 
 itan police districts has 645,818 houses and 4,764,312 
 inhabitants. This greater London extends over the whole 
 of Middlesex and the surrounding parishes in the counties of 
 Sussex, Kent, Essex, and Hertford, of which any part is 
 within twelve miles from Charing Cross, and those also of 
 which any part is not more than fifteen miles in a straight 
 line from Charing Cross. A similar circle drawn round the 
 Manchester Exchange would embrace Ashton, Bolton, Bury, 
 Rochdale, Stockport, Heywood, Gorton, and other populous 
 districts, whose united population will be close upon two 
 million persons. Whilst greater Manchester has about two 
 million people, greater London has over four million inhabi- 
 
218 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 tants. If, however, the problem were put in another 
 form, it is very probable that the district for forty miles 
 round Manchester would be found to contain a larger num- 
 ber of people than any other circle of the same extent in the 
 United Kingdom. 
 
 In the century which has elapsed since the first attempt to 
 enumerate the people of Manchester and Salford the popula- 
 tion has increased from 50,000 to 569,000 persons. A 
 hundred years has sufficed to transform the already prosperous 
 market town into a metropolitan centre of enormous propor- 
 tions and the seat of an industry of world-wide importance. 
 
A SERMON OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 He of their wicked ways 
 Shall them admonish, and before them set 
 The paths of righteousness. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 IT is to be feared that the present age has not that robust 
 appetite for sermons possessed by our forefathers, but 
 even those least tolerant of hortatory literature would look 
 with some interest upon a discourse delivered in their own 
 locality three centuries ago. Amongst the books in the 
 library of the Home Missionary Board in the Memorial Hall, 
 Manchester, there is a small volume of sermons (T. 100), the 
 first of which possesses a special local interest. The time- 
 stained and patched title page reads : 
 
 " A Godly and Learned Sermon, containing a charge and 
 instruction for all vnlearned, negligent, and dissolute Min- 
 isters : and an Exhortation to the common people to seeke 
 their amendment by Prayer, vnto God. Preached at Man- 
 chester in Lancastershire, before a great and worshipfull 
 audience, by occasion of certain Parsons there at that present, 
 appointed (as then) to be made Ministers. By Simon Har- 
 
22O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 warde Preacher of the worde of God, and Maister of Art, 
 late of New Colledge in Oxforde. At London printed by 
 Richard Ihones, and lohn Charlewood. 1582." 
 
 The local allusions are not at all numerous, but he did 
 not disdain an appeal to the self-esteem of the citizens : 
 " And therefore, consider (good people) how the Lord hath 
 dealt more mercifully with you of this Towne of Manchester, 
 then euer he did with your forefathers, or then now he doth 
 with any other place about you." (B vii.) Harward does 
 not mince matters but inveighs against the Pope in good set 
 terms, and avows himself averse to those who "patter up 
 prayers," whilst to him the monastic is a "swinish life." 
 Perhaps the following is the most characteristic passage. 
 
 " It is a lamentable case to consider, how in these dayes, the 
 Deuill hath so bewitched the hearts of so manye, that in all 
 their assemblyes, Feastes and meetinges, they haue nothing 
 almost in their mouthes, but the lyuesof the Ministers, the lyues 
 of the Preachers : And yf they can espye anye faulte in the 
 worlde, then of a Moate, to make a Beame, and of a Hillocke 
 a Mountayne. And looke who of all men, are, the fylthyest 
 Whoremongers, the moste blasphemous swearers, the moste 
 dissolute Gaymesters, the ranckest ruffyans, the moste cruell 
 oppressiours of the poore, the greatest spoilers of the goods 
 of the Church, wherewith the Ministers should doe good and 
 keepe hospitality, they are of all other most busie, in dis- 
 playing the faults of the Ministerie, which is only the deuise 
 of Sathan to drawe them from the consideration of their owne 
 sinnes, least they should repent and Hue : whereas indeede 
 they should first, pluck out the beame out of their owne eyes, 
 
A Sermon of the Sixteenth Century. 221 
 
 and then should they better see to pluck out the Mote out 
 of their brother's eye. We have a Wallet cast ouer our 
 shoulders in the ende before vs, we putte the sinnes of our 
 Ministers, and of our Neighbours, in the ende, behind vs we 
 put our owne sinnes and then, Non videmus manticae quod 
 in tergo est." (Fvi., vii.). 
 
 He alludes to the old custom of wearing the badge of a 
 great man. " What greater ioye vnto a poore man, then to 
 shrowde himselfe vnder the winges of some Nobleman or 
 Gentleman, and to weare his Liuerie and Cognisance?" (G.v.) 
 He warns the poor against imitating the attitude of the rich 
 towards the church. " And heere also is a lesson for you of 
 the inferior sorte, that seeing our liuings are so spoyled by 
 impropriations, that they are not able to maintain Preachers 
 amongst you, for ye know, that we have but the chaffe and 
 others the corne, we the parings and others the Aples, we 
 the shels and others the Kernels, and ye see how euery day 
 it waxeth worse and worse so that he now dooth account him 
 happiest which can pill the Church moste, yet ye most not 
 follow their wicked and desperate ensample, but every one 
 contribute something to the maintenaunce of some learned 
 Pastor, to instruct us in the word of God which is able to 
 saue your souls." 
 
 The most ornate passage is that in which he says : 
 " Then although we neuer heare the worde of God, yet the 
 creation of the world, the skie so trimly azured and richly 
 dect with glistering starres, the lifting up of the sun to be a 
 fountaine of light and heate and earthly generation, the 
 gouerning of the moone, to deuide the monethes, times and 
 
222 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 seasons, the placing of the sande, for the bondes of the sea, 
 by a perpetual decree, that the waues, although they rage 
 and rore, yet cannot ouerpasse it, the giuing of rain bothe 
 early and late, in due season, the vphoulding of the earth in 
 this wide and empty space of the huge round compass of the 
 firmament, the high Mountaines in whose veins are founde so 
 many sweete springs and other innumerable treasures. The 
 Plaines, Valleys, and Medowes, beautified with so many sweete 
 odours, and pleasaunt Flowers, more gorgeously cloathed then 
 Salomon in all his royalty. The ground yielding forth Grasse 
 for the Cattell, and Hearbe for the vse of man, and Wine that 
 maketh glad the heart of man, and oyle to make him a 
 cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man's heart. 
 The hiding of the treasures of the Snowe and bringing foorth 
 the hoarie Frostes, the couering the heavens with cloudes, and 
 bringing foorth the winds out of their places. The wonderful 
 woorkemanship of God in man, which is as it were //.i/cpoKooyxos 
 a little world." 
 
 After a sharp reproof to the landlords, he admonished the 
 " bishop not to regard the pittifull and lamentable complaints 
 of those which alledge their charges heeretoofore, and their 
 present pouertie, that vnlesse their sonnes be nowe admitted 
 they must needs take from the Schole, and set them to the 
 Plowe and Carte." He continues with some bitterness, " It is 
 a common use and custome among you, if your children haue 
 any good gifts of nature or any great token of towardlinesse, 
 then to set the to some occupation or to place them in ser- 
 uice with some gentleman, but if they be good for nothing, 
 then to seeke by countenance of letters to make them Ministers 
 
A Sermon of the Sixteenth Century. 223 
 
 to serue the church of God, so that with the best you will 
 serue the world and God must take that which is left." 
 
 Our information as to Simon Harward is unfortunately 
 but scanty. There is a notice of him in Wood's " Athenae." 
 The place of his birth was unknown. In 1577 he was one 
 of the chaplains of New College and was in that year incor- 
 porated bachelor of arts, but from what university or college 
 he came has not been discovered. Wood describes his first 
 work as "Two godly sermons preached at Manchester, 1582," 
 but apparently they were also issued separately. Two other 
 sermons (one, if not both preached at Crowhurst), were pub- 
 lished in 1590 and 1592. In the latter year he issued " Solace 
 for a Soldier and Sailor," in which he estimates the " valiant 
 attempts of the noblemen and gentlemen of England, which 
 incur so many dangers on the seas to abridge the proud 
 power of Spain." He published a tract on occasion of the 
 damage done by lightning to the spire of Bletchingley Church, 
 Surrey, in 1606, when a ring of bells was melted. Some other 
 writings on surgery and botany are ascribed to him. He 
 would seem to have been somewhat of a wanderer, for he is 
 heard of at Oxford, Warrington, Manchester, Crowhurst, 
 Bletchingley, and Tanridge, and the place of his death is 
 unknown. 
 
PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD STUART'S SUPPOSED 
 VISIT TO MANCHESTER. 
 
 His fair large front and eye sublime declared 
 Absolute rule ; and hyacinthine locks 
 Round from his party forelock manly hung 
 Clustering, but not beneath, his shoulders broad. 
 
 MILTON. Paradise Lost. 
 
 DID the young Pretender visit Manchester in 1744? There 
 is a curious Manchester tradition that " bonnie Prince 
 Charlie" visited Manchester in disguise in 1744. The 
 statement first appeared in Aston's " Metrical Records of 
 Manchester." : 
 
 In the year Forty-four a Royal Visitor came 
 
 Tho' few knew the Prince, or his rank, or his name 
 
 To sound the opinions, and gather the strength 
 
 Of the party of Stuart, his house, ere the length, 
 
 Then in petto, to which he aspired, 
 
 If he found the High Tories sufficient inspired 
 
 "With notions of right indefeasive, divine, 
 
 In favour of his Royal Sire and his line. 
 
 No doubt he was promised an army ! a host ! 
 
 Tho' he found, to his cost, it was a vain boast : 
 
Prince Charles s Visit to Manchester. 225 
 
 For when he returned, in the year Forty-five, 
 For the Crown of his Fathers, in person to strive, 
 When in Scottish costume, at the head of the clans, 
 He marched to Mancunium to perfect his plans, 
 The hope he had cherished from promises made 
 Remains to this day as a debt that's unpaid. 
 
 In a foot-note to this passage, the doggerel chronicler 
 states that "Charles Edward Stuart, commonly called the 
 Young Pretender, to distinguish him from his father, then 
 alive, calling himself James the 3rd, visited Sir Oswald 
 Mosley, Bart, of Ancoats Hall, in the year 1744, and re- 
 mained with him for several weeks : no doubt with a view to 
 see the inhabitants of Manchester and its vicinity who were 
 attached to the interests of his family." 
 
 The improbability of Prince Charles venturing into England 
 in disguise at the period named is so great, that very conclusive 
 evidence should be adduced in support of the statement if it 
 is to receive general credence. The first thought is, that if the 
 event really took place, some memorial of it would most 
 probably be preserved among the archives of the Mosley 
 family. On turning to Sir Oswald Mosley's very interesting 
 history of his family, we find the incident duly recorded : not 
 however, on the authority of the family, but, as will be seen 
 from the following extract, from a less reliable source : 
 
 "In the year 1815, a very worthy and intelligent woman 
 died in Manchester at the advanced age of eighty-four years 
 
 the following anecdote she had often, during the 
 
 course of thirty years' acquaintance, repeated with the most 
 minute exactness to Mr. Aston .... who kindly commu- 
 Q 
 
226 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 nicated it to me. When she was a girl of thirteen, her father, 
 whose name was Bradbury, kept the principal inn at Man- 
 chester. It occupied the site of a house lately known by the 
 sign of the Swan, in Market Street ; and at that time was the 
 only place where a postchaise was kept, or the London 
 newspapers regularly received, which were brought by post 
 only three times during the week. In the summer of the 
 year before the Rebellion, or, as she used to say, before the 
 Highlanders arrived from Scotland, a handsome young gen- 
 tleman came every post-day for several weeks in succession 
 from Ancoats Hall, the seat of Sir Oswald Mosley, where he 
 was on a visit, to her father's house to read the newspapers. 
 He appeared to hold no communication with any one else, 
 but to take great interest in the perusal of the London news. 
 She saw him frequently, and could not help admiring his 
 handsome countenance and genteel deportment; but she 
 particularly recollected that, on the last day that he came to 
 her father's house, he asked for a basin of water and a towel, 
 which she herself brought up, and that after he had washed 
 
 himself he gave her half-a-crown In the following 
 
 year, when the rebel army marched into the town, as she 
 stood with her father at the inn door, the young prince passed 
 by on foot at the head of his troops ; and she immediately 
 exclaimed, ' Father ! father ! that is the gentleman who gave 
 me the half-crown.' Upon which her father drove her back 
 into the house, and with severe threats desired her never to 
 mention that circumstance again, which threats he frequently 
 repeated, after the retreat of the Scotch army, if ever she 
 divulged the secret to any one." ("Family Memoirs," by 
 
Prince CJiarless Visit to Manchester. 227 
 
 Sir Oswald Mosley, Baronet. Printed for private circulation, 
 1849, p. 45.) 
 
 In after years, however, she stated that her father himself 
 owned to her that the handsome young stranger and the un- 
 fortunate prince were the same person. 
 
 Such then is the very slender foundation upon which the 
 legend is based. In Byrom's " Diary " there is an unfortunate 
 hiatus; no entry is made in the year of the Pretender's 
 supposed visit ; but to make up for this, we have a very 
 graphic diary, kept by Miss " Beppy " Byrom, of events 
 during the Rebellion ; and, amongst other incidents narrated 
 by this lady, we have a very vivid picture of an interview 
 between the prince and the celebrated John Byrom, M.A., 
 F.R.S., and some other inhabitants of Manchester who were 
 shrewdly suspected of bearing no great love to the House of 
 Hanover. If the young Chevalier had really been in Man- 
 chester the year before, he would surely have made some 
 allusion to that event, which was one of a romantic nature, 
 and likely to have impressed itself upon the fair Jacobite 
 whose diary we now quote : 
 
 "[November] Saturday 3oth, St. Andrew's day. More 
 crosses making till twelve o'clock : then I dressed me up in 
 my white gown, and went up to my aunt Brearcliffe's, and an 
 officer called on us to go and see the Prince ; we went to Mr. 
 Fletcher's and saw him get a-horseback, and a noble sight it 
 is, I would not have missed it for a great deal of money. His 
 horse had stood an hour in the court without stirring, and as 
 soon as he got on he began a dancing and capering as if he 
 was received with as much joy and shouting almost as if he 
 
228 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 had been King without any dispute : indeed, I think scarce 
 anybody that saw him could dispute it. As soon as he was 
 gone, the officer and us went to prayers at the old church at 
 two o'clock by their orders, or else there has been none since 
 they came. Mr. Shrigley read prayers ; he prayed for the 
 King and the Prince of Wales, and named no names. Then 
 we all called at our house and eat a queen-cake and a glass 
 of wine, for we got no dinner ; then the officer went with us 
 all to the Camp Field to see the Artillery. Called at my 
 uncle's, and then went up to Mr. Fletcher's ; stayed there till 
 the Prince was at supper, then the officer introduced us into 
 the room ; stayed awhile, and then went into the great par- 
 lour where the officers were dining ; sat by Mrs. Starkey ; they 
 were all exceeding civil, and almost made us fuddled with 
 drinking the P. health, for we had no dinner ; we sat there 
 till Secretary Murray came to let us know that the P. was at 
 leisure and had done supper, so we were all introduced, and 
 had the honour to kiss his hand ; my papa was fetched 
 prisoner to do the same, as was Dr. Deacon. Mr. Cattell 
 and Mr. Clayton did it without ; the latter said grace for him. 
 Then we went out and drank his health in the other room> 
 and so to Mr. Fletcher's, where my mamma waited for us 
 (my uncle was gone to pay his land-tax), and then went 
 home." 
 
 There is not the slightest hint in this of the prince's pre- 
 vious visit ; yet these were the leading Jacobites in Manches- 
 ter, and, if any persons could have aided the prince's errand 
 in 1744, they were undoubtedly Byrom, Clayton, and Deacon. 
 If we add to this the fact, that no other evidence has come 
 
Prince Charles's Visit to Manchester. 229 
 
 to light of this excursion to England, that all historians and 
 biographers have preserved complete silence on the subject, 
 and when we also consider the foolishness, futility, and use- 
 less danger of such an enterprise, we shall be quite warranted 
 in discrediting the Manchester tradition ; at least, until cor- 
 roborative evidence of some sort is produced. Another 
 point of difficulty is, why the town of Manchester alone should 
 have been honoured with this visit. True, it was supposed 
 to have Jacobite tendencies ; but the Scotch were known to 
 be still more devoted to the old family, and no one pretends 
 that "bonnie Prince Charlie" visited any of his Highland 
 friends in the year before the rebellion. The late Mr. B. B. 
 Woodward examined for me the Stuart Papers in the Royal 
 Library at Windsor Castle, but they did not definitely show 
 the whereabouts of Charles Edward Stuart during the summer 
 preceeding the Rebellion. 
 
 It may, perhaps, not be inappropriate to transcribe a song 
 relating to 
 
 THE MANCHESTER REBELS. 
 
 A New Song. 
 To the Tune of ' The Abbot of Canterbury,' 
 
 You have all heard, no doubt, of the Devil at Lincoln, 
 A strange and a terrible Matter to Think on ; 
 But listen awhile, and I'll lay before ye 
 By far a more strange, aye and wonderful Story. 
 Derry down, down, &c. 
 
 We Manchester Men are so stout, or so righteous, 
 It is not one Demon or two that could fright Us ; 
 
230 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 But where is the Man If wrong, set me right in't 
 That can face a whole Legion without being frighten'd ? 
 
 That Lucifer's Agents here swarm in the Street, 
 
 You need only ask the first Non- Con you meet : 
 
 He'll swear are such Crowds, and they make such a Riot, 
 
 That Folk cannot go to the Meeting in Quiet. 
 
 What Marks they are known by 'tis fit to declare, 
 For the Use of the Publick and now you shall hear : 
 Imprimis, their Looks a Thing very essential, 
 Are drest up with nothing but Smiles complacential . 
 
 And as for their Garb It is not of that Hue 
 
 Which your common Fiends wear, but Red, Yellow, and Blue, 
 
 Work'd up with such Art as to drive us all mad 
 
 In short, my good Friends, 'tis an arrant Scotch Plad. 
 
 But what's worst of all, and what chiefly perplexes 
 Us here is, in Truth, we have Fiends of both sexes : 
 Here struts the Plad Waistcoat there sails the Plad Gown, 
 Such fashions infernal sure never were known. 
 
 There's one Thing besides you must know, by the bye, 
 To add to our Plagues, there's a numerous Fry 
 Of young Rebel Imps little Impudent Things, 
 With ' God bless P. C.' on their Pincushion Strings. 
 
 Now God keep us all from this Infidel Race, 
 Or send to support us a little more Grace : 
 May all Jacobite Knaves be truss'd up in a Lump, 
 That dare, for the future, shout Down with the Rump. 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 (A Collection of Political Tracts. Edinburgh : printed" 
 in the year 1747, p. 34,; 
 
CONGREGATIONALISM AT FARNWORTH, 
 NEAR BOLTON. 
 
 No silver saints by dying misers giv'n, 
 Here bribed the rage of ill-requited heav'n : 
 But such plain roofs as Piety could raise, 
 And only vocal with the Maker's praise. 
 
 POPE. Eloisa to Abelard. 
 
 MR. SIMEON DYSON, in a small volume issued by 
 Messrs. Tubbs, Brook, & Chrystal in 1881, gives, in 
 a very unpretending style, some interesting particulars as to 
 the growth of "Rural Congregationalism in Farnworth." 
 The first place of worship in the village was an Independent 
 Chapel founded in 1808. An attempt was first made to 
 provide a place where Nonconformists might hold alternate 
 services, but the effort was not successful. After one or 
 two preachers, whose tenure was of a temporary nature, Mr. 
 Joseph Dyson walked on Saturday from Marsden, near 
 Huddersfield, preached three times on the Sunday, and walked 
 back again on Monday morning. In 1813 he became the 
 regular minister of this congregation, most of whose members 
 
232 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 were in a "humble sphere of life," and some "rather in indigent 
 circumstances," but who were anxious to have a settled 
 preacher among them. At the ordination twenty ministers 
 were present, and the cost of providing dinner for them and 
 for the leading members of the congregation did not amount 
 to $- After a time there was added a minister's house and a 
 Sunday school. One of the " teachers" began the task of in- 
 struction when his acquaintance with the alphabet did not 
 extend beyond the letter O ! The constable was in the habit 
 of pushing into the chapel any loiterers whom he encountered, 
 and the author tells us that he has himself seen the birds pop- 
 ping their heads out of the pockets of the pigeon-flyers thus 
 forcibly brought to hear the gospel. The chapel had no 
 warming apparatus, and the women not unfrequently brought 
 with them a warm brick, which was wrapped up in a shawl, 
 and thus made a cozy footstool. Some of the congregation 
 came from a .distance in market carts, and one, a crippled 
 schoolmistress, was brought to chapel in a wheelbarrow. 
 There were no organs used in those days, but " the band 
 on the occasion of the Sunday School Anniversary Sermons 
 generally consisted of six or eight violins, a viola, two or 
 three violoncellos, one double bass, two or three clarionets, 
 two flutes, two bassoons, a large brass serpent and one trom- 
 bone." The Rev. William Jones, after the performance of 
 the "Hailstorm Chorus," from Handel's Oratorio of "Israel 
 in Egypt," grumpily observed, " Now I will try to preach to 
 you after this furious storm." In 1831 the first "treat" to 
 Sunday scholars was given, but was of a very modest 
 character. The first " tea party " was held on the day of the 
 
Congregationalism at Farnworth. 
 
 233 
 
 coronation of William IV., and the task of feeding the 400 
 who came to it taxed the ingenuity of the ladies, and emptied 
 all the provision shops of the neighbourhood. The Sunday 
 evening lectures given by Mr. Dyson were sufficiently quaint 
 in their titles, "New Cart " and "A Man Better than a Sheep" 
 may be cited. He continued as a pastor until 1855, when 
 increasing infirmities led to his resignation. The old chapel 
 was left for a more modern building, and converted into a 
 Sunday school. Mr. Dyson's jubilee was celebrated in 
 1863. He died in 1867, and his funeral was conducted by 
 one of the ministers who had ordained him fifty-four years 
 
 XXX 
 
 0000000 
 C I I I- 
 
 earlier. Some amusing particulars are given of the customs 
 and mode of living seventy years ago. The "badger's " mode 
 
234 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of reckoning is explained. Thus stood for a shilling, x for 
 i os., and a straight stroke for a penny, and a horizontal 
 line indicated a half-penny. Each customer had a separate 
 board on which his cabalistic indebtedness was inscribed. 
 This board would indicate an indebtedness of i 173. 9^d. 
 A newspaper was jointly subscribed for by several of the 
 more important inhabitants, and was solemnly passed from 
 house to house. The Halshaw Moor Wakes were the scene 
 of bull-baiting, badger-baiting, grinning through a horse 
 collar and other rude sports. The inhabitants, however, if 
 unlettered, were honest and kindly, and had a native shrewd- 
 ness and a determined love of joking which compensated in 
 some measure for the hardness of their lot. 
 
 It may be added that this village is sometimes named 
 as the birth place of Abp. Bancroft. The prelate himself 
 states that he was born at Farnworth, in Lancashire, and it 
 has generally been assumed that the important manufacturing 
 district of Farnworth, near Bolton, was meant. Canon 
 Raines thought that Farnworth, near Prescot, was the place, 
 and a writer in the Bolton Journal, in 1877, made some 
 inquiries, and in the Prescot registers found under September, 
 1544, the entry of "Ric. Bancroft, sone unto John Bancroft, 
 bapt. the xii. day." (See also Notes and Queries, 5th S. 
 vii. 84.) 
 
CHURCH GOODS IN 1552. 
 
 Judge not the preacher for he is thy Judge : 
 If thou mislike him, thou conceiv'st him not. 
 
 God calleth preaching folly. Do not grudge 
 To pick out treasures from an earthen pot. 
 
 GEORGE HERBERT. The Temple. 
 
 SOME Inventories of goods in the churches of Lancashire 
 in 1552, when the pecuniary difficulties of the Govern- 
 ment of Edward VI. led it to sweep up what remained of 
 Church property from the heavy spoliations of former years 
 were printed by the Chetham Society in 1879. Commissions 
 were issued ordering perfect inventories to be taken of all 
 manner of goods, plate, jewels, and ornaments, belonging 
 to any churches, chapels, fraternities, or guilds, with the 
 names of persons who had been known to have acquired 
 any of the property since the date of former inventories. 
 These lists were edited by Mr. J. E. Bailey, F.S.A., who 
 has thrown into his notes and introductions a mass of 
 interesting elucidatory matter. In Salford hundred, which 
 alone is comprised in the present part, the making of this 
 inquisition was entrusted to Sir Edmund Trafford, Sir John 
 
236 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Atherton, Sir John Holcroft, and Sir Thomas Holt. In a 
 return made in 1563 it was stated that the number of com- 
 municants was 22,000, not including either Manchester or 
 Flixton. The parish church of Manchester was possessed 
 of one cope of black velvet embroidered with branches, one 
 of old green velvet, one of white damask, one of velvet 
 "sangven," one of white satin, and two of russet "wulsted." 
 There was one vestment of red damask branched with 
 deacon and sub-deacon, one of white damask, one of red 
 chamlet, one of green " bowdekyn," one " embraunchet 
 with beares," one of black velvet, and one old white vest- 
 ment. There was a forefront of chamlet for the high altar, 
 another of blue and red silk, another of white, green, and 
 red. There were two altar clothes of diaper, and two of 
 linen cloth. There were two little latten candlesticks, some 
 ornaments for the sepulchre, and two chalices, one of them 
 parcel gilt. In the steeple there were five bells and one 
 little bell. This scanty list is but a type of the others, and 
 indicates pretty clearly that, whilst church and abbey lands 
 were greedily snapped up by the courtiers and gentry, the 
 goods intended for the service of the church did not escape 
 confiscation and " imbezelment" The will of Sir Edmund 
 Trafford, one of the commissioners, records his wish for the 
 restoration of certain church goods that had been bought by 
 his father-in-law. 
 
 The vestment decorated with bears probably belonged to 
 the chantry of Stanley, warden and bishop. His mother 
 was a sister of the " king-maker" Warwick, whose heraldic 
 cognisance was a bear and ragged staff. Such embellish- 
 
Church Goods z>z 1552. 237 
 
 ments, though certainly savouring more of pride than of 
 piety, were not uncommon. Walter, Lord Hungerford, in 
 1449, directed by will that in some vestments given by him 
 " for greater notice " his arms should be wrought. The 
 " ornaments for the sepulchre " were used in the scenic 
 representation of the resurrection, which is still retained in 
 the Greek Church. The bells are mentioned in the will of 
 William Trafford, of Garret (1545), who desired that after 
 his death the great bell should be rung, and that when the 
 body set forward towards the church the great bell only 
 should be rung, and continue until evening. The inden- 
 ture is signed by William Penketh, the parson of Man- 
 chester, who may have belonged to the same family as that 
 " Friar Penker" whom Shakspere mentions. The plate of 
 the church of Manchester was returned as 303^02. in the 
 second year of Edward VI. At Flixton the churchwardens 
 were Taylor and Sherlock. The celebrated Oldfield Lane 
 Doctor came from the first stock, and the mother of Wilson, 
 the apostolic bishop of the Isle of Man, belonged to the 
 second. Of Middleton goods a full inventory, perhaps due 
 to the existence of three chantries, is given. One item 
 shows the distinction between the dresses of the deacon and 
 the sub-deacon, a distinction no longer preserved in the 
 Latin Church. Middleton was one of the three Lancashire 
 parishes that had organs. It had also a pair of rigalls, a 
 small portable instrument with pipes and bellows, and 
 played with the fingers. Ashton Church had also a pair of 
 organs. In 1559 the people complained that the " parson 
 doth no service in the church " a complaint that has been 
 
238 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 repeated in more modern times. In 1563 there were 1,000 
 communicants and no preacher. The vestments included 
 satin of " Brigges " that is, Bruges ; there was also a 
 banner of green silk, which was probably a processional 
 flag of the description used on Rogation days in the 
 perambulation of parishes. There was a holy water stock 
 of brass. At Radcliffe and other places crosses are named, 
 and they are of the meaner metals, and not, as at Durham 
 or Cambridge, of gold or silver. Radcliffe Church still 
 possessed a Mass-book, although the destruction of such 
 service books was ordered in 1549. At Eccles, which long 
 continued to abound with adherents of the old faith, there 
 was in use a " bell that served the parish for corpses." 
 " Jangling the belles " was a matter of protest as late as 
 1590. The vicar of Eccles was Thomas Craven, whose 
 illegitimate son made his will in 1591. Bolton is said to 
 have had 5,000 communicants. At Bradshaw Chapel there 
 is still a pre-Reformation bell, upon which is an inscription, 
 " Ave Maria graia appela," probably intended as the Latin 
 equivalent of " Hail, Mary ! full of grace." 
 
 The gentry of Dean appear to have laid their hands upon 
 some of the church goods. One chalice, with a suit of 
 clothes to say Mass in, is noted as being in the hands of 
 Lambert Heyton, who said they were heirlooms of Heton. 
 The Hultons and Brownes were also implicated. To the 
 Heton family belonged that proud bishop whom Good 
 Queen Bess threatened to unfrock. Occasionally the dialect 
 creeps into these documents, as at Blackrod, where the 
 possession of two "brossen" cruets of pewter is recorded. 
 
Church Goods in 1552. 239 
 
 In a note, Mr. Bailey has given some new particulars about 
 Lawrence Vaux, a native of Blackrod, some time warden of 
 Manchester, and afterwards a prisoner for his opposition to 
 the Reformation. At Rivington, the birthplace of Bishop 
 Pilkington, there was a Mass-book, a manual, and a Bible. 
 This is the only Bible inventoried in the county. There 
 were also hand-bells for use at funerals. Prestwich is said 
 to have had 3,000 communicants. Its four great bells were 
 recast by Rudhall in the last century. The Oldham inden- 
 ture is signed by Ralph Cudworth. From this stock came 
 the famous author of "The Intellectual System of the 
 Universe." The spelling of "Shay" for the chapelry of 
 Shaw serves to indicate the antiquity of the dialectal pro- 
 nunciation of its name. Richard Smyth, parson," of Bury, 
 was at one time the Pope's " pardoner " in Lancashire. His 
 successor, Richard Jones, was presented for not reading the 
 Gospels, &c. There was also some scandal concerning his 
 churchwardens. In 1563 there were 3,000 communicants. 
 One of the vestments named in the indenture was a white 
 fustian. The fustian trade was then one of the great trades 
 of Lancashire, especially in the neighbourhood of Bolton. 
 Though made here, they retained their names of Milan and 
 Augsburg fustians. This deed contains the earliest mention 
 of Heywood Chapel. Rochdale is shown to have possessed 
 a pair of organs. The communicants are said to have been 
 5,000. The Rochdale priests, it appears, were not always 
 mindful of their vows either of hospitality or celibacy, 
 for of the vicar of Rochdale in 1559 it was complained that 
 he was non-resident, did not relieve the poor, and did not 
 
240 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 keep hospitality, and Sir William Lapper was reported as guilty 
 of fornication with Elizabeth Lapper. " Sir " continued for 
 sometime after the reformation to be the usual prefix to the 
 name of a parson or parish priest. Different to these un- 
 worthy ministers was John Yates, " dark," of Whitworth, 
 whose worldly goods did not amount to "xxs" and who left 
 of that meagre sum, "vi^. vmV. to the poure folces in 
 Wardle." Saddleworth, although in the West Riding of 
 Yorkshire, was until recently part of the parish of Rochdale. 
 Its church goods were one chalice, two bells, one hand bell, 
 two vestments, and two altar cloths. 
 
THE ESTATES OF SIR ANDREW CHADWICK. 
 
 The mould of a man's fortune is in his own hands. 
 
 BACON. Essay on Fortune. 
 
 NEWSPAPER readers will remember that from time to 
 time the faithful chroniclers of the day have recorded 
 the appearance of one or more claimants to the fabulous 
 wealth supposed to be waiting for the heirs-at-law of Sir 
 Andrew Chadwick. With some persons of the same family 
 name as the knight the existence of this vast property and 
 of their right to it became a fixed idea. English and 
 American Chadwicks alike believed themselves entitled to 
 sundry millions. A " Chadwick Association " formed in 
 the State of New York sent an agent to this country to 
 investigate the matter, and a similar English Society has 
 also been at work. The latter society had its headquarters 
 in Manchester, and issued an elaborate report, in which 
 the entire question is discussed with great ability and 
 honesty. The ability is shown by the fulness of the 
 information which has been gathered and the honesty by 
 
242 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the unpalatable advice given to the claimants, who are 
 warned that they are upon a hopeless quest. (Reports on 
 the estate of Sir Andrew Chadwick and the recent proceedings 
 of the Chadwick Association in reference thereto, by 
 Edmund Chadwick, chairman, and James Boardman, 
 secretary and treasurer. To which is prefixed the life and 
 history of Sir Andrew Chadwick, by John Oldfield Chad- 
 wick, F.S.S., F.R.G.S. London : Simpkin, Marshall, and 
 Co.) 
 
 The Chadwicks have been known in Lancashire for many 
 centuries. A branch of the family of yeoman standing appear 
 as owners of Carter Place, near Haslingden, a property 
 which they held by a copyhold tenure from the Duke of 
 Albemarle. Ellis Chadwick in 1580 was admitted to this 
 property, and in 1603 the name of his son Robert is entered 
 on the court rolls. The son of Robert was another Ellis 
 who was admitted in 1684, and was then described as 
 " gentleman," and resident in Dublin. Sir Andrew, his son, 
 was entered on the rolls in 1726. It is therefore evident 
 that the Haslingden yeoman's son left his fatherland to 
 settle in Dublin. That some amount of success attended 
 his efforts may be conjectured by the higher social appellation 
 given to him at a time when etiquette was more rigorous in 
 such matters than it is at present. Andrew Chadwick is 
 believed to have been born in Dublin about 1683, but the 
 certificate of his birth or baptism has been sought for in 
 vain. Absolutely nothing is known as to his father's 
 marriage, and an apparently groundless suspicion has been 
 raised as to his legitimacy. Ellis Chadwick died in 1687 
 
The Estates of Sir Andrew Chadwick. 243 
 
 or 1688, when he would not be more than 23 or 24 years 
 old. Of the early life of his son there is nothing certainly 
 known, but his youthful experiences had left a bitter taste, 
 for in a codicil to his will, written twelve days before his 
 death, and when he was probably in his 84th year, he 
 speaks of the " base and cruel usage he met with from his 
 relations when he was an orphan." Notwithstanding, he 
 desired ;i 0,000 to be divided amongst those who could 
 prove their consanguinity. Seven days later he revoked 
 this bequest to those whom he describes " as the hungry 
 Lancashire kites to whom I owe nothing either by the ties 
 of blood, gratitude, or natural affection." This revocation 
 is made lest they, he continues, " may attempt to run away 
 with more, contrary to my inclination, than they deserve 
 at my hands or can make good use of." Nothing is known 
 as to the nature of this cruel usage, and the next record we 
 have of the Anglo-Irish boy, left an orphan in his childhood, 
 is that he was knighted by Queen Anne on the i8th of 
 January, 1709-10. Why he received this honour is a 
 mystery. He was one of the Band of Gentleman-Pensioners, 
 but did not apparently enter that corporation until about 
 the period of his knighthood. He was married i4th 
 November, 1718, to Margaret Humfrey, the daughter of a 
 well-to-do apothecary. Lady Chadwick survived her hus- 
 band, and after his death had reason to suspect that he had 
 improperly converted to his own use some property which 
 rightly belonged to her and her sister. The marriage was 
 without issue, but Sir Andrew is conjectured to have had a 
 natural daughter, to whom he left a legacy of .5,000. 
 
244 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 How he acquired his fortune is almost as mysterious as the 
 other parts of his life. In addition to the agency of several 
 regiments he was paymaster of a troop of Horse Guards, 
 and paymaster of a lottery office in the Exchequer. These 
 were doubtless lucrative appointments, but he was also 
 engaged in other business, the nature of which is not known. 
 Between 1717 and 1735 he acquired property in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Golden Square, Westminster. His only 
 recorded visit to Lancashire was in 1726, when he attended 
 the halmot court at Haslingden. In 1719 he had been 
 summoned as a witness in the Duchy Court of Lancaster, 
 but had ignored the subpoena and the subsequent warrant 
 for his arrest, which only ran in the County Palatine. He 
 lived in the latter part of his life at No. 12, Broad-street, 
 employing four servants, each of whom received an annuity. 
 His silver plate weighed 2,378 ounces. In 1765 he made 
 a will, which was informal as to real estate because not 
 witnessed. This he secreted. To the will were added no 
 less than seven codicils the last written within three days 
 of his death, which occurred i$th March, 1768. These 
 documents contain a number of legacies. John Wilkes is 
 named in one as legatee for a few thousand pounds. A few 
 days later this is revoked. Another patriot of the period 
 appears to have had much influence with Sir Andrew. This 
 was a pamphleteer, named Alexander Scott, who is 
 designated in the will to receive ^500. By the first codicil 
 this is increased to ^1,000, and by the sixth to ^2,000, 
 and the whole residue of his real and personal estate. The 
 will also prohibited Lady Chadwick from continuing her 
 
The Estates of Sir Andrew Chadzvick. 245 
 
 friendship with a Mrs. Glover, whose volubility appears to 
 have offended the eccentric knight. Scott first consented 
 to absolve the widow from the penalties attached to the 
 continuance of this intimacy, but immediately afterwards 
 began a Chancery suit with the object of stripping her of all 
 interest in the residue of the estate. She died in 1783 
 before the conclusion of the suit, which was eventually 
 decided in her favour. The personal estate of Sir Andrew, 
 amounting to more than ^20,000, was thus disposed of in 
 legacies and in law expenses. The amount of the residue 
 which was received by Scott is not known. Chadwick's will 
 was not sufficiently formal to apply to real estate, but a 
 claimant speedily appeared in the person of Sarah Law, the 
 daughter of his uncle Robert, and she succeeded in satisfy- 
 ing the court, and was invested with the freeholds. Yet at 
 this time there was one nearer in blood alive, in the person 
 of Joseph, the son of James, the eldest of the uncles of Sir 
 Andrew. Some doubt has been thrown on the marriage of 
 this James, but its validity was accepted in a later litigation. 
 Moreover, there was some doubt as to the legitimacy of 
 Sarah Law. That lady, even when in possession, seems to 
 have had some doubt as to her tenure, and conveyed the 
 property to her son-in-law, John Taylor, a blacksmith, of 
 Bury. The representatives of a disinherited son vainly 
 endeavoured to upset the deed of gift. Taylor made an 
 arrangement with Lady Chadwick for the commutation of 
 her dower, and the whole of the freehold property gradually 
 passed by sale and bargain into other hands. Sarah Law 
 died in 1791, and her will confirmed the previous deed of 
 
246 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 gift. The copyhold property at Haslingden was also- 
 adjudged to Sarah Law notwithstanding the objection of her 
 cousin Mary Duckworth, and has since by sale passed into 
 other hands. The free leaseholds were held to be personal 
 property, and passed to Scott. Some other leaseholds were 
 held in trust in the names of Horsey and Campion. Sarah 
 Law could not secure possession, as the leases did not run 
 out until 1847, an d no claim was then preferred by her 
 representatives. In 1840 Mr. John Chadwick, of Westleigh, 
 presented a petition to the Court of Chancery, setting forth 
 his descent from James, the eldest uncle of Sir Andrew. 
 After investigation he was decided to have established his 
 claim, and the leasehold property was secured to him by a 
 judgment of the court. Some of the statements made in 
 the present report tend to invalidate his claim; but an 
 attempt to eject him in 1859 proved a failure, and an un- 
 interrupted possession of more than 30 years is a sufficient 
 bar to any future attempt of the same kind. There is, 
 therefore, at the present moment no property left by Sir 
 Andrew Chadwick which has not been adjudged by the 
 law, with the exception of ^100, with interest accumulating 
 at the rate of 3 per cent, registered at the Bank of England 
 in July, 1768, in the names of Sir Andrew and of the Rev. 
 Samuel Grove. This could only be claimed by joint repre- 
 sentatives of Scott and Grove, as it formed part of the per- 
 sonal estate, and as such followed the dispositions of the 
 will. The numerous Chadwick claimants of the present 
 day are, therefore, in search of a mere chimera. There is 
 no Chadwick estate capable of any further legal distribution. 
 
The Estates of Sir Andrew Chadwick. 247 
 
 We have said that some doubt has arisen as to the title of 
 the late Mr. John Chadwick, of Westleigh. He descends 
 from James, the eldest uncle, about whose marriage there is 
 some doubt. The grandson Thomas was twice married, 
 and a descendant of this first marriage is now in practice as 
 an engineer. The Westleigh claimant is the issue of a 
 second marriage, and is, therefore, remoter in blood. In 
 addition to this disqualifying circumstance the second union 
 of Thomas Chadwick was one of doubtful validity. He 
 married Betty Hopwood, a " widow," whose husband, like 
 Enoch Arden, turned up unexpectedly some years after he 
 was supposed to have shuffled off this mortal coil. In 1859 
 the descendant of a younger brother of Thomas Chadwick 
 attempted to gain possession of the lands held by Chadwick, 
 of Westleigh. This was unsuccessful on the ground that 
 the claim was barred by the statute of limitations, and that 
 even if there had been any fraud it might have been dis- 
 covered earlier by due diligence. Another claimant 
 appeared in 1861, but his pedigree was declared by Vice 
 Chancellor Wood to be imaginary. Chadwick, of West- 
 leigh, was only able to obtain possession of eleven houses 
 valued at ; 10,000. He then commenced an action against 
 Messrs. Broadwood, of the Golden Square Brewery, which 
 formed part of the old knight's property. But the 
 defendants, having an affidavit from David Hopwood, half 
 brother of the claimant, as to the bigamous marriage, defied 
 him to proceed, and in effect he abandoned his claim. In 
 1851 John Stanton, who appeared as a descendant and 
 representative of Sarah Law, filed a bill against Chadwick, 
 
248 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of Westleigh, which contained allegations of fraud in respect 
 of the same event Mr. Chad wick, in 1855, purchased 
 from Stanton " all his estate and interest " in the property 
 which had formed the bone of contention. Mr. Chadwick 
 died in 1861, and thus left his heirs a two-fold title, one by 
 purchase from the representative of Sarah Law, who a 
 century earlier had been declared the heir-at-law, and the 
 other by the finding of 1842, that he was the heir-at-law. 
 No case of this kind would be complete without a mutilated 
 register, and accordingly a charge was brought that the leaf 
 containing the marriage record had been cut out. This 
 charge was declared to be baseless by the court. 
 
 Seeing that all the Chadwick property can be accounted 
 for it is somewhat difficult to imagine how the fables as to 
 its vast extent and unclaimed condition arose. Instead of 
 53 houses in the Golden Square district Sir Andrew has been 
 credited with the possession of 1,009 houses, comprising an 
 entire quarter in one of the richest parts of the metropolis. 
 To this were added the manor of Hampstead, the forfeited 
 estates of the Derwentwaters, and some square miles of 
 county Wicklow, "with rich soil above, and gold mines 
 beneath." Still more preposterous are the statements 
 circulated amongst the American claimants. 
 
 It is possible that the fight over the personalty of Sir 
 Andrew may have called attention to the existence of an 
 urban property awaiting an heir-at-law. In 1766 Edward 
 Birch and Matthew Martin came into possession of a draft 
 will made by Sir Andrew in 1764. This suggested to them 
 a plot for the forgery of a will disposing of the property to 
 
The Estates of Sir Andrew Chadwick. 249 
 
 some supposed near relatives in Ireland. The fraud was 
 discovered, and, on their trial, Whatman, the paper manu- 
 facturer, testified that the will dated in 1764 was written 
 upon paper which he had made himself in 1768. They 
 were hung 2nd January, 1772. This tragic case would give 
 still further notoriety to the Chadwick property. 
 
 The complications of the great Chadwick claim are fully 
 shown in the report already mentioned. Mr. J. Oldfield 
 Chadwick has made the most of the scanty materials for a 
 biography of Sir Andrew. The chairman and secretary of 
 the Chadwick Association have shown both wisdom and 
 courage in advising the abandonment of any further attempt 
 at litigation. The case was submitted to Mr. W. W. 
 Karslake, Q.C., who not only holds that any attempt to 
 disturb the present possessors would be unavailing, but 
 evidently inclines to the opinion that the " Chadwick 
 Association " might be charged with the offence known as 
 "maintenance." As early as 1836 there was a club for 
 the purpose of getting up a case. Later there was a com- 
 bination to oust Chadwick, of Westleigh, with the under- 
 standing that if successful the spoils should he divided 
 amongst the victors. Sir Andrew Chadwick had no kindly 
 feelings towards his relatives, and rarely mentioned them 
 without maledictions. A superstitious mind might see the 
 accomplishment of these curses in the unhappy fate of 
 more than one of the claimants. Perseverance which 
 would have commanded success in the ordinary business of 
 life has been devoted to this lost cause, and has only ended 
 in disappointment and the workhouse. 
 
EARLY ART IN LIVERPOOL. 
 
 Dost thou love pictures ? 
 
 SHAKSPEKE. 
 
 SOME interesting particulars as to the early history of art 
 in Liverpool have been privately printed by one who has 
 been a generous benefactor to his adopted city. The volume 
 is dedicated to the donor of the Walker Art Gallery, and is 
 called Exhibitions of Art in Liverpool. With some Notes 
 for a Memoir of George Stubbs, R.A. Privately printed 
 [for Joseph Mayer, Esq., F.S.A.]. 1876. 
 
 It may be claimed for Liverpool that for a long time, and 
 in a greater measure than other provincial towns, she has had 
 an appreciation of the fine arts. A taste for music was 
 shown so long ago as 1525 when a company of Waits were 
 maintained at the expense of the town. The writer of the 
 volume under notice claims that the festival of sacred music 
 at Saint Peter's Church, in 1784, was the very earliest of its 
 kind in England; but this is an error as there was one in 
 Manchester in 1777. 
 
 The establishment of the Royal Academy had an imme- 
 
Early Art in Liverpool. 251 
 
 diate influence upon Liverpool, whose lovers of art determined 
 to make an effort in the same direction. The movement 
 appears to have originated with the drawing masters. The 
 " Academy-room " did not long remain open and the society 
 appears to have expired early in 1770, but in 1773 the pro- 
 ject was revived in a spirited manner, and courses of lectures 
 upon architecture, anatomy, perspective, and chemistry were 
 given. The lecturer on architecture was Mr. Everard, a man 
 of some mathematical power, whose house was the meeting 
 place of a literary coterie. When the " Monthly Review " 
 began in 1749 these friends subscribed for it, "and thus 
 gradually arose the first idea of a circulating library in 
 England" (p. 5). When Everard transformed himself from 
 schoolmaster to "surveyor and architect" an arrangement 
 was made for the accommodation in his house of the library 
 which had grown to 450 volumes owned by 109 subscribers. 
 The " Society of Artists in Liverpool " also met there. The 
 library ultimately grew into the present Lyceum collection, 
 housed in a building which early in the century cost \ 1,000 
 to construct. 
 
 In 1774 it was resolved to hold an exhibition of works of 
 art the first held in a provincial town. The master-spirit 
 seems to have been Roscoe, whose influence was beginning 
 to permeate the institutions of the town. As Roscoe 
 possessed the pen of a ready writer and had all his faculties 
 strictly under command, he was apparently appointed 
 laureate, and produced "An Ode on the Institution of a 
 Society in Liverpool for the Encouragement of Designing, 
 Drawing, Painting," &c., in which the muses are represented 
 
252 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 -as leaving their old haunts and seeking freedom in " Albion's 
 ever-grateful isle." Amongst the articles exhibited were 
 designs for beds in the "Palmyrean, Chinese, and Gothic 
 tastes ! " Although the exhibition was a success it had no 
 immediate successor, and the society was dissolved in 1775. 
 The times were not favourable, but when peace returned the 
 institution was remodelled, and in 1783 William Roscoe 
 became its vice-president. 
 
 The president was Mr. Henry Blundell, of Ince-Blundell, 
 who formed a collection of marbles said to rival that of the 
 Towneley gallery. The writer rightly says : 
 
 "He who could persuade Mr. Blundell, now living, to 
 deposit his ancestor's collection in some place where students 
 could see it would grant a boon to humanity." 
 
 The secretary was Mr. Thomas Taylor, a good scholar 
 and a constant friend of Mr. John Leigh Philips, of May- 
 field, whose remarkable collection may have benefited by the 
 advice of the Liverpool connoisseurs. The Mayer MSS. 
 contain some of the lectures given before this society. One 
 of them is a humorous squib directed against picture- 
 dealing. The exhibition took place in 1784, and contained 
 works by the President of the Royal Academy (Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds), Paul and Thomas Sandby, Fuseli, and others, 
 besides the local men. The next was in 1787, and had 
 pictures by Beechey, W. M. Craig, Farrington, Fuseli, 
 Gainsborough, Reynolds, Sandby, George Stubbs, Wright 
 of Derby, the fair Angelica, and others. This sketch of 
 the beginnings of art in Liverpool, now blossoming into a 
 grand fruition, may fittingly be closed by the following 
 
Early Art in Liverpool. 253 
 
 passage in which Mr. Mayer deals with the influence of 
 Roscoe : 
 
 " If it be still granted William Roscoe to take interest in 
 those studies which absorbed him during life, he must survey 
 the area of his mundane exertions with serene contentment. 
 He founded no school, gathered no collection of renown 
 throughout the universe ; but he made himself a centre round 
 whom men might collect who found that their humanity 
 could not exist on trade alone. We see by the dumb evidence 
 of catalogues how such unfortunates were regarded before 
 Roscoe's time. The small huckster, the market gardener, or 
 the lawyer's clerk, rejoiced in the title of Mister, but your 
 artist must bear his patronymic naked. If to any one man 
 belongs the credit of raising art to her due dignity in the 
 North of England, that man is William Roscoe. A life may 
 not be wasted though name and works be forgotten. Ros- 
 coe's honour lies not so much in deeds of his own excellent 
 and admirable though they were as in those which he 
 caused others to do. A leading man amongst people who 
 regarded business as the one aim of life and title to respect, 
 he boldly proclaimed another and a nobler ideal. It is not 
 by a right interpretation of his thought that wealthy gentle- 
 men of Liverpool buy pictures at so many hundred pounds 
 per square yard ; but a reformer does what he can, not what 
 he would. There is, perhaps, no city of the world where the 
 social duty of patronising art is now more firmly established 
 than in Liverpool. Great discretion there may not be, but 
 there is great rivalry ; small knowledge, but much ostentation. 
 For the little show which Roscoe devised, with its ' models 
 
254 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of a ship ' and portraits ' in human hair,' there is now a yearly 
 exhibition under the auspices of the corporation itself, an 
 exhibition of water-colours, and various special exhibitions 
 by the Liverpool Fine Arts Club. Some of these latter as 
 the David Cox collection of last year have excited European 
 interest. Roscoe pursued a better course towards his end 
 than lies in forming a monster gallery. He interested the 
 public, and thus ensured a succession of disciples to labour 
 in the cause after his own decease." 
 
 The second half of this interesting volume is devoted to a 
 notice of George Stubbs, R.A., an artist whose talents are 
 not sufficiently recognised in the present day. In his own 
 time he commanded prices as high or higher than Reynolds 
 for portraits. Stubbs was born at Liverpool 24th August, 
 1724. His father, a man in easy circumstances, did not 
 oppose his son's taste for art. After his father's death he 
 became assistant to Hamlet Winstanley, who was then copying 
 the pictures at Knowsley; but they soon quarrelled, as 
 Stubbs wanted to copy some of the masterpieces which his 
 employer had reserved for his own pencil. One result was 
 the determination of Stubbs to copy no master but nature. 
 When he was littte more than twenty our artist went to 
 Wigan, from thence to Leeds, and from thence to York, 
 where he applied himself to the serious study of anatomy, 
 which had been one of the amusements of his childhood. 
 He was asked to engrave some drawings of a very "fine 
 case," whose body had been snatched from the grave by the 
 pupils of the hospital at which Stubbs lectured. He had at 
 that time no knowledge of the engraver's art, but went to a 
 
Early Art in Liverpool. 255 
 
 house painter in Leeds, who imparted his own rough process 
 of etching on halfpennies with common sewing needles stuck 
 in skewers. With some improvements on this process he 
 etched the plate for the book of his friend Dr. Burton. With 
 the very ingenious motive of satisfying himself that nature is 
 greater than art even at its grandest, Stubbs visited Rome. 
 Having convinced himself on this point he came to Liver- 
 pool, where his mother shortly after died. The success of a 
 picture of a grey mare brought him the advice to settle in 
 London. Thither he went in 1759^ taking with him the 
 drawings for his great work on the "Anatomy of the Horse." 
 These had been prepared from dissections made at Hork- 
 stow, in Lincolnshire. He wanted them engraved : 
 
 " But the celebrated engravers of the day declined this 
 commission, not apparently, without scorn. Many of the 
 drawings represented entire figures, but others there were 
 showing parts only, a nose, an ear, a leg, and for such work 
 Mr. Grignion, Mr. Pond, and their fellows, had neither habit 
 nor liking. This unanimous refusal obliged the artist to do 
 his own engraving once more, and he set about the task with 
 characteristic resolution. What great success he had is well 
 known, but the publication was necessarily retarded. For 
 Stubbs never broke into the time devoted to his regular 
 occupation of painting, and his etchings were made early in 
 the morning, or after hours. Often he worked late into the 
 night. In about six years, or seven, they were complete, and 
 the ' Anatomy of the Horse ' appeared in 1 766. It was pub- 
 lished by subscription, for Stubbs desired to make himself 
 known, and, as he tells us, this seemed the best means of 
 
256 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 achieving his purpose. 'More than any other thing, the 
 book tended to throw him into horse painting, and to this 
 he ascribes entirely his being a horse painter.' " 
 
 At a later period he made some interesting experiments in 
 enamel painting. The story of his quarrel with the Royal 
 Academy is thus told : 
 
 " The elections of Royal Academicians always take place 
 on the loth of Febrary, and it is necessary, after the choice 
 made, for the successful candidate to send a picture for his 
 Majesty's approbation, previously to the diploma being 
 signed. This completes the honour of the election, and 
 qualifies the new member for all duties required by the 
 institution. Whilst Stubbs was considering what picture he 
 should present, whether in oil-colours or in enamel, the 
 season of the annual exhibition arrived, to which many of his 
 works were sent in both styles of painting. He had annexed 
 a suitable explanation of the subjects, in the manner usual ; 
 but his mortification was great to find almost every picture 
 so unfortunately hung, particularly those in enamel, that it 
 seemed like an intentional affront. Most of the quotations 
 sent in were omitted. This treatment was much resented by 
 Mr. Stubbs, and by those patrons for whom the pictures had 
 been painted. He felt it with particular sensibility, and to 
 the time of his death considered it cruel and unjust, as it 
 tended more than any other circumstance could have done 
 to discredit his enamel pictures, and to defeat the purpose of 
 so much labour and study, not to mention his loss of time 
 and great expense. This unkind conduct in the members of 
 the Academy, added to the original reluctance with which 
 
Early Art in Liverpool. 257 
 
 he suffered his name to be entered among the candidates, 
 determined him with an unconquerable resolution not to 
 send a picture to be deposited in the schools, and more 
 especially not to comply with a law made the following year, 
 obliging every candidate elected to present the Academy 
 with an example of his skill to be their property for ever. 
 Mr. Stubbs always averred that he considered this law unjust, 
 and thought he had reason to suppose it levelled particularly 
 against himself. He regarded it, moreover, as an ex post 
 facto law, calculated to punish an offence committed before 
 the making of the law. Mr. Stubbs, on this account, would 
 never allow that he was less than an Academician elect, 
 waiting only the royal signature : and he was satisfied always 
 to continue in that state." 
 
 George Stubbs died in London loth July, 1806, and was 
 buried in Marylebone Church. His great merit is the 
 absolute truth with which he drew that which he saw. There 
 was no meretricious ornament for the sake of display, but an 
 accurate transcript of the facts of nature based on the most 
 careful and painstaking study. Although he is now chiefly 
 known when known at all as a painter of racehorses, he 
 was almost the first English artist who painted animals as 
 they are, without either the ignorance or the falsehood too 
 frequently conspicuous before and since his day. It is 
 pleasant to have his memory revived, and Mr. Mayer 
 deserves high thanks for the taste with which he has accom- 
 plished his graceful task. 
 
THE STORY OF BURGER'S "LENORE." 
 
 Die Todten reiten schnelle ! 
 Wir sind, wir sind ziir snelle. 
 
 G. A. BURGER. 
 
 IT was in the winter of the year 1773 that G. A. Burger 
 wrote the fine ballad of " Lenore," by which he is now 
 best known. It gratifies at once the cultivated and popular 
 taste, combining, as it does, a wild and picturesque story 
 with the utmost artistic finish in its presentation. The 
 reader sees the supernatural drama pass before his eyes. 
 The fond and weeping Lenore is watching the triumphant 
 return of the gallant army, and seeks in each brave warrior 
 of the triumphal procession the form of her lover. He is 
 not there, but lying stark and dead, one of the victims of 
 " glory." Then, in her despair, she cries : 
 
 O, mother, mother, what is bliss ? 
 
 O, mother, what is hell ? 
 With him, with him is only bliss, 
 
 Without my Wilhelm, hell ! 
 
The Story of Burgers "Lenore" 259 
 
 Die, die, my light, for ever die ! 
 Quenched, quenched, in night and sorrow lie ! 
 Severed from him to this lone heart, 
 Nor earth nor heaven can bliss impart. 
 
 Then comes the punishment of this outburst of misery. 
 We hear the tramp of the flying feet of the horse of the 
 spectre bridegroom. Lenore mounts behind the lover 
 restored to her longing eyes, and then through the night 
 they ride beneath the bright moon, past hamlet, town, and 
 castle, until at cock-crow they have reached their destina- 
 tion, not the bridal bed, but the charnel house. The mailed 
 lover changes to a grim skeleton, and the ghosts dance a 
 grotesque fetter dance as Lenore yields up her life. No 
 wonder that a poem so full of weird, unearthly magic should 
 have passed at one bound into popular fame and favour. 
 
 Burger was a student of our older English ballad writers. 
 He had caught the inspiration of the singers of old England, 
 and in this land he naturally found many admirers. 
 " Lenore " has been translated by Lady Margaret Lindsay 
 Fordyce, and the Hon. W. R. Spencer, by J. T. Stanley, 
 H. J. Pye, William Taylor of Norwich, Sir Walter Scott, 
 Julia M. Cameron, Albert Smith, and a host of others. 
 Not long after the publication of " Lenore " in England, a 
 curious controversy arose as to the origin of the poem. It 
 was suggested that Biirger had drawn his inspiration from 
 the ballad known as the "Suffolk Miracle," which was 
 printed in the "Collection of Old Ballads" in 1727. 
 Several communications appeared in the Monthly Magazine, 
 in 1799, on the subject, and are included in a very curious 
 
260 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 farrago of essays by Mr. Samuel Whyte and his son, E. A. 
 Whyte, published in the last year of the last century. 
 (" Miscellanea Nova, containing, amidst a variety of other 
 matters, curious and interesting, a critique on Burger's 
 Leonora ; in which she is clearly proved of English extrac- 
 tion. A new edition. By S. Whyte and his son, E. A. 
 Whyte." Dublin, 1800, pp. 161, 190.) Whyte, although an 
 industrious student of the history of fiction, had not learned 
 how such legends become localised in diverse places, for 
 comparative mythology and folk-lore were unborn in his days. 
 
 The poet stated that the idea of the spectral bridegroom 
 and of the midnight flight with the despairing bride, was 
 suggested to him by an old Low German ballad. Herr 
 J. C. Cordes wrote testifying that the poem and tradition 
 alike were current in Saxony. In answer to the suggestion 
 that Burger had taken the idea from the " Collection of Old 
 Ballads," Schlegel stated that he had confined himself to- 
 Percy when studying the older popular poetry of England. 
 Mr. E. A. Whyte, in vindication of his father's theory, 
 insisted that these declarations were of no avail, and that 
 Lenore was the descendant of the Suffolk damsel. With 
 the wider knowledge we now possess of the migrations of 
 popular stories there is not the slightest need to suppose 
 that Burger was either consciously or unconsciously a 
 plagiarist. He found a story embodying a grim superstition, 
 and he worked up its materials with such artistic skill as to 
 transform a vulgar village legend into a masterpiece of poetry. 
 
 The "Suffolk Miracle" is not without interest and even 
 simple beauty, but its motive is entirely different from that 
 
The Story of Burger's "Lenore" 261 
 
 of " Lenore." It is a story of thwarted love. A rich farmer 
 breaks off the engagement between his daughter and a poor 
 suitor, who dies broken-hearted. The damsel had been 
 sent to the house of an uncle to be out of the way, and had 
 not been told of her lover's death. One night he comes 
 riding her father's horse, and bringing " her mother's hood 
 and safeguard, too," as a token that she is to be sent home 
 with him. As they ride through the night he complains of 
 headache, and she fastens her handkerchief round his head. 
 At her father's door he leaves her whilst he puts up the 
 horse. Her father, astonished at her narrative, goes to seek 
 the lover in the stable ; but there is no sign 'of him there, 
 although the horse is in a sweat. The sexton is induced to 
 open the grave. 
 
 Affrighted then they did behold 
 
 His body turning into mould, 
 
 And though he had a month been dead, 
 
 The handkerchief was about his head. 
 
 The homely rhymes of the English ballad cannot be 
 compared with the vigour and beauty of the German poem, 
 and yet there are many touches of artless pathos that must 
 ever endear the "Suffolk Miracle" to those who "love a 
 ballad i' print." 
 
 The supposed resemblance between this old story and 
 Burger's " Lenore " would not be referred to here but for a 
 passage in Mr. Whyte's book which serves to show that, 
 both in an oral and in a printed form, the story of the 
 Spectre Bridegroom was current in the neighbourhood of 
 Liverpool, and is, therefore, entitled to a place amongst the 
 
262 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 traditions of Lancashire. Writing in 1799 he says : " My 
 Father, who is near seventy, learned the story from his 
 Nurse's Husband, whose memory even now is respected in 
 his village a village, or rather hamlet, in Lancashire, near 
 the flourishing town of Prescot, where he was honourably 
 interred at an advanced time of life, when my father was a 
 young boy. The good old man had it from a relative of 
 his own, a clockmaker of the name of Eccleston, who was 
 also well stricken in years, and always gave it as a tale of 
 former times. It was printed on a single half sheet, pro- 
 cured at a stall in Liverpool, and stitched up with the Sea- 
 man's Garland, the lamentable History of Jane Shore, 
 Tom Hichathrift, Jack the Giant Killer, and others, for 
 his winter evening's amusement and improvement in 
 reading. Such was the simplicity and taste of that ancient 
 contented neighbourhood. This, though I do not in 
 general esteem hearsay allegations as the most immaculate 
 and decisive, will doubtless carry its due weight in evidence 
 of our story's being of ancient notoriety in England, and at 
 least coeval with, if not prior to, its rival of the Continent, 
 which, if not identically the same, is manifestly of a kindred 
 stock." 
 
 In a footnote he gives us a glimpse at an old-fashioned 
 Lancashire funeral. The name of the hamlet was Gillor's 
 Green, after which name he places in brackets, perhaps as 
 an alternative designation, "Thill-Horse Green?" "Here 
 the patriarch previously named enjoyed a small patrimony, 
 whence sometime before his decease he removed to a new 
 house he had purchased, directly opposite the great window 
 
The Story of Burgers " Lenore" 263 
 
 at the east end of St. Peter's Church, Liverpool. He was 
 of the class of labouring men. 
 
 Let not ambition mock their useful toil, 
 Their homely joys, and destiny obscure ; 
 
 Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile, 
 The short and simple annals of the poor. 
 
 So sings the pensive Gray, and his idea will not be hurt by 
 
 a little funeral anecdote On the demise of the 
 
 venerable old man a quantity of bread and good malt liquor 
 was provided by his widow and sole executrix, of which 
 timely notice was given ; and before the coffin was placed 
 upon the hearse, which conveyed his remains to Prescot, 
 his native parish, pursuant to a clause in his last will so 
 ordering, every person that came forward, man, woman, and 
 child, without exception, receive a twopenny loaf and a pint 
 of ale. A like portion of bread and ale was distributed to 
 the poor of Prescot also ; when, previous to his interment, 
 the full service for the dead was performed by the rector, 
 the Reverend Mr. Quin ; and an excellent sermon preached 
 from Heb. xi. v. 2 2 ; By faith Joseph^ when he died, made 
 mention of the departing of the Children of Israel ; and gave 
 commandment concerning his bones. . . Such were the 
 worthy beings among whom my father received his early 
 impressions." 
 
 There is a certain perverse ingenuity in advancing a 
 charge of plagiarism in the incidental resemblance of poems 
 which vary so much in motive and treatment as the 
 "Suffolk Miracle" and Burger's "Lenore." A closer 
 analogue is that given by Mr. Robert Hunt as current in 
 
264 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Cornwall. He very correctly says that " this story bears a 
 striking resemblance to the * Lenore ' of Biirger, which 
 remarkable ballad can scarcely have found its way, even yet, 
 to Boscean." 
 
 There is an Albanian poem, apparently of considerable 
 antiquity, which bears a curious resemblance in some 
 respects to Biirger's " Lenore." It is entitled " Garentina," 
 and is said also to resemble a legendary Greek poem pub- 
 lished by Passow, and entitled " The Vampire." According 
 to the Albanian ballad, a mother had nine brave sons, and 
 one beautiful daughter who was sought in marriage by many 
 noble lords. The brothers had some objection to each 
 suitor ; but at last there came a cavalier from a distant land. 
 All except Constantine objected, on account of the distance, 
 but he was in favour of the marriage. " If she goes so far," 
 said the mother, " I shall miss her, both for the days of joy 
 and of sadness." He promised to bring Garentina back to 
 her whenever she should desire. So the girl was married 
 and went away. Then the wars broke out ; and one day 
 the poor mother lost her nine sons on the battlefield. The 
 same year saw the death of their nine wives and nine chil- 
 dren. When the jour des marts arrived the mother placed 
 upon each tomb a taper, but two on that of Constantine. 
 " Oh ! my son," she cried, " where is the promise that thou 
 gavest me ? Garentina must also be dead." At midnight 
 Constantine arose from his tomb, which changed into a 
 horse ; and he rode like the wind to his sister's house. Her 
 children were playing in the garden, and told him that their 
 mother was at the village ball. He sought from group to 
 
The Story of Burger's " Lenore" 265 
 
 group until he found Garentina. Then he placed her 
 behind him on the horse, still in her holiday finery. As 
 they rode through the night she asked, " Why is thy yellow 
 hair like dust ?" " Dear Garentina," he replied, " it is only 
 the dust of the road raised by horse's feet, which has got 
 into thine eyes." When they came to the church Con- 
 stantine disappeared at the door. Garentina continued her 
 way alone to the paternal home. " Open the door, dear 
 mother ; it is Garentina." " Who has brought thee hither, 
 O my daughter?" " Constantine." "Where is he now?" 
 " He went into the church to pray." "Alas! Constantine is 
 dead, and all thy other brothers with him." Then the 
 mother and daughter wept together, and so profound was their 
 grief that mother and daughter alike died of despair. This 
 poem was brought under the notice of the Academic des 
 Inscription in April, 1880, by M. Benloew. ("Journal 
 Officiel," 14 Avril, 1880, p. 4151.) 
 
 Burger enforces through a savage superstition the duty of 
 resignation to the "awful will." 
 
 Forbear, forbear ! With God in heaven, 
 Contend not though thy heart be riven ! 
 
 The older poet seeks not to vindicate the ways of 
 Providence, but ends with an appeal which will have the 
 assent of all true lovers now as then : 
 
 Part not true love, you rich men then, 
 But if they be right honest men 
 Your daughters love, give them their way, 
 For force oft breeds their lives' decay. 
 
MANCHESTER IN 1791. 
 
 What's past is prologue. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 HP HE march of change is so rapid that we are almost as 
 A far removed from the world of 1791 as from the era of 
 Elizabeth. In that year the battle of the Nile had not been 
 fought, America was a nation only nine years old, France 
 was occupied in trying Louis XVI. for high treason, Napo- 
 leon was yet an unknown man, Pitt and Fox were in the 
 height of their reputation, Wilberforce was struggling for the 
 freedom of the negro, and Burke declaiming against Warren 
 Hastings. Cowper, the wreck of his former self, was living 
 in 1791, and the grass was hardly green over the graves of 
 Johnson and Goldsmith. 
 
 The factory system was unknown ; power looms had been 
 introduced into Manchester the year previously but had 
 proved a failure. Market-street was a narrow little thorough- 
 fare thronged to excess if a man and a cart attempted to go 
 down it together : the pillory still stood in the Market-place, 
 and the scold's bridle was in frequent requisition. Manches- 
 
Manchester in 1791. 267 
 
 ter was already beginning to make itself heard in the political 
 world, and boasted of a "Constitutional Society," which 
 made more noise than any other association in the land. Of 
 this club Dr. Thomas Cooper was the leading spirit; he 
 afterwards emigrated to America, and died full of years and 
 honours in the land of his adoption. Railways, telegraphs, 
 and penny newspapers were unknown, and finally in that 
 year was published a little book whose title is here copied : 
 " A Poetical Satire on the Times." London : Printed for the 
 Author, in the year 1791. 8vo., pp. 80. 
 
 The collector who found this amongst the literary lumber 
 of a second-hand book shop would expect to find praise or 
 denunciation of heaven-born ministers, and jokes about 
 Fox's passion for gambling, and Selwyn's fondness for execu- 
 tions, but his attention would be arrested by these words : 
 
 In a fair town where commerce does abound, 
 And wealthy manufacturers are found ; 
 Whose gallant sons withstood the dreadful shock 
 Of combined foes on Gibraltar rock. 
 
 The " poem " is really a curious satire on the Manchester 
 men and manners in 1791. 
 
 The Warden of the Collegiate Church is thus neatly por- 
 trayed : 
 
 At the corner of old Millgate if you stop, 
 You'll see his likeness in the picture shop ; 
 "When for charity the beggarman apply'd, 
 Charity begins at home, the D[octo]r cry'd ! 
 
 This is an allusion, probably, to Tim Bobbin's caricature of 
 
268 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the Pluralist and the old Soldier, referred to elsewhere in this 
 volume. 
 
 Some others of the clergy come in for a share of abuse ; 
 but the writer shows that his denunciations are not the result 
 of blind hatred, by giving this emphatic testimony to the 
 work of the saintly John Clowes, a man who might have 
 passed as the original of Bunyan's Evangelist, had he lived 
 a century earlier. 
 
 Near St. J[ohn]s Church too you may find, 
 One gentle, good, beneficent, and kind, 
 Brought up in strict discipline's Yigid rules 
 And master of the language of the schools : 
 'Cause he preaches Christ with energy divine, 
 Some say he to the Methodists incline ; 
 Each day you pass his house you're very sure, 
 To see the welcome beggar at his door ; 
 Thro' charity he acts and not for fame, 
 O ! did our learned prelates do the same. 
 
 The Manchester Nonconformists, he tells us, are 
 
 A people which, if they are not bely'd, 
 Are not so fond of Christ as they're of pride. 
 
 From the parsons to the lawyers, and from the lawyers to 
 the doctors, our satirist proceeds with rapid strides, and is 
 loud in complaints about the management of the Infirmary, 
 and various other matters. 
 
 Then he spreads his wings for a more adventurous flight, 
 and dilates on the excellencies of Dryden, Pope, Goldsmith, 
 Thomson, &c. 
 
 After this moderate digression he returns to 
 
Manchester in 1791. 269 
 
 View Mancunium, the town of fame, 
 And see if it can own a poet's name ; 
 The British Lion, when put into ire, 
 Has rous'd great Neptune, set the seas on fire. 
 
 (Fortunately there was enough water left to extinguish this 
 novel conflagration.) 
 
 There is an old story of an Italian malefactor who was- 
 allowed to choose whether he would serve as a galley slave 
 or read through the ponderous History of Guicciardini. He 
 selected the book, but after three months hard labour at it, 
 he returned to his judges with an earnest and piteous request 
 to be sent to the galleys. Had this convict been offered the 
 alternative of reading the productions of Poet Ogden, he 
 would not have had the courage to attempt their perusal. He 
 would have run away from the " British Lion Rous'd," have 
 seen no archness in "Archery," no "Paradise Lost" in 
 " Emanuel," and whould have hoped for a General Deluge 
 to carry them all away. Guicciardini would beat Ogden in 
 size, but for leaden weight, this Manchester bard may be 
 backed against all the tribe of Parnassus. No ship could 
 hope to near port in safety if Ogden's poems by accident got 
 amongst the ballast. 
 
 From the poet to the players is an easy transition, and so- 
 our hobbling rhymester exclaims : 
 
 Did I a playhouse mention with your pardons? 
 The house alluded to is near S[prin]g G[arde]ns, 
 Their merits should not make we Christians fret, 
 But Philodramatic says they're no great set, 
 The manager's huge form may please beholders, 
 Like Great Goliath with Herculean shoulders. 
 
270 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Then addressing the players, our censor with a frown pro- 
 ceeds to take them to task, and sternly asks 
 
 Do you think, my friends, you never make mistakes? 
 
 Does each man fill the post he undertakes? 
 
 To be a player you know requires skill, 
 
 You are all players if we believe the bill, 
 
 But one does emulate his namesake king, 
 
 He speaks distinctly, makes the house to ring, 
 
 Mr. K does with much judgment play his part, 
 
 He needs no prompting, has it all by heart ; 
 He is genteel and has a comely face, 
 The heroines of our stage I can't traduce, 
 
 [Is this an admission that he has traduced the heroes of the stage ?] 
 
 To run down females would be rank abuse ; 
 A general actress in this house we see, 
 The oft-applauded lady, Mistress T. 
 In Tragedy, great ; in Comedy, no less 
 Plays Widow Brady always with success. 
 
 This, one feels, is the highest stroke of success. To be 
 "great" in Tragedy is much, to be equally great in Comedy 
 is more ; but what are the qualifications necessary for such 
 trivial successes when compared with the amazing genius 
 the concentrated gifts required for the successful delineator 
 of Widow Brady. Some of our satirist's effusions are very 
 obscure, some of them are very personal, and some of them 
 are slightly indecent. For these reasons our quotations are 
 necessarily few. 
 
EARLY REFERENCES TO THE JEWS 
 IN LANCASHIRE. 
 
 The Jews are among the aristocracy of every land. If a literature is 
 called rich in the possession of a few classic tragedies what shall we say 
 to a national tragedy lasting for fifteen hundred years, in which the 
 poets and the actors were also the heroes. 
 
 GEORGE ELIOT, Daniel Deronda. Book vi. ch. xlii. 
 
 The swords are sharply set 
 
 To slay thy faithful sons ; 
 
 The chosen of Thy flock 
 
 With deadly thorns are stung. 
 
 The maidens, young and fair, 
 
 With stones are struck to death. 
 
 From darksome prisons rings 
 
 Alas ! my children's cry, 
 
 And chills my frame with dread. 
 
 They are borne to the stake, 
 
 And die without regret, 
 
 Exclaiming, " God is One !" 
 
 Entombed whilst yet alive, 
 
 Their souls like incense rise. 
 
 The blood here sacrificed 
 
 Brings retribution down. 
 
 Shake, O earth, and tremble ! 
 
 Dread the day of justice ! 
 
 THESE words of the Hebrew poet, Jekuthiel ben Isaac, 
 do but faintly image the despair and indignation of 
 the persecuted Jews, who, in every country in Europe, have 
 
272 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 been the victims of malignant intolerance. The story of 
 the sufferings of the Jews has been told by Dr. Leopold 
 Zunz with a brevity that is most impressive. The record is 
 one that must fill every mind with horror. The Hebrew 
 people passed through a fierce fire. (A translation of Dr. 
 Zunz's essay appears in the " Miscellany of Hebrew 
 Literature." Vol. i, 1872, p. 167. See also the "Status of 
 the Jews in England," by Charles Egan. London, 1848.) 
 
 The story of the Jews in England is by no means credi- 
 table either to the government or the people. They are 
 said to have been brought by William the Conqueror from 
 Rouen, and soon had synagogues in the chief cities and 
 towns. William Rufus is said to have allowed them to argue 
 in favour of their faith in set disputations with the clergy 
 of the established church. The rapacious King John allowed 
 them to elect a Chief Rabbi. This was Jacob, of London, 
 who had a safe-conduct. The Jews were allowed to hold 
 lands, to settle their own disputes according to the Jewish 
 law, and, generally speaking, were placed on equality with 
 their Christian fellow subjects. In 1189 and 1199 we read 
 of Jews who held land by a statute passed in the reign of 
 Henry III. prohibiting them from holding manors, lands, 
 tenements, or rents, except that in towns they might have 
 houses. The Statute de Judaeismo, which was passed either 
 in the 4th or i8th of Edward I., declared that no Jews 
 should have power to alienate in fee any houses, or rents, 
 or to dispose of them without the king's consent, but they 
 " might take houses, and curtilages, and hold the same in 
 chief of the King, and take lands to farm, continuing to 
 farm them for fifteen years." 
 
Early References to the Jews in Lancashire. 273 
 
 It has been disputed whether the Jews were or were not 
 banished from England. The kings found them very con- 
 venient persons from whom to raise money. In the seven 
 years ending in the second year of Edward I. the crown 
 obtained more than ^400,000 from them. That monarch 
 might well say that Judaism had been profitable to him and 
 to his ancestors. In the sixteenth year of his reign the Jews 
 throughout the country were arrested, and only released on 
 the payment of ^"12,000. The monarchs robbed, and the 
 people murdered, the unhappy Jews. The coronation of 
 Richard I. was signalised by a massacre at Westminster, 
 which was followed by similar outrages at York, Stamford, 
 Oxford, Cambridge, and other places. Mr. Egan has called 
 attention to the order made in the seventh year of Edward I. 
 that every Jew should wear a yellow badge upon his outward 
 garment, and no Jew should be allowed to depart from 
 England without licence on pain of death. Hence, he 
 argues that they were not banished, but voluntarily with- 
 drew from the kingdom to escape further extortion and 
 inhumanity. The common view, however, is that of Stow, 
 who, in his "Summarie" under the date of 1291 says that 
 the "King banished all the Jewes out of England, giving 
 them to bear their charges till they were out of his Realme, 
 the number of Jewes then expulsed were 15 M. 9 persons." 
 It has been generally assumed that after this date no 
 persons of Jewish faith or extraction remained in England. 
 Thus Mr. J. R. Green says that " From the time of Edward 
 to that of Cromwell no Jew touched English ground." 
 Even that distinguished Hebrew scholar, Dr. M. Kayserling, 
 
274 Lancashire Gleanings, 
 
 writes, "Since the decree of banishment in the year 1290, 
 Jews had not been permitted to enter the island, and had 
 been completely forgotten. Neither the Lancastrian nor the 
 Tudor dynasty ever considered the question of readmitting 
 them, although their banishment had been a serious detri- 
 ment to the interests of the country." (See the excellent 
 life of Manasseh ben Israel, by Dr. M. Kayserling, in the 
 " Miscellany of Hebrew Literature," vol. 2.) It may be 
 remarked, in passing, that Manasseh was correspondent of 
 Fuller (p. 31) an interesting fact that has escaped even the 
 vigilance of his learned biographer, Mr. J. E. Bailey. 
 
 It is not quite accurate to suppose that for more than 
 three centuries there were no Jews in the country. Sir 
 James Ramsay has pointed out that there was a Hebrew 
 physician in the service of Henry IV., and that in 1421 
 Job, an apothecary from Italy, received letters of natu- 
 ralisation on being baptised. There was also Richard " de 
 Cecilia," a converted Jew, to whom Richard II. gave a 
 gratuity. (Sir James Ramsay's letter appears in the 
 Academy, 27th January, 1883, and is followed by others, 
 3rd February, 1883.) Mr. S. L. Lee has shown that in 
 1358 Edward III. gave a pension to John de Costello on 
 his abjuration of Judaism, and in 1392 Richard II. bestowed 
 the same royal favour on William Piers. A young Jewess, 
 who turned Christian, was baptised under the auspices of 
 Henry IV. There was a house for Jewish converts, with 
 twenty-two Jews in it, in the early years of Edward. This 
 institution survived until the beginning of the eighteenth 
 century. 
 
Early References to the Jews in Lancashire. 275 
 
 Lancashire, as a remote, and, in those days, not a great 
 trading county, would be less likely than the great trading 
 centres of London and York to have Jews amongst its in- 
 habitants, and yet there are some slight traces of them in the 
 thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the Culcheth deeds, 
 ranging from the reign of Henry III. to that of George II., 
 there are many names of local persons and places. The 
 abstract of these deeds, made by Mr. William Beamont, have 
 been printed in the "Lancashire and Cheshire Historical 
 Notes," vol. i, 1878. Several of them appear to give evidence 
 of the presence in Lancashire of some persons of consider- 
 ation who were either Jews or of Jewish extraction at dates 
 later than the expulsion or withdrawal of that race from 
 England. To a deed executed on the Monday after the 
 feast of All Hallows, 1298, there is appended the name of 
 John le Ju. On the Friday after St. Nicholas' Day, 1322, 
 a deed was executed to which Hugh le Jew was a witness. 
 His name appears in the same capacity to a deed dated 
 Friday in the week of Pentecost, 1324. On the morrow of 
 St. Catharine the Virgin, 1331, the name of Thomas le Jew, 
 the clerk, appears as a witness. On Sunday next before St. 
 Andrew's Day, 1334-35, and on the Sunday after the feast 
 of the decollation of St. John, 1338-39, we have the name 
 of Hugh le Jew. Probably the name of Thomas as a cleric 
 may be held to indicate that these witnesses were all con- 
 formists to the established faith. 
 
 If other references to the Jews in Lancashire at this early 
 date exist, they have not attracted attention. 
 
WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT. 
 
 Great London city, thrice beneath his sway 
 Confirm'd the presage of that happy day, 
 When echoing bells their greeting thus begun, 
 "Return, thrice Mayor ! Return, oh Whittington." 
 
 BISHOP. 
 
 THAT hero of childhood and pantomime, Sir Richard 
 Whittington, has special claim upon the attention of 
 Lancashire people, for there are some versions of his story 
 which represent him as a Lancashire lad. 
 
 But of poor Parentage 
 
 Born was he, as we hear, 
 And in his tender age 
 
 Bred up in Lancashire. 
 
 In this form the old ballad appears in the " Collection of 
 Songs and Ballads relative to the London 'prentices and 
 trades," edited for the Percy Society by Dr. Charles Mackay. 
 It is there taken from the " Crown Garland of Golden 
 Roses," 1692. 
 
 We know that the popular idea of Whittington is, that he 
 was a poor boy of obscure parentage, who was driven by 
 
Whittington and his Cat. 277 
 
 hardship to seek a fortune in London, where he had to 
 have a cat to keep his garret free from vermin. His master, 
 Fitzwarren, allowed his servants the privilege of sending 
 something for sale when he despatched his ships to sea. 
 Dick having nothing else ventured his cat, which, by 
 freeing the palace of the sovereign of Barbarry of the rats 
 that infested it, brought him in return a casket of jewels, 
 valued at ,300,000. The lucky serving-boy became the 
 lover of his master's daughter, and after marrying her was 
 Sheriff and thrice Lord Mayor of London, and so realised 
 the prophetic intimation of Bow bells, that when he was 
 contemplating flight from the great city had bade him in 
 their chime, " Turn again Whittington, Lord Mayor of 
 London." Such is the tale so dear to childhood, but the 
 antiquaries have had a battle royal over the cat and its 
 master. The actual facts known about Sir Richard are very 
 few. The old ballad makes him a native of Lancashire, 
 and the chapbook says that he was of Taunton Dean, in 
 Somerset, but more prosaic annals declare that he was the 
 son of Sir William Whittington, the lord of the manor of 
 Pantley, in Gloucestershire. It was no unusual thing for a 
 knight's son to be apprenticed to the mercers and other 
 trades. Sir William died in 1360, and his son became an 
 exceedingly rich merchant. He is said to have been Lord 
 Mayor in 1397, 1406, and 1419, and to have also served 
 the remainder of the term of a chief magistrate, who had 
 died during his term of office. Others, however, contend 
 that he was only twice mayor. There is nothing remarkable 
 in Sir Richard being thrice Lord Mayor, for that office was 
 
278 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 often repeatedly held by the same person in the thirteenth 
 and fourteenth centuries. Sir John Blount was seven times 
 mayor, Gregory Rokeslie eight times, and Henry Fitz- 
 Alwyn twenty-four times ! Whittington was elected member 
 of Parliament for the city in 1416, and was knighted by 
 Henry V. He was a mercer, and furnished the wedding 
 outfits for two of the daughters of Henry IV. He married 
 Alicia Fitzwarren, who is supposed to have died some years 
 before him. His great wealth was spent in acts of public 
 spirit and wise liberality. He founded the first city library 
 in the Guildhall ; he aided in rebuilding the nave of 
 Westminster Abbey ; and in the repair of St. Bartholomew's 
 Hospital. He died in 1423. Newgate is said to have been 
 rebuilt under the direction of his will. Hence the proverb, 
 " He has studied in Whittington's College " was applied to 
 those who were imprisoned for not following those habits of 
 industry and honesty by which Sir Richard made his fortune. 
 But what of the cat ? The story is found in the " Facetia " 
 of Arlotto, printed in 1483. It is also known as a house- 
 hold story in Persia, India, Russia, and various other lands. 
 This has been held to be destructive of the truth of the 
 story, but Dr. Lysons argues that it is, on the contrary, a 
 proof that it has some foundation of truth. He refers to 
 the early statues and portraits of Sir Richard, which repre- 
 sent him with a cat. Mr. Besant tries to rationalise the 
 story, and to harmonise its various elements. He does 
 not believe that Whittington, who was the son of one knight 
 and the brother of another, came up to London in any 
 condition of abject poverty, but brought with him a younger 
 
Whittington and his Cat. 279 
 
 brother's portion, and was apprenticed with the expectation 
 that in due time he would be a freeman of the mercer's 
 company. When his master's ship was sailing, hearing from 
 the sailors how great was the value of a cat in the land to 
 which they were bound, he invested his money in the pur- 
 chase of one. " It was the shrewd venture of a clever boy, 
 and the cat sold well. Then he made other ventures always 
 with profit, and gratefully ascribed his first success to his 
 lucky cat. That seems to me the only rational way out of 
 the story." 
 
 The reader must be left to form his own conclusions. The 
 existence of many versions of the story does not destroy the 
 possible accuracy of the English one, though it certainly 
 weakens its probability. The early and persistent association 
 of a cat, with the figure of the liberal and large-hearted Lord 
 Mayor, is a striking fact, and difficult to be otherwise 
 explained. One thing, at all events, is certain, that despite 
 the testimony of the ballad writer we cannot claim Whit- 
 tington as a Lancashire worthy. It would be flattering to 
 " local patriotism " to suppose the poet thought that if any 
 one was likely to have worked his way from poverty to 
 riches and consideration, it would be a Lancashire lad. 
 
FAIR EM." 
 
 Yours was the nobler birth, 
 For you of man were made, man but of earth, 
 The son of dust. 
 
 THOMAS RANDOLPH. In praise of women in general. 
 
 EARLY in the seventeenth century a comedy was pub- 
 lished, entitled " Fair Em, or the Miller's Daughter of 
 Manchester." This play has been considered by some 
 critics to be an early production of Shakspere. Tieck so 
 regarded it, and, in consequence, he translated it into 
 German. A copy of it in the British Museum was included 
 in a volume of "Shakspere's Works," formerly in the 
 library of Charles II. This circumstance of the bookbinder 
 having placed Shakspere's name on the cover was a hint, 
 which probably enabled the critics to see internal merits 
 giving it a claim to be thought not unworthy of Shakspere 
 in his youth. The belief could scarcely survive a single 
 perusal of the play, which is " flat and unprofitable." It is 
 not stale, however, for the plot is peculiar, and seems 
 original, though it turns upon a conceit one would not be 
 
'Fair Em." 281 
 
 surprised to find in some of those Italian novelle which have 
 furnished so many fables for our dramatists. 
 
 W. R. Chetwood, who reprinted it in his " Select 
 Collection of Old Plays" (Dublin, 1750) says, " I have seen 
 three different editions of it, the first without a Date, and 
 not divided into Acts. The second is 1619, with the acts 
 divided, or with some immaterial alterations. However I 
 have chose to follow that." There are certainly two 
 editions. One is " Fair Em, the Miller's Daughter of 
 Manchester : with the Love of William the Conqueror. A 
 pleasant Comedy as it was Sundry Times acted in the 
 Honourable City of London by the Right Honourable the 
 Lord Strange's servants. London, printed for John Wright, 
 and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in 
 Guiltspur-street, without Newgate, 1631." The other, of 
 which there is a copy in the Bodleian Library, was " printed 
 for T. N. and I. W., and is without date." Professor Delius 
 has reprinted the issue of 1631 as a part of his "Pseudo- 
 Shakspere'sche Dramen." In the preface he has some justly 
 severe strictures on Chetwood's falsifications of the text. 
 
 Of Lord Strange's servants we know very little. In 1581 
 they would seem to have been mere mountebanks, who 
 performed "sundry feates of tumbling and activity." In 
 1589 Burleigh directed the Lord Mayor to silence the Lord 
 Admiral's players, and those of Lord Strange. The first 
 were duly obedient, but the others treated his lordship in a 
 very contemptuous manner, and " wente to the Crosse Keys 
 and played that afternoon," for which he committed two of 
 them to the Compter. In 1591 Lord Strange's men were 
 
282 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 at the Rose Theatre, under the management of Edward 
 Alleyn, the founder of Dulwich College. Henslow has left 
 a list of the plays produced there from February in that year 
 to February, 1593. "Fair Em" does not occur in this list, 
 yet, as though to claim still more close connection with the 
 Derby family, the title page bears for vignette, the spread 
 eagle, the badge of La Tremoille. 
 
 The only statement as to the authorship of "Fair 
 Em" is that made by Edward Phillips in his "Theatrum 
 Poetarum " : 
 
 "Robert Green, one of the Pastoral Sonnet-makers of 
 Queen Elizabeth's time, contemporary with Dr. Lodge, with 
 whom he was associated in the writing of several comedies, 
 namely, 'The Laws of Nature,' _' Lady Alimony,' 'Liberality 
 and Prodigality,' and a masque called ' Luminalia ;' besides 
 which he wrote alone the comedies of 'Friar Bacon' and 
 'Faire Emme.'" Langbaine contradicts the statement of 
 Green's literary partnership with Lodge, but is silent as to 
 the authorship of " Fair Em." Knight does not seem to 
 regard the drama as Green's, and from the double plot and 
 structure thinks that it is later in date than Shakspere's 
 death. Mr. Richard Simpson shows that Green was not the 
 writer of "Fair Em," since in his "Farewell to Folly," of 
 which the earliest known edition appeared in 1591, there is 
 a bitter allusion to such "scabbed lads," that if they publish 
 anything in print it is either distilled out of "ballets, or bor- 
 rowed of Theological Poets, which, for their calling and 
 gravity, being loth to have any profane pamphlets pass their 
 hand, get some other Batillus to set his name to their 
 
'Fair Em." 283, 
 
 verses." This gibe is pointed by two quotations from "Fair 
 Em." (New Shakspere Society's Transactions, 1875, P- 
 1 6 1.) The play must, therefore, have been in existence in 
 1591, and we know that a ballad intituled, "The Miller's 
 Daughter of Manchester," was licensed to Henry Carre, 
 2nd March, 1580-1. (Hazlitt's "Bibliographical Collections," 
 second series, p. 380.) Mr. Simpson refers to the fact that 
 a line in "Fair Em" is identical with one in the " London 
 Prodigal," another drama that has been attributed to 
 Shakspere. He thinks that " Fair Em " was intended to- 
 ridicule Green's story of " Tully's Love," dedicated to Lord 
 Strange uncle by marriage to Charlotte de la Tremoille, 
 whose cognisance is on the title page of "Fair Em." 
 Although it is clearly not Shakspere's, Mr. Simpson is of. 
 opinion " That the follies of the existing ' Fair Em ' are 
 quite insufficient to prove that Shakspere did not write an 
 original ' Fair Em,' to which our present copy may bear the 
 same relation as the 'Hamlet' of 1603, to the authentic 
 ' Corambis,' ' Hamlet.' " He thinks that passages in " Fair 
 Em " and in the " London Prodigal " give the key to the 
 quarrel or rivalry between Shakspere and Greene. 
 
 There are a few local allusions in the play. Twice the legend 
 of the Trafford, who distinguished himself "like a shepherd," 
 and "with a flail" is alluded to. Manchester, Liverpool, 
 and Chester are mentioned. The play has a double 
 plot, but whatever interest there is in it centres in Fair 
 Em. She is the daughter of a Sir Thomas Goddard, 
 who, by reverse of fortune, has been forced to disguise him- 
 self, and act as the Miller of Manchester. She is courted 
 
284 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 by three suitors Mountney, Valingford, and Manvile. The 
 latter, to whom she has given her heart, is of a jealous 
 disposition. In order to escape their importunities, and to 
 avoid giving offence to her unreasonable lover she feigns 
 blindness with one, and deafness with the other unsuccessful 
 suitor. Manvile rewards her constancy by transferring his 
 affections to Elinor, the daughter of a " citizen of Chester." 
 In the scene which marks the denouement Em declares this 
 before the three suitors, her rival Elinor, William the Con- 
 queror, the King of Denmark, and others. Manvile now 
 wants to return to his fealty, but Em scornfully repulses the 
 inconstant : 
 
 Put case I had been blind and could not see, 
 
 As oftentimes such visitation falls, 
 
 That pleaseth God, which all things doth dispose : 
 
 Shouldst thou forsake me in regard to that ? 
 
 I tell thee, Manvile, had'st thou been blind, or deaf, or dumb, 
 
 Or else what impediments might befall to man, 
 
 Em would have lov'd, and kept, and honour'd thee, 
 
 Yea, begg'd, if wealth had failed, for thy relief. 
 
 The fair lady of Chester, on hearing of Manvile's duplicity, 
 also rejects him. In the end Fair Em is married to Lord 
 Valingford, who alone of the three lovers had shown an 
 unflinching constancy incapable of being moved by mis- 
 fortune. So the curtain drops on the inevitable wedding 
 scene, whilst the inconstant lover, like the fox in the fable, 
 declares 
 
 Such idle love henceforth I will detest. 
 
THE FATHER OF THOMAS DE QUINCEY. 
 
 Offering to guess at an Author, when he chuses to be conceal'd, is 
 . . . a rudeness almost equal to that of pulling off a woman's mask 
 against her will. 
 
 MANDEVILLE. A Letter to Dion [Berkeley] occasioned by his Book 
 called Alciphron. By the Author of the " Fable of the Bees." 
 
 THERE are several interesting references to his father 
 scattered through the autobiographical writings of the 
 opium-eater. In one of them he refers to a book written by 
 the elder De Quincey. This anonymous work has hitherto 
 eluded the search made for it. Mr. James Crossley, 
 F.S. A., however, in an article which appeared in " Notes and 
 Queries." (5th S. iv. 407), called attention to some articles 
 
 by T - Q , giving a narrative of a tour in the midland 
 
 counties in 1772, which appeared in the Gentleman's Mag- 
 azine^ of 1 774. It seems very probable that this is the missing 
 work, although " the style would rather seem to indicate the 
 writer to have been a man of mature years and experience," 
 whilst assuming it to have been written by Thomas Quincey, 
 it would be published when he was twenty-one. There is 
 nothing, however, so common in literature, except bad writing, 
 
286 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 as the assumption of an elderly style. Thomas Quincey's 
 success as a business man shows that he must early have 
 acquired a knowledge of the world and a keen power of 
 observation. As strengthening Mr. Crossley's surmise, it may 
 be mentioned that the "Tour" attained an independent exis- 
 tence, and thus might well justify De Quincey's description 
 of his father as an anonymous author. The editor of the 
 Gentleman's Magazine, in the plenitude of his power, made a 
 number of alterations in the MS., greatly to the disgust of 
 
 T Q , who therefore printed it in an independent 
 
 form. The title is : 
 
 " A Short Tour in the Midland Counties of England, per- 
 formed in the Summer of 1772. Together. with an Account 
 of a similar Excursion, undertaken September, 1774. Lon- 
 don : printed by M. Lewis, for the Author : and sold by J. 
 Bew at No. 28, Paternoster Row, MDCCLXXV. Price One 
 Shilling and Sixpence." It forms an octavo volume of 108 
 pages. 
 
 The passage referring to his father's book in De Quincey's 
 " Autobiography " stands thus in its original form in Taifs 
 Magazine for Feb., 1834 : 
 
 " He wrote a book : and though not a book of much pre- 
 tension in its subject, yet in those days to have written a 
 book at all was creditable to a man's activity of mind, and to 
 his strength of character, in acting without a precedent. In 
 the execution this book was really respectable. As to the 
 subject, it was a sketch of a tour in the midland counties of 
 England, in one octavo volume. The plan upon which it 
 was constructed made it tolerably miscellaneous ; for through- 
 
The Father of Thomas de Quincey. 287 
 
 out the tour a double purpose was kept before the reader, 
 viz., of attention to the fine arts, in a general account of the 
 painting and statues in the principal mansions lying near the 
 line of his route ; and, secondly, of attention to the mechanic 
 arts, as displayed in the canals, manufactories, &c., then 
 rising everywhere into activity, and quickened into a hastier 
 development, by Arkwright and the Peels in one direction, 
 and in another by Brindley, the engineer, under the patron- 
 age of the Duke of Bridgwater....In the style of its execution, 
 and the alternate treatment of the mechanic arts and the fine 
 arts, the work resembles the well-known tours of Arthur 
 Young, which blended rural industry with picture galleries, 
 excepting only that in my father's I remember no politics, 
 perhaps because it was written before the French Revolu- 
 tion." 
 
 De Quincey was writing from memory, and the fact that 
 he greatly toned down this description of his father's book 
 when he revised these articles for republication may perhaps 
 be taken as an indication that he felt it to be somewhat over- 
 charged. In the "Short Tour " very little attention is paid to 
 any of the fine arts except architecture, but manufactures 
 which were then just rising into importance are often des- 
 cribed. 
 
 In a preface of eight pages the author descants on the 
 critical sins of the editor, and affirms that " Mr. Corrector, 
 the manufacturer of the periodical work in question," had 
 "taken such liberties with the author's performance as 
 scarcely to leave him the satisfaction of knowing his own 
 meaning Besides as the piece had been honoured 
 
288 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 with much more attention (especially in a certain local 
 situation) than could reasonably be expected, the author was 
 desirous of making, though not an agreeable regale, a less 
 soporific potion for the mental taste of his friends ; and not- 
 withstanding he is confessedly allied to ignorance, is yet 
 unwilling to be the fosterer of untruth." 
 
 He then proceeds to discuss the right of an editor to alter 
 the phrases and sentiments of his contributors. This is still 
 a burning question, and the echo of this old grievance may 
 not, after all, be uninteresting : " Not every one," observes 
 T. Q., "who attempts to write has genius to render him 
 successful, nor have those who pretend to correct always 
 an ability for the undertaking. I am not qualified for 
 an amender, nor am I, Heaven be praised, a cobbler of 
 the works of others ; but were I obliged to revise the 
 journal of a traveller for instance, I should be cautious 
 how I advanced any thing with the least deviation from 
 truth ; I might, perhaps, in such a case, be scrupulous of 
 asserting that ' we have more wool than we can make up in 
 manufactures,' and without a total deprivation of memory 
 should hardly make the streets of a city well-peopled in one 
 page, and instantly dispeople it in the next; nor would I 
 bestow the epithet of wretched on a village upon which reality 
 and the writer had not dared a stigma : if the buildings of a 
 town were remarked as good ones or neat, I should account 
 it not very proper to say that ' the church, however, is hand- 
 some,' any more than to induct so much modesty into my 
 author as to force him to call his own remarks curious. 
 Numberless incongruities like these, which are to be met with, 
 
The Father of Thomas de Qtiincey. 289 
 
 would, or ought to, teach me to avoid faults of this nature ; 
 if, through my inadvertency or that of the printer, any mis- 
 takes were found at last, I should not then, I hope, let pride 
 so far obtain the ascendancy over my reason as to refuse a 
 necessary reparation for the detriment, the subjoining a cat- 
 alogue of such errata. Yet, be this as it may, such refusals 
 have actually happened; performances have been corrected 
 whilst they become the distorted shadow of a shade, and, 
 in consequence, writers have been injured and the public 
 insulted." 
 
 The work gives an interesting sketch of the condition of 
 the parts visited, the writers of guide-books coming in for a 
 share of criticism, and the effect of the enclosure of commons 
 being fully discussed. At Worksop he was told that the ex- 
 pense of making the " navigation " (the canal then being cut) 
 was so great that it would never pay the subscribers. The 
 crooked spire of Chesterfield " disgusted " him. At Derby, 
 he says, the silk mills employ " between three and four hun- 
 dred hands, mostly women and girls, the earnings of the 
 latter being only from twopence to threepence a day." Some 
 of the motive power was obtained by children working inside 
 the wheel ! 
 
 The second excursion was taken two years later in 1774. 
 He sailed from London to Boston, and he admires the seat 
 at Rufford " of that philosophical and truly patriotic baronet, 
 Sir George Saville," and commends his planting and road- 
 making. 
 
 The sight of the subterranean canal at Norwood, with the 
 
 " complication of locks " by which the boats change levels, 
 u 
 
290 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 gives rise to a burst of verse, in which Brindley, the engineer, 
 is coupled with Shakspere as "the darling heirs of fame." 
 On the return journey he notices that " the seventeen miles 
 from Hodsdon to Shoreditch is almost a continual street of 
 good houses or handsome villas of the citizens ; those, while 
 they create a crowded confusion in the landscape, give a 
 sketch of the luxury of the age and of the opulence of this 
 immense city, the most favoured emporium of commerce, 
 the metropolis of the modern world." 
 
 The book, it will be seen, is a plain and often trivial 
 narrative, marked by an evident desire for accuracy and a 
 praiseworthy minuteness as to the size and " dimensions of 
 remarkable buildings," and only here and there a glimmer of 
 ambition in the style of treatment. The preface shows that 
 under the stimulus of wounded pride the writer could be 
 vigorous and trenchant, and many incidental remarks on 
 enclosures, emigration, and other topics prove him to be a 
 man accustomed to think. It, must, however, be at once 
 admitted that the matter-of-fact style of this work of Thomas 
 Quincey the father if it be his contrasts very strangely 
 with the brilliant power and erratic force of the writings 
 of Thomas De Quincey the son. 
 
ORIGIN OF THE WORD "TEETOTAL." 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, the word to the action. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 IN the year 1882 the "Temperance Jubilee" was generally 
 celebrated, but in assigning the year 1832 as the origin 
 of the movement for total abstinence from intoxicants it 
 must not be supposed that there were no water drinkers 
 before Joseph Livesey. In every age there have been 
 individuals who, with or without " pledge," have abstained 
 from intoxicants. There were, it is said, in ancient Egypt 
 persons who were bound by oath not to drink of wine ; 
 whilst amongst the Jews there were the Nazarites, Recha- 
 bites, and Essenes, sects and communities who were vowed 
 to abstinence. One of the five commandments of the 
 Buddhists is directed against drunkenness ; and Mahomet, 
 as is well known, forbade wine to all the true believers a 
 prohibition which the Wahabees hold to be applicable also 
 to tobacco, for the smoking of which they have invented the 
 phrase of " drinking the shameful." 
 
292 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 No doubt the teetotal antiquary, whenever he arises, will 
 be able to compile a long list of illustrious abstainers, in- 
 cluding saints and martyrs, as well as prelates and soldiers. 
 Amongst them, along with Archbishop Baldwin, Johnson, 
 and eccentrics like Roger Crab, he would have to mention 
 that Andrew Tiraqueau, who was the author of twenty 
 books, and the father of twenty children, and of whom it 
 was written : 
 
 Here lies a man, who, drinking only water, 
 
 Wrote twenty books, with each had son or daughter ; 
 
 Had he but used the juice of generous vats, 
 
 The world would scarce have held his books and brats. 
 
 Towards the end of the last and the early part of the present 
 century the intemperate habits of the people appear to have 
 led to organised efforts to mitigate the evil. The first 
 American Temperance Society is said to have been begun 
 in 1789. Gradually the news of this movement reached the 
 old country, but it does not appear that any organised effort 
 was made until 1829, when a Congregational minister of New 
 Ross, Wexford, Ireland, conceived the idea of transplanting 
 the Temperance Society on Irish soil. The progress made 
 at first was not very remarkable, but after a time associations 
 of this kind arose in various parts of Ireland, Scotland, and 
 .England. 
 
 By the middle of 1831 some thirty societies were in 
 existence in England, and 100,000 tracts had been put 
 into circulation. The members were pledged to " moder- 
 ation " in the use of intoxicants, or at most to abstinence 
 
Origin of the Word " Teetotal" 293 
 
 from spirits. The reformers' zeal did not extend to malt 
 liquors, which were still considered innocuous. This was 
 not, however, sufficient for the more ardent and enthusiastic. 
 They began to see the difficulty of denning a hard-and-fast 
 line of moderation. Indeed, as early as 1817 an abstinence 
 society had been formed in Skibbereen, in the county of 
 Cork, and two years later there was at Greenock a Radical 
 Association whose members had likewise pledged them- 
 selves to use no intoxicants. But it seems as though they 
 intended this rather as a protest against the high taxation 
 then levied on many articles. There was also the Bible 
 Christian Church in Salford, of which membership was con- 
 fined to vegetarians and teetotallers. 
 
 The modern teetotallers, however, date their origin from 
 the ist September, 1832, when, as the result of much 
 discussion in the existing temperance societies, Mr. Joseph 
 Livesey and six others signed a pledge " to abstain from all 
 liquors of an intoxicating quality, whether ale, porter, wine, 
 or ardent spirits, except as medicine." Of the " seven men 
 of Preston," as they have often been called, two broke their 
 pledge, and of the others two still remain in a green old 
 age. These two are Joseph Livesey and John King, who, 
 together with Mr. Edward Grubb, received silver medals at 
 the jubilee. The early teetotallers were animated by a very 
 earnest missionary spirit, and preached their new doctrine 
 with great persistence, and with great success. They travelled 
 far and near in order to propagate their views, and many 
 amusing stories are told of the way in which they were 
 obliged to enlist the interest of their auditors, and of the 
 
294 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 devices they found it necessary to employ in order to secure 
 audiences at all. 
 
 It was during the Preston race week of 1833 that Livesey, 
 Teare, Anderton, Swindlehurst, Howarth, and Stead started 
 out on the first missionary tour ever undertaken in the 
 interests of teetotalism. They hired a trap, and took with 
 them over 9,000 tracts and a small silk flag bearing a tem- 
 perance motto. In this fashion they visited Blackburn, 
 Haslingden, Bury, Heywood, Ashton, Oldham, Rochdale, 
 Stockport, Manchester, and Bolton, besides halting at 
 villages on the way. Whilst one waved the flag about, 
 another, the fortunate possessor of a good voice, obtained 
 the use of the bell from the village bellman, and announced 
 in stentorian tones the time and place at which the meeting 
 would be held. It was one of the reformed drunkards of 
 Preston who first applied the word teetotal to express total 
 abstinence from intoxicants. Mr. P. T. Winskill, in his 
 recently issued "History of the Temperance Movement," 
 has entered fully into the origin and meaning of the word. 
 Messrs. Livesey and Teare, he says, agree in ascribing the 
 first application of the word to the principles of total 
 abstinence from intoxicating liquors to Richard Turner, one 
 of the early converts, and a zealous though humble and 
 illiterate advocate. In the month of September, 1833, 
 " Dickey " Turner was speaking at a meeting in the cockpit 
 at Preston, when, in his own peculiar way, he used these 
 words, " I'll have now't to do w' this moderation botheration 
 pledge ; I'll be reet down out-and-out tee-tee total for ever 
 and ever." "Well done!" exclaimed the audience. " Well 
 
Origin of the Word " Teetotal" 295 
 
 done, Dickey ! " exclaimed Mr. Livesey ; " that shall be the 
 name of our new pledge." Mr. Livesey says it is a mistake 
 to suppose, as some have done, that the word arose from 
 the mispronunciation of a stammerer. "The truth is," says 
 Mr. Livesey, " that Dickey was never at a loss for a word ; 
 if a suitable one was not at his tongue end he coined one." 
 Dr. F. R. Lees says " that it is a vulgar error to suppose 
 that he either invented the word or stuttered it forth. The 
 term," he adds, " has been in common use in Ireland and in 
 Lancashire these hundred years, and was familiar to the 
 writer when a lad in that country above forty years ago. 
 It can be found in the literature of England long prior to 
 the Preston movement, in application to various things. 
 Banim, the Irish novelist, employs it. Maginn, in ' Maga,' 
 uses it ; and De Quincey, also a master of English, who 
 probably acquired it in Lancashire, amidst the idioms of 
 which county he spent his early years. Richard Turner 
 used the word because it had an established meaning. It 
 was one of those designations to which children and un- 
 educated persons were apt to give spontaneous expression ; 
 and because it fell in with popular usage and feeling, Mr. 
 Livesey wisely, or unwisely, adopted it as the name of the 
 new society. Dickey Turner is buried in St. Peter's Church- 
 yard, Preston, and the inscription on his grave is, ' Beneath 
 this stone are deposited the remains of Richard Turner, 
 author of the word teetotal as applied to abstinence from all 
 intoxicating liquors, who departed this life on the 2yth day 
 of October, 1846, aged 56 years.'" Mr. Charles Hardwick 
 has informed the writer that he remembers the occasional 
 
296 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 use of the word "teetotal" before it was applied to "total 
 abstinence " from intoxicants. 
 
 From a statement recently made it would appear that 
 Turner's special use of the word was anticipated. " It 
 appears that in 1819 the Hector Temperance Society was 
 formed in the State of New York on the anti-spirit principle, 
 and that, dissatisfied with this principle as too narrow, some 
 of the members became abstainers from all intoxicants. In 
 1827 the Lansing Temperance Society was formed, and two 
 pledges were introduced one against distilled spirits, the 
 other against all alcoholic liquors. The first was marked 
 " O. P." (Old Pledge) ; the second " T," meaning total. 
 A goodly number signed the latter, and they were spoken of 
 as "T-totalers" the initial letter "T," and the explanation, 
 " Total," being pronounced as one word. The witness on 
 this point is the Rev. Joel Jewel, of Troy, Bradford county, 
 Pennsylvania, who was the secretary of the Lansing Tem- 
 perance Society, and is now about eighty years of age." 
 (Alliance News, February 17, 1883.) 
 
 This apparently only applies to the word as written, not 
 as spoken. 
 
ROBERT WILSON AND THE INVENTION OF 
 THE STEAM HAMMER. 
 
 An exquisite invention this. 
 
 LEIGH HUNT. Love-letters made, of flowers. 
 
 THE story of the invention of the steam hammer was 
 first told by Dr. Samuel Smiles in his "Industrial 
 Biography," and the narrative has been repeated in the 
 charming book in which Mr. James Nasmyth has recounted 
 his autobiography. The idea of a steam hammer certainly 
 occurred to James Watt, but although he took a patent for 
 it in 1784 the machine he designed does not appear to have 
 ever been constructed. Again, in 1806, Mr. William 
 Deverell obtained protection for a similar mechanical pro- 
 ject, but there is no evidence that it ever took practical 
 shape. In 1837 the Great Britain steamship was in course 
 of construction, and Mr. Humphries, its engineer, who had 
 been unable to find a foundry where they would undertake 
 the forgings required for the paddle-shafts, applied to Mr. 
 James Nasmyth, then at the head of the Bridgewater 
 
298 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Foundry. The happy thought of a steam hammer occurred 
 to him, and he sent a sketch of it which met with approval, 
 but was not adopted because the screw propeller had proved 
 so decidedly superior to the old system that the enormous 
 engines which Mr. Humphries had designed were set aside. 
 He died of brain fever, " so that neither his great paddle- 
 shaft nor Mr. Nasmyth's steam hammer to forge it was any 
 longer needed." The drawing remained in Mr. Nasmyth's 
 sketch book, but it did not find favour with the English 
 forge masters to whom it was shown. The keen eyes of 
 M. Schneider, of Creusot, however, noticed it on a visit to 
 the Patricroft foundry, over which he was shown by the 
 partner of Mr. Nasmyth, and the latter found it, greatly to 
 his surprise, working at Creusot when he visited that famous 
 establishment in 1840. It is not at all probable that Mr. 
 Nasmyth foresaw the great importance of the new departure 
 he was introducing to the engineering world. He designed 
 the steam hammer to meet a particular case, and it was 
 thought to be applicable only to the largest class of forgings 
 which were not at that time needed with so much frequency 
 as to make it marketable. The utility of the machine was 
 also greatly restricted by the fact that the valve motion was 
 worked only by hand. The special difficulties in the way 
 of providing a self-acting motion apparently proved insuper- 
 able to Mr. Nasmyth, for during his absence in 1842 his. 
 partner applied to the late Mr. Robert Wilson, who was then 
 manager, and afterwards became the principal of the Bridge- 
 water Foundry. This gentleman, after a few days' consider- 
 ation of the problem, produced a self-acting motion which 
 
The Invention of the Steam Hammer. 299 
 
 gave the steam hammer the importance it now holds as an 
 engineering tool. 
 
 The career of Mr. Wilson previous to his connection with 
 the invention of the steam hammer furnishes an interesting 
 example of endeavour and achievement. He was born in 
 1803 at Dunbar, on the east coast of Scotland, where his 
 father was drowned in the third attempt of the lifeboat to 
 save the remainder of the crew of the frigate Pallas, which 
 was cast ashore in December, 1810. Young Wilson* as a 
 boy, was particularly fond of aquatic amusements of every 
 kind, and as early as 1808 his childish attention was called 
 to a matter with which his name has since become in- 
 separably associated. A soldier who was then stationed at 
 Dunbar fitted out a small fishing boat with a pair of side 
 paddles which proved unsuitable where the surface of the 
 water was at all rough. Wilson as a child was an expert 
 sculler, and the thought occurred to him that if something 
 in the nature of a sculling oar could be fitted to the stern of 
 the vessels it would be free from the objections to side 
 paddles. The problem appears to have interested him 
 greatly, and from time to time recurred to his mind. The 
 sight of an undershot water-wheel, and later of a windmill 
 used at Oxwellmains for threshing corn, brought the matter 
 up again. He learned that it reefed and unreefed its own 
 sails, and turned its face always towards the wind. " How 
 this was effected," he says, " I determined to discover, and 
 a few days after I returned to Oxwellmains, taking with me 
 a small telescope to enable me more closely to examine 
 the mechanical arrangement of the windmill. The mill was 
 
3OO Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 not working, and I had, therefore, a better opportunity of 
 studying it. I lay down on the grass field in front of it so 
 as to use my knees as a rest for the telescope, and in this 
 position, while engaged in wonder and admiration, trying to 
 follow and account for the various motions which I knew 
 the mill to have, an idea suddenly occurred to me, which 
 rendered it perfectly clear in what way I could modify the 
 sculling oar so as to make it serve as a means of propelling 
 a vessel." This was in effect by putting it in the form of a 
 wind wheel such as that he had before him. He even tried 
 some unsuccessful experiments with a small model, but the 
 matter dropped until 1821, when the difficulty with which 
 the " Tourist," one of the then new steamers, overcame the 
 ground swell in the barbour of Dunbar led to further experi- 
 ments with what young Wilson now termed " rough sea or 
 storm paddles." Soon after his father's death Wilson was 
 apprenticed to a joiner, and removed from Dunbar, which, 
 however, he visited in 1821 and 1825, when he again made 
 experiments with his propeller. The necessities of his daily 
 life did not allow Mr. Wilson to give undivided attention to 
 the problem, but it was one which again and again occupied 
 the scanty leisure of his artisan days. In 1827 he made 
 the acquaintance of Mr. James Hunter, who introduced him 
 to the Earl of Lauderdale. That nobleman asked his son, 
 Captain Maitland, to report on an experiment to be made with 
 Wilson's model. The result was satisfactory, and the Earl 
 promised to try to induce the Admiralty to take up the 
 invention. It was shown at the Dunbar Mechanics' 
 Institution, and in 1828 the Highland Society appointed a 
 
The Invention of the Steam Hammer. 301 
 
 committee who testified to the success of his plan when tried 
 at Leith in a very heavy sea. The Society granted him 
 ;io, but only on condition of receiving his model, which 
 he very reluctantly gave up. His want of means prevented 
 any further action, but in 1832 Mr. Hunter brought the 
 matter before the Scottish Society of Arts, and a committee, 
 which included Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, reported on it. 
 A silver medal was awarded to the inventor, and the Society, 
 through Sir John Sinclair, called the attention of the 
 Admiralty to the subject. The Woolwich officers to whom 
 it was referred made a brief and supercilious report, and the 
 inventor's hopes were dashed to the ground. He was 
 mortified by this rejection, nor was his mortification lessened 
 when he learned that in 1836 Mr. F. P. Smith had patented 
 an "improved propeller" on the screw plan. The 
 Admiralty, after rejecting Wilson and repulsing Ericsson, 
 adopted the patent of Smith, who eventually received a 
 knighthood. One of the officials who, in 1833, reported 
 against the screw propeller of Wilson, in 1840 reported in 
 favour of the screw propeller of Smith. There can be no 
 doubt that serious injustice was done to Mr. Wilson by 
 ignorance or carelessness of the officers of the Admiralty. 
 This may be affirmed without claiming for him any absolute 
 priority in the invention. The French annals record not 
 only the experiments of Sauvage at Boulogne in 1832, but 
 those of Paneton in 1792, of Dubost in 1746, and of Duquet 
 in 1727, whilst quite recently it has been said that the 
 screw propeller was anticipated by the universal genius of 
 Leonardo da Vinci. 
 
302 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 These early experiments were not, however, lost. In 
 presenting them Mr. Wilson was developing his inventive 
 faculties, and as recently as 1880 the War Department made 
 a grant of .500 for the use of his double action screw 
 propeller as applied to the fish torpedo. 
 
 In 1832 Mr. Wilson was in business as an engineer in 
 Edinburgh, in the North Back of Canongate, but a few 
 years later he migrated to Manchester, and in 1838 was 
 the manager of the famous Bridgewater Foundry at 
 Patricroft, the birthplace of the steam hammer. We have 
 already stated the nature of his connection with the 
 remarkable tool which has been described by Professor 
 Tomlinson as one of "the most perfect of artificial 
 machines, and the noblest triumph of mind over matter 
 that modern English engineers have yet developed." The 
 relative shares in the invention are concisely stated in a 
 letter written by Mr. Holbrook Gaskell, who was the partner 
 of Nasmyth, and was the gentleman who showed the sketch 
 to the appreciative M. Schneider : " That to Mr. Nasmyth 
 is due the original conception of the direct acting steam 
 hammer I have frequently testified, and am prepared to 
 maintain ; but that either he or any one else had any 
 conception of the great future which awaited his invention 
 I distinctly deny. The hammer was designed, as Mr. 
 Smiles mentions, to provide for a particular exigency. It 
 was thought to be only applicable to the largest class of 
 forgings ; and so rare was the demand at that time for such 
 massive forging that Mr. Nasmyth could not induce any 
 of the proprietors of the great forges of the county to accept 
 
TJie Invention of the Steam Hammer. 303 
 
 the invention on the condition of patenting it for themselves, 
 and ordering a hammer from him. Seeing that the utility 
 of the machine was extremely restricted by the valve motion 
 being worked only by hand, and, therefore, very slowly, and 
 with much labour, I felt very desirous that it should be made 
 self-acting so that it might be worked at a higher speed, and 
 thereby be adapted to all ranges of forgings from the smallest 
 to the highest. The result was your very beautiful invention 
 of the self-acting motion for which a patent was immediately 
 secured." There is also an equally explicit statement of the 
 foreman of the smiths, Mr. T. M. Crewdson, who forged 
 " every particle of the first efficient self-acting motion ever 
 made," from the drawings and under the superintendence of 
 Mr. Wilson. The first hammer was delivered in August, 
 1843, to tne Low Moor Ironworks, and continued in use 
 there until 1853, when Mr. Wilson, who was then engineer 
 of that establishment, added to it what is known as the 
 " circular balanced valve," which he then patented. In 
 1856 Mr. James Nasmyth retired from his active industrial 
 career, but has since been often heard of in the still wider 
 world of science. Mr. Robert Wilson was now recalled from 
 Low Moor, and became the managing partner of the firm of 
 Messrs. Nasmyth, Wilson, and Co. 
 
 He maintained the world-wide fame of his firm, and, 
 mindful of his own early difficulties, was ready to smooth 
 the path of those who showed talent and industry. He 
 
 /cKi^2/ 
 
 died at Matlock, 28th July M and is buried in the pleasant 
 churchyard of St. Catherine's, Barton-on-Irwell. 
 
RALPH SANDIFORD. 
 
 Remember them that are in bonds. Heb. xiii. 3. 
 
 AMONGST the worthies of Lancashire who have passed 
 into unmerited oblivion we may safely place Ralph 
 Sandiford, who is deserving of at least a passing memory 
 for his courage in pleading the cause of the poor, the 
 oppressed, and the enslaved, at a time when the consciences 
 of professors of religion were in a torpid condition. It is a 
 singular fact that one of the earliest to protest against negro 
 slavery should be a native of Liverpool, which owed some 
 of its early fortunes to the infamous slave trade. Ralph 
 Sandiford was born in Liverpool in 1693. The "Moore 
 Rental" supplies us with a Ralph Sandiford, Bailiff in 1627. 
 Our Ralph's father was John Sandiford, one of whose name 
 was living in Liverpool in 1642, and was one of the Bailiffs 
 in 1646. Two members of the family contemporary with 
 Ralph held successively the office of town clerk. In 1678 
 Thomas Sandiford, perhaps the Bailiff of that name in 1656, 
 was sworn to the office of town clerk. In 1688 Mr. John 
 Sandiford, who may be Ralph's father, was " presented " for 
 
Ralph Sandiford. 305 
 
 entertaining strangers ; and in the following year he was 
 sworn one of the council of the town, and succeeded as 
 town clerk. In 1707, however, a number of "high omis- 
 sions and irregular transactions " was charged against him 
 by the Mayor in relation to the Records and other matters, 
 and he was suspended. Soon afterwards he was discharged 
 from his office by a great majority of the Council, but ^40 
 per annum was allowed him for life. The " Moore Rental" 
 mentions one or more tenants of the name. 
 
 Nothing is known of Ralph's early days beyond the fact 
 that his parents were members of the Church of England. 
 That respectable and easy-going form of religious life was 
 apparently not intense enough for Sandiford's enthusiastic 
 temperament. The causes which led to his change of religious 
 belief are nowhere indicated ; but it may have been partly due 
 to his proximity to the great centre of American Quakerism. 
 Whilst still a youth he appears to have emigrated to 
 Philadelphia, and quite early in life he joined the Society of 
 Friends. He was engaged in some commercial pursuit, the 
 nature of which is not now known ; but it necessitated journeys 
 to the West Indies, and parts of the then only partially- 
 settled continent of North America. It was in the course 
 of these experiences that he saw the evil and horror of 
 slavery, and had to speak out against it. This he did with 
 no bated breath. He had the usual reward of the prophet, 
 in the scorn and contumely of the Pharisees who were 
 trying to serve God and the Devil at the same time. 
 Sandiford could not understand men who pleaded for mercy 
 and favour from God, and were not even willing to do 
 
306 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 common justice to man. The Friends have always been 
 facile writers, and have, perhaps, in their resort to the 
 written word made up for the intervals of taciturnity which 
 differentiate their religious services from those of other sects. 
 The title alone of Sandiford's pamphlet, in its second edition, 
 is a comprehensive denunciation. It reads thus : 
 
 " The Mystery of Iniquity ; being a brief Examination of 
 the Practise of the Times, By the foregoing and the present 
 DISPENSATION : Whereby is manifested how the DEVIL 
 works in the Mystery, which none can understand and get 
 the Victory over but those that are armed with the Light, 
 that discovers the Temptation and the Author thereof, and 
 gives Victory over him and his Instruments, who are now 
 gone forth, as in the Beginning, from the true Friends of 
 JESUS, having the Form of Godliness in Words, but in 
 Deeds deny the Power thereof ; and from such we are com- 
 manded to turn away. Unto which is added in the POST- 
 SCRIPT, the Injury this Trading in Slaves doth the Common- 
 wealth, humbly offer'd to all of a PUBLICK SPIRIT. The 
 Second Edition, with Additions." 
 
 "Remember them that are in Bonds, as bound with them ; 
 and them that suffer Adversity, as being yourselves in the 
 Body" Heb. xiii. 3. "If any man love the world the love of 
 the Father is not in him" I. John ii. 15. " He that leadeth 
 into Captivity shall go into Captivity" Rev. xiii. 10. 
 
 It lends considerable interest to this brown old-fashioned 
 book to know that it was printed by Benjamin Franklin, then 
 an industrious tradesman, probably not dreaming of those 
 forces, internal and external, that were to make him famous. 
 
Ralph Sandiford. 307 
 
 In an interesting and little known letter Franklin mentions 
 his connection with Sandiford. The letter was addressed 
 to Mr. John Wright, of Esher, a member of the banking 
 firm of Smith, Wright, and Gray, Lombard-street, and is 
 dated Philadelphia, November 4, 1789. 
 
 Dear Friend, I received your kind letter of July the 
 3ist, which gave me great Pleasure, as it informed me of 
 the Welfare both of yourself and your good Lady, to whom 
 please to present my Respects. I thank you for the Epistle 
 of your Yearly Meeting, and for the Card, a specimen of 
 Printing, which were enclosed. We have now had one 
 session of Congress, which was conducted under our new 
 Constitution, with as much general Satisfaction as could 
 reasonably be expected. I wish the struggle in France may 
 end as happily for that Nation. We are now in the full 
 enjoyment of our new Government for eleven of the States, 
 and it is generally thought that North Carolina is about to 
 join us : Rode-island will probably take longer Time for 
 Consideration. We have had a most plentiful year for the 
 Fruits of the Earth, and our People seem to be recovering 
 fast from the extravagant and idle Habits which the War 
 had introduced, and to engage seriously in the Contrary 
 Habits of Temperance, Frugality, and Industry, which give 
 the most Pleasing Prospect of future national Felicity. Your 
 Merchants, however, are, I think, imprudent in crowding in 
 upon us such Quantities of Goods for Sale here, which are 
 not wrote for by our's, and are beyond the Faculties of the 
 Country to consume in any reasonable Time. This Surplus 
 of Goods is, therefore, to raise present Money, sent to the 
 
308 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Vendues or Auction Houses, of which we have six or seven 
 in or near this City, where they are sold frequently for less 
 than prime Cost, to the great loss of the indiscreet Adven- 
 turers. Our New Papers are doubtless to be seen at your 
 Coffee-Houses near the Exchange : in their Advertisements 
 you may observe the Constancy and Quantity of these kind 
 of Sales, as well as the Quantity of Goods imported by our 
 regular Traders. I see in your English newspapers frequent 
 mention made of our being out of Credit with you ; to us it 
 appears that we have abundantly too much, and that your 
 exporting Merchants are rather out of their senses. 
 
 I wish success to your Endeavours for obtaining an 
 Abolition of the Slave Trade. The Epistle from your Yearly 
 Meeting for the year 1758 was not the first sowing of the 
 good seed you mention, for I find by an old Pamphlet in 
 my Possession that George Keith nearly 100 years since 
 wrote a Paper against the Practice, said to be " given forth 
 by the Appointment of the Meeting held by him at Philip 
 James's House, in the City of Philadelphia, about the year 
 1690," wherein a strict Charge was given to Friends that 
 they should set their Negroes at Liberty after some reason- 
 able Time of Service, &c. And about the year 1728 or 29 
 I myself printed a Book for Ralph Sandyford, another of 
 your Friends of this City, against keeping Negroes in 
 Slavery two editions of which he distributed gratis : and 
 about the year 1736 I printed another Book on the same 
 subject for Benjamin Lay, who also professed being one of 
 your Friends, and he distributed the Book chiefly among 
 them. By these Instances it appears that the seed was 
 
Ralph Sandiford. 309 
 
 indeed sown in the good Ground of your Profession though 
 much earlier than the Time you mention, and its Springing 
 up to effect at last, though so late, is some confirmation of 
 Lord Bacon's Observation that a good Motion never dies, 
 and may encourage us in making such tho' hopeless of their 
 taking immediate effect. 
 
 I doubt whether I shall be able to finish my Memoirs, and 
 if I finish them whether they will be proper for Publication. 
 You seem to have too high an Opinion of them, and to 
 expect too much from them. I think you are right in pre- 
 ferring a mixed Form of Government for your Country 
 under its present Circumstances ; and if it were possible for 
 you to reduce the enormous Salaries and Emoluments of 
 great Offices, which are at the Bottom the source of all your 
 violent Factions, that Form might be Conducted more 
 quietly and happily. But I am afraid that none of your 
 Factions when they get uppermost will ever have Virtue 
 enough to reduce those Salaries and Emoluments, but will 
 chuse rather to enjoy them. 
 
 I am, my dear Friend, your's very affectionately, 
 
 To Mr. Wright. B. FRANKLIN. 
 
 This letter is printed in The Friend, vol. xvii. No. 195. 
 March i, 1859, p. 41. The publication of this book brought 
 Sandiford into collision with many "personages" in the young 
 state. The Chief Justice threatened him with condign punish- 
 ment if he ventured to circulate it. The threat had not the 
 slightest effect on Sandiford, who cared nothing for conse- 
 quences. The "weighty friends," whose revolting hypocrisy he 
 had unmasked, were equally unable to silence him. He was 
 
3io Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the "still small voice of conscience" in the state, and persisted 
 until 1734 to warn the manstealers and oppressors of their 
 wickedness and sin. They, no doubt, regarded the little man 
 with the keen but benevolent face, as a dreadful bore, who 
 would not let things run in the usual groove, but wanted to 
 square profession and practice, and make religion a part of 
 daily life. " Though he had many enemies," we are told by 
 his biographer, " in consequence of his opposition to slave- 
 keeping, yet it was universally acknowledged that he was an 
 honest and upright man." A disease which determined 
 him to leave Philadelphia proved hopeless. He built a log 
 house about nine miles from the city, on the road leading 
 to the road of Bustleton ; and here he lived in a fashion, 
 which even in those days of plain living and sober dressing, 
 was remarkable. Some extracts from his will are printed by 
 his biographer. They are worth quoting for the light they 
 throw upon his sentiments and circumstances : 
 
 " Be it remembered that I, Ralph Sandiford, Lower 
 Dublin, in the county of Philadelphia, merchant, being sick 
 in body, but of sound mind and memory, (praised be the 
 Lord), do make this my last will and testament, in manner 
 following : First, I commit my soul into the hands of 
 Almighty God my Maker, hoping through the meritorious 
 death and passion of Jesus Christ, my only Saviour and 
 Redeemer, to be everlastingly saved. Also I commit my 
 body to the earth, to be therein decently buried at the dis- 
 cretion of my executors, herein after nominated. And as to 
 what worldly effects it hath pleased the Lord to bestow upon 
 me, (after my just debts and funeral expenses are truly paid 
 
Ralph Sandiford. 311 
 
 and discharged) I dispose thereof as followeth : First, I give 
 to the meeting of the men and women of the People called 
 Quakers, at Philadelphia, each ten pounds for the use of 
 the poor. I also give to the Church of England, for the use 
 of the poor, ten pounds. I also give to Joseph Chettam 
 and his sister Hannah each a guinea : also I give to Samuel 
 Harrison of New York, two guineas. I give my brother, 
 James Sandiford, my watch : I also give Phoebe Boyles, 
 ' SewelPs History.' Other bequests are to Mary Peace, his 
 housekeeper, a life estate in the farm, &c., &c., on which 
 he lived, and to Susannah Morris, his servant, a life estate 
 in another plantation which he owned in Cheltenham ; and 
 at their deaths directs all his landed estate to be sold, and 
 the proceeds remitted to his sisters or their legal repre- 
 sentatives, in England, to be equally divided among them." 
 
 ("Memoirs of the Lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph 
 Sandiford " by Roberts Vaux. Philadelphia printed : Lon- 
 don reprinted, 1816.) 
 
 He died at the age of 40 in 1733. He was buried in 
 a field near his own house, and over his grave was set a 
 stone inscribed : 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Ralph Sandiford 
 
 Son of John Sandiford 
 
 of Liverpool, he Bore 
 
 A Testimony against the 
 
 Negro Trade & Dyed 
 
 ye 28th of ye 3rd Month 
 
 J 733' Aged 40 years. 
 
ELIAS, THE MANCHESTER PROPHET. 
 
 Thy voice sounds like a prophet's woe. 
 
 FITZ-GREENE HALLECK. Marco Bozzaris. 
 
 In nature's infinite book of secresy 
 A little I can read. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 ELLIS HALL was the son of a carpenter in Manchester, 
 and was born in the year 1502. In his early child- 
 hood he was noticeable as different from other children, 
 and was teased and persecuted by his brethren on account 
 of the "solitariness, abstinence, and prayer" that marked 
 him even before the age of seven, when he was taken 
 from home to the house that was afterwards that of Gerard, 
 the Attorney-General. Here he was put to the laborious, 
 if not dignified calling of " tournynge of the broche." The 
 scullion boy was not proof against the attacks of love, but 
 having married a wife he looked higher than the kitchen 
 range, and was in a fair way for prosperity as a draper, so 
 that, as he tells us, even when there came a great fall in the 
 value of money, in the reign of Edward VI. his yearly profit 
 amounted to ^"500. 
 
Elias, the Manchester Prophet. 313 
 
 Whilst giving himself up to the cares of the world, and 
 quite forgetful of his juvenile piety, he had one night what 
 he regarded as a vision, though others might deem it an 
 idle dream. About midnight, as he lay sleepless and pon- 
 dering over " a great accompte," he heard a voice delivering 
 this message : " Eli, thou carpenter's son, arise and make 
 thine account quickly ; fast and pray, for the day draweth 
 near." This invocation was thrice repeated, and then there 
 was a great light, after which he saw the figure of a man in 
 white, with five bleeding wounds. This figure vanished in 
 the heavens that opened to receive him. This vision did 
 not deter Ellis from the prosecution of his calling, but soon 
 he was prostrated by disease, and as he lay bedfast the vision 
 came again, and told him that he was " elect and chosen of 
 God to declare and pronounce unto his people His word." 
 Ellis objected that he was unlearned, but the vision com- 
 manded him to " Write of the revelation that thou hast seen 
 of baptism, repentance and amendment of life, and show it 
 to the magistrates and rulers, and that which thou shalt 
 write shall be put into thy head by the Holy Ghost." Then 
 Ellis was taken first to heaven, and afterwards to hell. The 
 torments that awaited him if he did not amend were shown 
 him, and also the place reserved for him in heaven if he 
 followed God's will were shown to him. He claimed that 
 this journey into the supernatural world was not in the 
 spirit, but in the flesh, and that for two nights and one day 
 he was absent, and not seen of any man. This was from 
 the Qth to the nth of April, 1552. He was commanded to 
 watch and pray for seven years, and to write for three years 
 
314 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 and a half. In this space of time he wrote a small book of 
 " Obedience," and one without a title, known as the " Great 
 Book." After he began the work of composition he ceased 
 to eat fish or flesh, and -gave over the use of wine. He 
 claimed to have written the book on his knees. 
 
 Ellis Hall went to London in 1562, and in his dress of 
 camel's hair attracted great attention. He called himself 
 " Ely, the Carpenter's Son," and declared that he was the 
 messenger of God, speaking and working by heavenly 
 inspiration. He made his way to Gravesend, and endea- 
 voured to make his way into the Queen's presence chamber. 
 Bishop Pilkington another Lancashire man preached 
 before the Queen in exposure of the claims of the Manchester 
 prophet, who was examined before the Bishop of London 
 on the 1 2th of June, 1562. Then he was brought before 
 the Earl of Bedford ; Lord Clinton, the Lord High Admiral 
 of England ; Lord Cobham, the Warden of the Cinque 
 Ports ; Sir A. Cave, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan- 
 caster ; and Sir Richard Sackfield, the " Treasurer " of the 
 Queen's Exchequer. The examination was at the Savoy, 
 on the i yth of June, 1562. He gave a straightforward 
 account of his life and visions, and ended thus : " Since 
 wch tyme I have apparrelled my selfe thus as ye see, 
 and goe wolward to thintent to bringe the fleshe in sub- 
 jeceon to the sowle ; neyther have I eten at any tyme this 
 yeare and this halfe any fleshe, but white meat and to the 
 same yntent, and ever senc that tyme have geven myselfe to 
 my former vertuous lyvinge in fasting and prayinge, and ever 
 since that tyme have wrytten and by God's devyne powre 
 
Elias, the Manchester Prophet. 315 
 
 coulde wryte although but small as I protest before yor 
 honors all that before that tyme I could not wryte. Thus 
 have I ever since settled myselfe to wryte God's holye wyll 
 and contaimdements (sic), and dystrybuted my goods 
 emongs my kynsmen and pore people makinge proclemacon 
 that yf*any mann coulde com unto whome I ought any 
 thinge unto for every pennye I wolde make him double 
 amends. Also that sythens that tyme I have wrytten this 
 booke which I have here brought before yow entendinge 
 (God wyllinge) to delyver the same vnto my prynce before 
 that any anye mann do throughly peruse yt. Neyther have 
 I attayned to this end by any worldlye means. Thus 
 besechinge yer honors all that yf theise my sayings can be 
 provyd false in any pointe, lett me suffer deathe to ensample 
 of all others." 
 
 There was but little of the law's delay in dealing with 
 heretics, for, on the 26th June he was placed in the pillory 
 in Cheape with this inscription written on a paper over his 
 head, "ffor seducinge the people by publyshyng ffalce 
 Revelaceons." 
 
 The unfortunate visionary was then taken back to prison, 
 and the last glimpse we have of him is the memoranda 
 made by Stowe : 
 
 Anno, 1563, the 2yth day of July, beynge Tuesday, Elys 
 Hawll, of Manchester, was whipt at Bedlem by to mynysters 
 or prechars, Philpot, a parson of Sent Myhells in Cornhyll, 
 and Yownge, b parson of Sent Bartylmews ye Lytyll, Fulclres 
 ye comon cryar of London stondyne by. 
 
 In Anno 1564 (accoumptynge ye yere to begyn ye xxv. of 
 
316 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Marche), the xxv. day of February, at xj. of ye cloke in ye 
 nyghte, deseasyd the abovesayd Elisens Hawll, and was 
 buryed on Shordche Churcheyarde on ye Twesday, and ye 
 xxvij. day of February, at xj. of ye cloke before none. 
 
 A curious circumstance about the punishment of the 
 Manchester Prophet is, that he was flogged by two ministers. 
 
 The data as to Ellis Hall A to be found in Strype's 
 "Annals of the Reformation," vol. i. p. 469; Earwaker's 
 "Local Gleanings," vol. i, p. 72, 84; "Three Fifteenth 
 Century Chronicles, with Historical Memoranda," by John 
 Stowe (Camden Society, 1880). The MS. "Visions of 
 Eliseus Hall," in metre, was in the library of John Parker, 
 son of Archbishop Parker. 
 
WESTHOUGHTON FACTORY FIRE. 
 
 Famine is on thy cheeks, 
 Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes, 
 Contempt and beggary hang upon thy back, 
 The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 THE year 1812 was one of great suffering for the working 
 classes of Lancashire. The manufacturing districts 
 were hotbeds of disaffection, and there is too- much reason 
 to think that the Government, instead of redressing 
 grievances, encouraged a system of espionage by which the 
 unwary were seduced into overt acts of sedition, and then 
 heavily punished. The simple-minded and suffering people 
 were taught by the spies to lay all their sufferings at the 
 door of authority, and when their victims had been betrayed 
 into treason the informers reaped a bloody harvest. 
 
 The handloom weavers were exasperated at the introduc- 
 tion of steam power into the mills, which they expected 
 would still further reduce their earnings. There were riots 
 at Manchester, Middleton, and various other places. In 
 some places the mob contented themselves with sacking 
 
318 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 provision shops, in others they burned mills and destroyed 
 machinery. The burning of Westhoughton factory was one 
 of the most lamentable of these deplorable incidents. 
 
 The heavy war taxes, the depression of trade, and the 
 high price of provisons had brought the weavers to the verge 
 of starvation. Wheat ranged 6 to 7 per quarter, and 
 sometimes families went for whole days without food. The 
 narrative of one of the ringleaders in the Westhoughton 
 affair, who had escaped conviction, has been printed. Of 
 course his name is not given. About November, 1811, he 
 says, midnight meetings began to be held in the neighbour- 
 hood of Chowbent (Atherton), and a brotherhood was 
 formed, bound by oath, with the object of " revolutionising 
 the country." At one of these secret assemblies, held at 
 Clapperfold, March 20, 1812, a man named Sidlow made 
 a violent speech, concluding with a proposal to burn 
 Westhoughton Factory. This was agreed to, and the ipth 
 of April was appointed for the execution of this dreadful 
 project. There were in the throng, however, many " black- 
 faces" as the spies were called, and the magistrates appear to 
 have been fully cognisant of what was going on. The 
 factory was guarded night and day by armed men. On the 
 1 9th of April there was a gathering on Dean Moor, at 
 which the " blackfaces " are said to have formed a fourth of 
 the assembly. The military were in waiting to "cut up" the 
 assailants. Incited by the spies the weavers set out, and on 
 the road they met a man named Holland Bowden, and in 
 accordance with a resolution to twist or puff (swear or shoot) 
 every one they met he was forced to take their seditious 
 
Westhoughton Factory Fire. 319 
 
 oath. On their march something suspicious was observed, 
 and the enterprise was abandoned for that night. On the 
 24th it was, however, carried into effect. They formed in 
 the Market Place, and marched four deep to the factory, 
 which was heavily barricaded. Although the door was cut 
 "almost to matches" they could not force an entrance, and a 
 man was put through a window to remove the fastenings. 
 The cloth was wrapped round the beams, the wooden looms 
 were quickly smashed, and the mill, a few moments earlier 
 a model of cleanliness and neatness, was strewn with the 
 fragments " like swathes of grass." John Seddon then said, 
 "The egg is broken, let us burn the shell." A shovel of 
 fire was placed in a calico " cut," laid down on the floor, 
 and the broken looms piled around it. A hogshead of 
 tallow was rolled into the fire. A number of women danced 
 a reel around the blazing heap. Then the cry was raised, 
 " Every man to his tents, O Israel," and each one tried to 
 get home unobserved. 
 
 The magistrates appeared on the scene and read the 
 Riot Act, and the Scots Greys were marched to the scene 
 of the disturbance. A number of arrests were made, and 
 the men sent to Lancaster. The rioters, who were placed 
 on their trial, were Adam Bullough, whose age is not 
 given; John Brownlow, 15; William Kay, 33; Abraham 
 Charlson, 16; Bold Howarth, 32; Job Fletcher, 34; John 
 Shuttleworth, 59; Samuel Radcliffe, 35; Robert Wood- 
 ward, 27; Thomas Kerfoot, 26; John Charlson, 34; James 
 Smith, 31; Mary Cannon, 19; and Lydia Molyneux, 
 15. The men charged with administering the oath to 
 
320 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Holland Bowden were Christopher Medcalf, 41 ; James 
 Brierley, 30; Henry Thwaite, 24; Joseph Clement, 21 \ 
 William Gifford or Clifford, 40 ; Thomas Pickup, 5 1 ; John 
 Keys, 37 ; John Hurst, 37 ; Peter Topping, 35 ; Joseph 
 Greenhalgh, 22 ; and Samuel Radliffe, 35. Hurst, it is 
 said, went by the name of " General Ludd." This name of 
 terror was doubtless used by various individuals in the 
 different districts that were then in a disturbed condition. 
 
 Special assizes were opened at Lancaster on the 25th 
 May before Baron Thomson and Sir Simon Le Blanc. The 
 commission was opened on Saturday, and on the Tuesday 
 following, at eight o'clock in the morning, the rioters were 
 charged with setting fire to (or aiding and assisting therein) 
 the weaving mill, warehouse, and loom shop of Thomas Rowe 
 and Thomas Duncough. The trial lasted until eight at 
 night, when Abraham Charlson, Fletcher, Kerfoot, and 
 Smith were found guilty, and the rest acquitted. Those 
 who were found guilty of administering the unlawful oath 
 were Medcalf, Brierley, Thwaite, Pickup, Hurst, and Rad- 
 cliffe, and they were sentenced to transportation. Charlson, 
 Fletcher, Kerfoot, and Smith were sentenced to death. 
 
 The trial of the Westhoughton rioters was followed by 
 those of the men from Middleton and Manchester, and 
 whilst these were proceeding the Westhoughton men were 
 speculating as to their sentences. " I believe," says the 
 rioter already quoted, " it never entered the mind of any of 
 them that they should get more than three or six months' 
 imprisonment. They were called upon to receive their 
 sentences, and I shall never forget the look of horror on the 
 
Westhoughton Factory Fire. 321 
 
 face of Job Fletcher. I was getting some dinner ready for 
 him when he went, and he came back in a few minutes ; 
 grasped me by the collar in a frenzied manner. ' O dear, 
 dear,' cried he, * I must be hanged.' Others came in who 
 received the same sentence, and the most heart-rending 
 scene took place that it is possible for the mind to conceive. 
 Some threw themselves on the floor, others tore their hair 
 from their heads, bitterly cursing the witnesses who had 
 appeared against them, and lamenting that they must never 
 more see their families. They were taken from us to the 
 condemned cells, and I never saw any of them more." The 
 fate of these unfortunate persons is briefly stated in the 
 Gentleman's Magazine: "June 13. Eight rioters, who 
 were convicted at the Special Assizes at Lancaster, viz., 
 J. Smith, T. Kerfoot, J. Fletcher, A. Charlson, J. Howarth, 
 J. Lee, T. Hoyle, and Hannah Smith (for stealing potatoes) 
 underwent their sentence. While in confinement they 
 manifested the greatest indifference and unconcern, but 
 were at length brought to a sense of their condition, and died 
 penitent." Hannah Smith was a woman of 54, one of a 
 riotous crowd who stole some potatoes at Bank Top, Man- 
 chester. Howarth, Lee, and Hoyle had, during a riot, 
 broken into a shop in Deansgate, stolen bread, cheese, 
 and potatoes. 
 
 According to the tradition of the neighbourhood the boy 
 Charlson was a cripple, and was hoisted on a man's shoulders 
 in order to break a window with his crutch. He is described 
 as 1 6 in the reports of the assize, but it has been said that 
 
 he was in reality only 12 years old. The poor lad, when in 
 w 
 
322 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 the hands of the hangman, cried out, " Oh, mammy, 
 mammy ! " 
 
 The riot had the effect of calling attention to the want 
 and starvation that was existing, and in the Manchester 
 Mercury of June 16 we learn that "On Saturday week 360 
 families of the poor inhabitants of Westhoughton were 
 relieved with oatmeal gratis by a subscription in the said 
 township." 
 
 We have spoken of the spies. One of these, who had 
 achieved infamy in 1801, is said to have had his services 
 overlooked by his employers, and to have been one of those 
 hung at Lancaster in 1812. The spy system was eloquently 
 exposed by Dr. Robert Eveleigh Taylor in his letter on the 
 Lancashire Riots of 1812. There are also references to the 
 subject in Prentice's " Historical Sketches," and Brimelow's 
 " Political History of Bolton." The story of the riot has also 
 been told in a rhyming chronicle : " A Tragedy : the 
 Burning of Westhoughton Cotton Mill in 1812." A poem by 
 John Clough (Bolton, Journal Office, 1882). This includes 
 some lines about the " Snydale Ghost," which, as containing 
 a bit of local folk-lore may be quoted as a relief to the ghastly 
 narrative of the Westhoughton riots. 
 
 At midnight hour, when all was still, 
 This ghost would wander o'er the hill ; 
 The object of its nightly round 
 Was thought some treasure in the ground. 
 With bated breath, and blanched face, 
 The traveller o'er this lonely place 
 Would fancy in each clump of trees 
 The weird and uncouth form he sees 
 
Westhoiighton Factory Fire. 323 
 
 Of Worthington, whose wandering lo 
 Was nightly round this haunted spot. 
 The ghost 'tis said was laid at Deane, 
 To come no more whilst holly is green, 
 Or water down a ditch should run, 
 Save once in years of twenty-one. 
 They used to say this was its hire, 
 Till once it came, the barn took fire, 
 And Snydale barn with all its store 
 Burnt to the ground to rise no more. 
 But Snydale Hall may still be seen 
 Where waters run, and holly is green. 
 With a young pullet, it is said, 
 The ghost of Worthington was laid ; 
 Whilst others in these later days 
 Say it was frightened by the Greys, 
 Whose clattering marching on the road 
 Drove it to seek its last abode. 
 
PETER ANNEX. 
 
 Perplext in faith, but pure in deed, 
 At last he beat his music out. 
 There lives more faith in honest doubt, 
 Believe me, than in half the creeds. 
 
 TENNYSON. /;/ Memoriam. 
 
 PETER ANNET was born at Liverpool in 1693. The 
 only intimation of his birthplace is that given in Evan's 
 " Catalogue of Portraits." He was intended for the ministry 
 among the Protestant Dissenters, but his religious views 
 having changed he abandoned the pastoral career, and after 
 first trying his fortune as a schoolmaster in London he 
 became a merchant's clerk, and afterwards an employe in 
 some public office. He ultimately sacrificed his position 
 and prospects in life by the publication of certain attacks 
 upon the Christian religion. He was a man of marked 
 ability, and his writings deal with a wide range of subjects. 
 As he himself said, " the children of his spirit " were many. 
 One of his earliest known publications was a reply from a 
 deistical standpoint to Sherlock's famous tract, " The Trial 
 of the Witnesses of the Resurrection," which appeared in 
 
Peter Annet. 325 
 
 1729, and became immensely popular and the subject of a 
 violent controversy. Dr. Farrar considers the tract of 
 Annet's, which appeared in 1744, as the "commencement 
 of the open allegation of literary imposture as distinct from 
 philosophical error which marked the criticism of the French 
 School of Infidelity." Annet was well known in London at 
 the famous Robin Hood Society, of which Burke and Gold- 
 smith were in later years members. As an orator, we are 
 told, " He was to the last degree contemptible, having a 
 tame and lifeless pronunciation, and a mean insipid action." 
 There is a copy of Annet's tracts in the British Museum, 
 containing an autograph note of the author : "I want 
 wisdom to inform my faith; another's faith directs his 
 wisdom. The difference between us is only this I can 
 believe all possible and probable things ; the other can 
 believe all things that he hath been taught, though im- 
 probable and impossible." The titles of the pamphlets in 
 the volume are : 
 
 Judging for Ourselves ; or, freethinkings the great duty 
 of religion ; 1739. 
 
 The History and Character of St. Paul examined. 
 
 Supernatural examined, in four dissertations. 
 
 Social Bliss considered; 1749. 
 
 Resurrection of Jesus considered ; 1744. 
 
 Sequel to the last-named. 
 
 Annet was the author of a cheap system of shorthand, 
 which exhibits considerable ingenuity. Under the 
 pseudonym of " Meneius Philalethes " Annet published 
 the "History of Joseph considered" in 1774. In the 
 
326 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 same year he wrote a tract on the "Conception of 
 Jesus." 
 
 His best known work, " The History of the Man after 
 God's own heart," appeared in 1761. This work being 
 anonymous has been attributed to various individuals, and 
 elicited many replies from theologians the best being that 
 of Dr. Samuel Chandler, whose unlucky application of II. 
 Samuel v. 5 to George II., in his funeral sermon for that not 
 too moral monarch, elicited the " History" which has been 
 frequently reprinted, and also translated into French. 
 Voltaire was acquainted with it, but attributed it to a Mr. 
 Hutt, a member of Parliament of whom no one else seems 
 to know anything. 
 
 In 1761 Annet commenced the Free Inquirer. It was a 
 weekly periodical, but only nine numbers appeared. The 
 Government incited, as some have said, by Archbishop 
 Seeker resolved to prosecute him. They thus ensured the 
 popularity of the work, which had not previously met with 
 any great amount of public support. Annet was charged by 
 the Attorney-General with having published a " Malignant, 
 profane, and blasphemous libel, entitled the Free Inquirer^ 
 tending to blaspheme Almighty God, and to ridicule, 
 traduce, and discredit the Holy Scriptures." Annet was 
 tried, found guilty, and on November 29, 1762, he was 
 sentenced to suffer one month's imprisonment in Newgate ; 
 to stand twice in the pillory, with the words, " for blasphemy," 
 over his head ; once at Charing Cross, and once at the 
 Royal Exchange ; and then to be confined in the House of 
 Correction in Clerkenwell for one year ; to be next remanded 
 
Peter Annet. 327 
 
 to Newgate in execution of the said judgment, and to find 
 securities for his good behaviour during the remainder of his 
 life, himself in ;ioo, and two sureties in ^50 each ; and 
 to be fined 6s. 8d. He was pilloried at Charing Cross 
 1 4th December, 1762, and at the Royal Exchange 22nd 
 December. Upon one of the occasions when he was thus 
 exposed, he was exposed to public scorn in the company of 
 a man who had been convicted of perjury. The latter was 
 pelted with stones and dirt, one of the spectators crying out 
 as regards Annet, " Mind and not hurt that honest man who 
 is only a blasphemer." A woman, seeing the words over 
 his head said, " Here's a fine crime ! Don't we blaspheme 
 every day ?" An ineffectual plea for a more merciful sen- 
 tence was made by a correspondent of the Gentleman's 
 Magazine, but others replied in terms that showed how little 
 they understood the folly of punishing those who hold 
 unpopular opinions. It is remarkable that Annet, who was 
 not called to account for the " Life of the Man after God's 
 own heart," should have been indicted for the much less 
 offensive Free Inquirer, which would probably now pass 
 without comment. 
 
 Annet appears afterwards to have been imprisoned for 
 debt in St. George's Fields, and while there wrote an 
 English Grammar for children. Goldsmith interested 
 Newbery in the prisoner's behalf, and the latter offered ten 
 guineas for the copyright. Annet, to show his gratitude, 
 added that he would write a dedication to it along with his 
 name. This was the very thing that the shrewd tradesman 
 did not want. The irascible author could not see that a 
 
328 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 name only known to the public as that of a pilloried blas- 
 phemer would be no recommendation to a book for juvenile 
 reading. Hence Goldsmith's well-meant efforts failed, and 
 the negotiation came to an abrupt and unprofitable con- 
 clusion. When released from prison Annet opened a school 
 opposite the palace of Archbishop Seeker, but, as he carried 
 his heterodox views into the lessons, it languished, and had 
 to be given up. The Archbishop is said to have relieved 
 him in his distress. 
 
 M. Sicard, who wrote the notice of Annet in the " Bio- 
 graphie Universelle," tells the following anecdote : 
 
 On lui demanda un jour qu'il pensait de la vie a venir, 
 il repondit par cet apologue : Un de mes amis, voyageant 
 en Italic, entra dans une ville : il vit une auberge, et voulut 
 savoir si c' tait celle qu'on lui avait indiquee ; il demanda a 
 un passant si ce n' etait pas 1' enseigne de V Ange. " Ne voyez 
 vous pas " lui repondit le passant, " qui c'est un dragon, et 
 non pas un ange ? " " Mon ami," dit le voyageur, " je n' ai 
 jamais vu d' Ange ni de dragon ; je ne sais pas si cela res- 
 semble a P un ou a P autre." 
 
 Annet died i8th January, 1769. No biography of him 
 has so far been attempted. There are scattered references to 
 him in the Gentleman's Magazine, and other periodicals. 
 Mr. John E. Bailey, F.S.A., has collected materials for an 
 adequate life of this extraordinary man, and has, with his 
 accustomed kindness, allowed them to be examined for this 
 sketch. 
 
SOME OLD LANCASHIRE BALLADS, 
 BROADSIDES AND CHAPBOOKS. 
 
 .... the ballads of the people, 
 That like voices from afar off 
 Call to us to pause and listen, 
 Speak in tones so plain and childlike, 
 Scarcely can the ear distinguish 
 Whether they are sung or spoken. 
 
 LONGFELLOW. Hiawatha. 
 
 LANCASHIRE bibliographers, notwithstanding the 
 labour that has already been done, may live in 
 hopes of bringing to light from time to time fresh material 
 for ballad lovers. In Mr. W. C. Hazlitt's " Handbook of 
 Popular, Poetical, and Dramatic Literature of Great Britain 
 to the Restoration " there are several entries of ballads and 
 broadsides that have a distinct local flavour. Thus we have : 
 A caveate to beware of false coseners by a late example of 
 a Lancashire man cosened of v. 1. Transferred to R. Jones 
 in 1579 from H. Denham. 
 
33O Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Strange Newes of a prodigious Monster born in the 
 Township of Adlington, in the Parish of Standish, in the 
 County of Lancaster, the 17 Day of Aprill, 1613. London, 
 Printed for S. P., by S. M., 1613, 4to. This was published 
 by the Rev. William Leigh. 
 
 A Declaration of a Strange and Wonderful Monster, Born 
 at Kirkham Parish, in Lancashire. London, Printed by 
 Jane Coe, 1641, 4to. This is noticed in Col. Fish wick's 
 " History of Kirkham." 
 
 An Excellent Ballad, Intituled the unfortunate Love 
 of a Lancashire Gentleman, and the hard Fortune of a 
 young Bride. The tune is, Come, follow my Love. 
 Printed for F. Coles, S. Vere, and W. Gilbertson. 
 
 There is another edition of this mentioned in the Ouvry 
 Catalogue, No. 58. 
 
 The Lancashire Lovers; or, The merry wooing of 
 Thomas and Betty, to the tune of Love's Tide, or At home 
 would I be in my own country. Printed for J. Wright, J. 
 Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passenger. A sheet, black 
 letter. 
 
 The Lancashire Cuckold, to the Tune of Fond Boy, &c. 
 London, printed for I. Blare, on London Bridge. 
 
 This is a coarse version of the tale of " The Basin." Mr. 
 W. C. Hazlitt has pointed out other variants of the story, 
 which is to be found in the " History of Jack Homer," and 
 is not unlike the old German legend of the "Golden Goose," 
 as told by Grimm. 
 
 In the second series of the same author's " Bibliographical 
 Collections," published in 1882, by Mr. B. Quaritch, there 
 
Some Old Lancashire Ballads. 331 
 
 are some further entries that are exceedingly interesting to 
 local bibliographers. Thus, under Lancashire, we have, 
 amongst others, the following : 
 
 A new northerne songe of a Lancashire lad. Licensed to 
 E. White, 8 Aug., 1588. 
 
 Lankeshiers lamentacon for the Deathe of the noble Erie 
 Derbie. Licensed to John Danter, n Oct., 1593. 
 
 A Lancashire man's love for the marriage of the right 
 honorable the Erie of Derbie. Licensed to T. Gosson, 6 
 Feb., 1594-5- 
 
 Strange Newes of a Prodigious Monster. . . . 1613. 
 Licensed to Samuel Man, 12 June, 1613. 
 
 A ballad of a murder in Lancashire revealed by a calfe. 
 Licensed to John Trundle, 12 March, 1614-15. 
 
 Newes out of Lancashire, or the strange and miraculous 
 revelacon of a murther, by a ghost, a calf, a pigeon, &c. 
 Licensed (conditionally) to John Trundle, 12 September, 
 1615. 
 
 A Lancashire wonder. A ballad. Licensed to Thomas 
 Lambert, 2 Feb., 1637-8. 
 
 We have the ballad of "The Miller's Daughter of Man- 
 chester," which is discussed in another part of this volume, 
 and several entries relating to Charles Benet, the " Wonder- 
 ful Child, but Three Years old," who, says the credible 
 historian, " doth speak Latin, Greek, and Hebrew." 
 
 Amongst the folk-books chronicled by Mr. John Ashton 
 ("Chapbooks of the Eighteenth Century." London, 1882, 
 p. 74), there is a narrative which takes the name of Liver- 
 pool in vain. The much promising title reads thus : 
 
33 2 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 The Wonder of Wonders, being A Strange and Wonderful 
 Relation of a Mermaid, that was seen and spoken with, on 
 the Black Rock, nigh Liverpool, by John Robinson Mariner, 
 who was tossed on the Ocean for Six days and Nights; 
 Together with the Conversation he had with her, and how 
 he was preserved ; with the Manner of his Death five days 
 after his return Home. Licensed and entered According to 
 Order. 
 
 A slight quotation may be allowed : 
 
 " But to his great Amazement, he espy'd a beautiful young 
 Lady combing her head, and toss'd on the Billows, cloathed 
 all in green (but by chance he got the first word with her) 
 then she with a Smile came on board, and asked how he 
 did. The young Man being Something Smart and a 
 Scholar, reply'd Madam I am the better to see you in good 
 Health, in great hopes trusting you will be a comfort and 
 assistance to me in this my low Condition ; and so caught 
 hold of her Comb and Green Girdle that was About her 
 Waist. To which she replied, Sir, you ought not to rob 
 a young Woman of her Riches, and then expect a favour at 
 her Hands ; but if you will give me my Comb and Girdle 
 again, what lies in my power I will do for you." 
 
 No Sailor could resist such an entreaty and 
 
 " At her departure the Tempest ceased and blew a fair 
 Gale to South West, so he got safe on shore ; but when he 
 came to his Father's House he found every Thing as she 
 had told him. For she told him also concerning his being 
 left on Ship board, and how all the Seamen perished, which 
 he found all true what she had told him, according to the 
 
Some Old Lancashire Ballads. 333 
 
 promise made him. He was still very much troubled in his 
 Mind, concerning his promise, but yet while he was thus 
 musing, she appeared to him with a smiling Countenance 
 and (by his Misfortune) she got the first word of him, so that 
 he could not speak one Word, but was quite Dumb, yet he 
 took Notice of the Words she spoke; and she began to Sing. 
 After which she departed out of the young Man's sight, 
 taking from him the Compass. She took a Ring from off 
 her Finger, and put it on the young Man's, and said, she 
 expected to see him once again with more Freedom. But 
 he never saw her more, upon which he came to himself 
 again, went home, and was taken ill, and died in five Days 
 after, to the wonderful Admiration of all People who saw the 
 young Man." 
 
 In Mr. J. O. Halliwell's Notices of Fugitive Tracts (Percy 
 Society, 1849, P- 35) there is one mentioned having the 
 following title : " A New Prophecy, or an account of a 
 young girl (of Torver, in the parish of Ulverston, in Lan- 
 caster), not above eight years of age, who being in trance, or 
 lay as dead for the space of forty-eight hours ; with an 
 account of the strange and wonderful sight that she saw in 
 the other world." One has a natural desire to catch even a 
 glimpse of the future, and I am sure there are many who 
 would be glad to know what the little Lancashire maiden 
 did see. A further notice of this Katherine Ashton is given 
 in " Chapbooks of the Eighteenth Century " (p. 63). 
 
 Mr. Halliwell notices a small pamphlet, in octavo, 
 printed in 1772, and called "Good News for England; 
 being a strange and remarkable account how a stranger in 
 
334 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 bright raiment appeared to one Farmer Edwards, near 
 Lancaster, on the i2th of last month." (HalliwelPs Notices 
 of Fugitive Tracts, 1849, P- 8 5-) 
 
 Gramercy Penny 
 
 Being a Lancashire ditty, and chiefly penn'd 
 To prove that a penny is a man's best friend, 
 
 is the title of a ballad in the Pepy's Collection, I. 218. It 
 is attributed to Laurence Price (" The Roxburghe Ballads," 
 vol. i, p. 364, and Chappell's Popular Music, i. 357). 
 
 Mr. Chappell gives several instances of the fame of the 
 "Lancashire Hornpipes," and of the reputation of the 
 county for fiddlers (p. 135, 240, 534, 546). The "Man- 
 chester Angel" was once a popular song (p. 734). The 
 tune to "Farewell Manchester" is said to have been played 
 when the rebels marched from the town in 1745 (p. 683). 
 
 As trade songs are not now plentiful in Lancashire we 
 may conclude with the following not unfair specimen of 
 songs that must once have been common. It is taken from 
 "The Manchester Songster," printed by G. Swindells, at 
 Manchester, in 1792. 
 
 THE JOLLY FUSTIAN-CUTTER. 
 
 When Adam kept house in the garden of Eden, 
 His wife and himself nought but fruit had to feed on ; 
 The fig-tree alone was their ward-robe we're told, 
 No pockets they needed for silver and gold. 
 
 Deny down, &c. 
 
 No cash they e'er wanted, no creditors knew, 
 Whatever they wished for around them it grew ; 
 
Some Old Lancashire Ballads. 335 
 
 Their clothes knew no cutting, their food ne'er felt knife, 
 Without thought of either they jogg'd on thro' life. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 From that time to this, Sirs, how alter'd the case, 
 Now ctittings the game for food, clothing, and place ; 
 'Tis cut as cut can all the world thro' we see, 
 But who cut so fairly, yet constant as we ? 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 Six days out of seven, from morning till night, 
 For a living we cut ; who can say we're not right ? 
 Tho' many cross-cuts in this life we may find, 
 The long-cut, straight forward 's the cut to my mind. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 One neighbour his neighbour may cut out of place, 
 Such cutting can't honestly look in the face ; 
 The gamester, the cards he may cut to himself, 
 Tho' the stake he secures 'tis but ill gotten pelf. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 The spruce dancing master, as fine as a jay, 
 His capers may cut, and his kit he may play ; 
 We can match him I war'nt, if our work we pursue, 
 Nor the capers alone but the mutton cut too. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 May George sit secure on a peaceable throne, 
 Nor our heart-of-oak standard be ever cut down ; 
 Should the Spaniards again dare to venture a rub, 
 Their whiskers be d d they our Fustians can't drub. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
 Long may Fustian Cutters in sweet harmony, 
 United work on, with the Merchant agree ; 
 No strife or contentions arise to appal, 
 Till Death, that sly Cutter, shall cut for us all. 
 
 Derry down, &c. 
 
GEORGE FOX'S FIRST ENTRY 
 INTO LANCASHIRE. 
 
 And they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars 
 for ever and ever. 
 
 DANIEL xii. 3. 
 
 WE who see the members of the Society of Friends, 
 staid and almost universally respectable and 
 respected, can have little real conception of the time 
 when they were hemmed in by a ring of cruel persecution, 
 and themselves ablaze with fiery enthusiasm. George Fox, 
 the founder of the Quakers, came of godly lineage. His 
 father was called, by his neighbours, " Righteous Christer," 
 and his mother " was of the stock of the martyrs." He was 
 born in 1624, at Drayton-in-the-Clay, in Leicestershire, and 
 in his childhood was remarkable for his quaint unchildish 
 ways, not delighting in innocent play, but rather noted 
 for a gravity beyond his years. When nineteen, he says, 
 " At the command of God, on the pth of the yth month, 
 1643, I l ft mv relations, and broke off all familiarity or 
 fellowship with old or young." He talked with many pro- 
 
George Foxs First Entry into Lancashire. 337 
 
 fessors of religion, but obtained no help from them. On 
 returning to his own people some advised him to marry, 
 others to turn soldier. An " ancient priest," to whom he 
 unfolded the troubles which now agitated his soul, pre- 
 scribed, as a cure, tobacco and psalm singing ! Neither 
 remedy suited George Fox. He now began to hold that 
 doctrine of the inner light which is the basis of all mystical 
 philosophy. By inspiration and vision he held that he had 
 attained the truth he had so long sought after. " I heard," 
 he says, "of a woman in Lancashire, that had fasted two 
 and twenty days, and I travelled to see her ; but when I 
 came to her I found she was under a temptation. When I 
 had spoken to her what I had from the Lord I left her, her 
 father being one high in profession. Passing on I went 
 among the professors at Duckingfield and Manchester, where 
 I stayed awhile, and declared truth among them." This 
 was the beginning of the ministry of George Fox in the year 
 1648. Local tradition points out the stone cross, at Dukin- 
 field, as the place where his public ministry commenced. 
 The cross no longer holds its original position. The base 
 was in the possession of the late Mr. Alfred Aspland, F.R.C.S. 
 He now began to move about the country preaching his 
 new doctrine, reproving sinners, and exhorting rich and poor 
 to the due performance of their duty. His religion was of a 
 very practical kind, and he laid small stress upon accuracy 
 of belief that did not involve Tightness of life. He was the 
 very incarnation of plain speaking, and went right to the 
 heart of things. To take the hat off in honour of a fellow- 
 creature seemed to him a species of idolatry. So he refused 
 
338 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 to render " hat-honour " to anyone, and addressed " thee " 
 and "thou" alike to high and low. He refused to take 
 oaths of any kind. He refused to bear arms or pay tithes. 
 This plain, honest, sober-living countryman, who had no 
 awe of dignities before him, was to be a trouble and a 
 stumbling block to the authorities. There was no common 
 ground between them. He held the witness of the Spirit to 
 be higher than the ruling of the law or the letter of the 
 Scripture. Authority he set at nought, for he felt that he 
 had the certain word of the Lord to deliver to his fellow 
 men. So he went into courts of law and exhorted judges to 
 act justly, he bade publicans not to make men drunk, he 
 declaimed against May games and feasts, he stood in the 
 Market Place and denounced the frauds of the hucksters, 
 he cried out against mountebanks and music, he exhorted 
 schoolmasters and heads of families to bring up the children 
 committed to them in the fear of the Lord. But that which 
 chiefly excited his indignation was what he calls the black 
 earthy spirit of the priests. The church bell had no sweet 
 sound for his ears, but " was just like a market bell to gather 
 people together, that the priest might expose his wares to 
 sale." He was imprisoned at Nottingham "as a youth" 
 who had disturbed the congregation by denying the truth of 
 the doctrine in the parson's sermon. 
 
 In 1652 occurred a memorable visit to Lancashire. 
 George Fox, coming into the county from Yorkshire, felt 
 " moved by the Lord " to ascend the " very great and high 
 hill " of Pendle. From its lofty summit he saw not only the 
 sea bordering upon the country, but the places where there 
 
George Foxs First Entry into Lancashire. 339 
 
 was to be a great gathering of the people to his faith. " As 
 I went down I found a spring of water in the side of the 
 hill, with which I refreshed myself, having eaten or drunk 
 but little in several days before." After journeying in West- 
 moreland he came to Newton-in-Cartmell, where the clergy- 
 man did not relish his unasked-for assistance in preaching at 
 the chapel. In consequence, a rude multitude seized Fox 
 guilty of the reformer's usual crime of zeal out of season 
 who hailed him from the church, and finally thew him head- 
 long over a stone wall. In this turmoil Fox spoke to one 
 who was taking notes of the clergyman's discourse. This 
 was John Braithwaite. Soon after we find him at the house 
 of Judge Fell, at Swarthmoor, disputing with a neighbour- 
 ing clergyman. Margaret Fell became a follower, and her 
 husband, though not one of the Friends, always treated them 
 tenderly. How greatly they laid themselves open to the 
 cruelty of their adversaries may be seen from George Fox's 
 narrative of an incident which occurred in 1652. "After 
 this," he says, " on a lecture day I was moved to go to the 
 steeplehouse at Ulverstone, where there were abundance of 
 professors, priests, and people. I went up near to Priest 
 Lampitt, who was blustering on in his preaching ; and after 
 the Lord had opened my mouth to speak, John Sawrey, the 
 justice, came to me and said, ' if I would speak according to 
 the Scripture I should speak.' I admired at him for speak- 
 ing so to me, for I did speak according to the Scriptures, 
 and bring the Scriptures to prove what I had to say ; for I 
 had something to speak to Lampitt and to them. Then he 
 said that I should not speak, contradicting himself. . . . 
 
340 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 The people were quiet and heard me gladly, until this Justice 
 Sawrey, who was the first stirrer-up of cruel persecution in 
 the north, incensed them against me, and set them on to 
 hate, beat, and bruise me. Then, on a sudden, the people 
 were in a rage, and fell upon me in the steeple-house before 
 his face ; they knocked me down, kicked me, trampled upon 
 me ; and so great was the uproar, that some people tumbled 
 over their seats for fear. At last he came and took me 
 from the people, led me out of the steeple-house, and put 
 me into the hands of the constables and other officers, 
 bidding them whip me out of the town. They led me about 
 a quarter of a mile, some taking hold by my collar, and some 
 by my arms and shoulders, and shook and dragged me 
 along. Many friendly people being come to the market, 
 and some of them to the steeple-house to hear me, divers 
 of these they knocked down also, and broke their heads, so 
 that the blood ran down from several of them ; and Judge 
 Fell's son running after, to see what they would do with me, 
 they threw him into a ditch of water, some of them crying, 
 4 knock the teeth out of his head.' Now when they haled me 
 to the common moss-side, a multitude of people following, 
 the constables and other officers gave me some blows over 
 my back with their willow-rods, and so thrust me among the 
 rude multitude, who, having furnished themselves, some with 
 staves, some with hedge-stakes, and others with holm or 
 holly-bushes, fell upon me, and beat me on my head, arms, 
 and shoulders, till they had deprived me of sense, so that I 
 fell down on the wet common. When I recovered again, 
 and saw myself lying in a watery common, and the people 
 
George Foxs First Entry into Lancashire. 341 
 
 about me, I lay still a little while ; and the power of the 
 Lord sprang through me, and the eternal refreshings 
 refreshed me, so that I stood up again in the strengthening 
 power of the Eternal God ; and, stretching out my arms 
 amongst; them, I said, with a loud voice, ' Strike again ; here 
 are my arms, my head, and my cheeks.' There was in the 
 company a mason, a professor, but a rude fellow ; he, with 
 his walking rule-staff, gave me a blow with all his might, just 
 over the back of my hand, as it was stretched out; with 
 which blow my hand was so bruised, and my arm so be- 
 numbed, that I could not draw it unto me again ; so that 
 some of the people cried out, ' he hath spoiled his hand for 
 ever having the use of it any more.' But I looked at it in 
 the love of God (for I was in the love of God to them all 
 that had persecuted me), and after a while the Lord's power 
 sprang through me again, and through my hand and arm, so 
 that in a moment I recovered strength in my hand and arm in 
 the sight of them all. Then they began to fall out among 
 themselves, and some of them came to me and said if I 
 would give them money they would secure me from the rest. 
 But I was moved of the Lord to declare to them the word 
 of life, and showed them their false Christianity, and the 
 fruits of their priest's ministry ; telling them they were more 
 like heathens and Jews than true Christians. Then was I 
 moved of the Lord to come up again through the midst of 
 the people, and go into Ulverstone market. As I went, there 
 met me a soldier with his sword by his side ; ' Sir,' said he 
 to me, * I see you are a man, and I am ashamed and grieved 
 that you should be thus abused ;' and he offered to assist me 
 
342 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 in what he could. But I told him the Lord's power was 
 over all ; so I walked through the people in the market, and 
 none of them had power to touch me then. But some of 
 the market people abusing some Friends in the market, I 
 turned me about and saw this soldier among them with his 
 naked rapier, whereupon I ran in amongst them, and catch- 
 ing hold of his hand that his rapier was in, I bid him put up 
 his sword again, if he would go along with me ; for I was 
 willing to draw him out from the company, lest some mis- 
 chief should be done. A few days after seven men fell upon 
 this soldier and beat him cruelly, because he had taken part 
 with Friends and me ; for it was the manner of the perse- 
 cutors of that country for twenty or forty people to run upon 
 one man. And they fell so upon Friends in many places, 
 that they could hardly pass the highways stoning, beating, 
 and breaking their heads. When I came to Swarthmore, I 
 found the Friends there dressing the heads and hands of 
 Friends and friendly people, which had been broken or hurt 
 that day by the professors and hearers of Lampitt, the priest. 
 My body and arms were yellow, black, and blue, with the 
 blows and bruises I received amongst them that day. Now 
 began the priests to prophesy again, that within half a year 
 we should be all put down and gone." He was afterwards 
 imprisoned in Lancaster Castle. 
 
 Such was George Fox's early reception in Lancashire, and 
 yet he reaped a great harvest in the county that used him so 
 cruelly at first. 
 
THE LEGEND OF MAB'S CROSS. 
 
 If I might look on her sweet face, 
 And know that she is happy. 
 
 TENNYSON. Enoch Ardcn. 
 
 ON the road from Wigan to Haigh may yet be seen 
 the remains of the ancient wayside cross, known as 
 Mab's Cross. Connected with it is a legend relating to the 
 ancient family of the Braidshaighs, of the Haigh, from 
 whom the present noble family of Lindsays, of Haigh, are 
 descendants in the female line. Sir Walter Scott, in the 
 introduction to the " Betrothed," has given an extract from 
 an old pedigree roll. This must once more be quoted : 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BRADSHAGHE, 20. 
 SONE TO SIR IOHN WAS A 
 GREAT TRAVELLER AND A 
 SOULDYER AND MARRIED 
 
 TO 
 
 MABELL DAUGHTER AND 
 SOLE HEIRE OF HUGH 
 NORIS DE HAGHE AND 
 BLACKRODE AND HAD ISSUE 
 I N. 8 G 2. 
 
 OF THIS MABEL is A STORY BY TRADITION OF UNDOUTED 
 VERITY THAT IN SR WILLIAM BRADSHAGE's ABSENCE 
 (BEING 10 YEARES AWAY IN THE WARES) SHE 
 
344 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 MARRIED TO A WELCH KT SR WlLLIAM RETORNINGE 
 FROM THE WARES CAME IN A PALMER'S HABIT AMO- 
 NGST THE POORE TO HAGHE. WHO WHEN SHE SAW & 
 CONGETRINGE THAT HE FAVOURED HER FORMER 
 HUSBAND WEPT, FOR WHICH THE KT CHASTICED HER 
 AT WICH SR WILLIAM WENT AND MADE HIM SELFE 
 KNAWNE TO HIS TENNANTS IN WCH SPACE THE KT 
 FLED, BUT NEARE TO NEWTON PARKE SR WlLLIAM OUER- 
 
 TOOKE HIM AND SLUE HIM. THE SAID DAME 
 
 MABEL WAS ENIOYNED BY HER CONFESSOR TO 
 DOE PENNANCES BY GOING ONEST EVERY WEEK 
 BAREFOUT AND BARE LEGG'D TO A CROSS NER WlGAN 
 FROM THE HAGHE WILEST SHE LIUED & IS CALLED 
 MABB x TO THIS DAY; AND THER MONUMENT LYES 
 IN WIGAN CHURCH AS YOU SEE THER PORTRD. 
 
 AN: DOM : 1315." 
 
 Tradition further states that he made himself known by 
 dropping into the cup of the bride a ring with which they 
 pledged faith on his departure. This legend is one that 
 forms a characteristic example of the migration of fables 
 and popular stories. The Lancashire form of the legend is 
 given above, and also forms the basis of one of Roby's 
 "Traditions." The same story is traditionally asserted of 
 Sir Ralph de Stayley. Roe Cross, near Stayley, in Cheshire, 
 and the mutilated sepulchral monument in Mottram Church, 
 known as " Roe and his wife," are the local " evidences." 
 ( Gentlcmari s Magazine^ December, 1866.) There is a 
 Devonshire legend that when Sir Francis Drake went on 
 his famous South Sea voyage he asked his wife to wait 
 eleven years for his return. At the expiration of this time 
 she was about to marry a Devonshire squire, but as the 
 
The Legend of MaUs Cross. 345 
 
 wedding procession was on its way to church " a vast round 
 stone fell on the skirt of her dress," and soon after the 
 sailor-knight returned disguised as a beggar man. A popular 
 ballad still in the north country is that which tells how Sir 
 William Wentworth Blackett, of Bretton, returned after an 
 absence of twenty-one years just in time to prevent the 
 second marriage of his wife. (Ingledew : " Ballads and 
 Songs of Yorkshire.") A similar Derbyshire tradition has 
 been made the subject of a fine poem by Richard Howitt. 
 In the ballad of " King Estmere," given in Percy's Reliques, 
 we have another version of the incident of the disguised 
 knight. 
 
 The name of Here ward is one that has gathered round 
 it many traditions, and amongst them is one that the Saxon 
 leader recovered for an Irish Knight a Cornish princess, whose 
 father had other matrimonial intentions for his daughter. 
 In this story the ring is given by the princess. (Wright's 
 " Essays," vol. ii., p. 98.) 
 
 The story forms part of the plot of the romance of King 
 Horn, a very curious mediaeval relic, of which there are at 
 least three distinct versions, two English and one French. 
 The earliest English MS. belongs to the latter half of the 
 thirteenth century, and the French is of about equal anti- 
 quity. The English King Horn was printed for the Early 
 English Text Society in 1866. Rymenhild recognises her 
 long lost lord by means of the ring. There are many 
 variations of the story in the Scotch ballads of Hyndehorn, 
 as may be seen in Professor Child's noble collection of 
 English Ballads." 
 
346 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Scott, who had the legend of Mab's Cross from the 
 Lindsays, also translated the German ballad of " The Noble 
 Moringer,"who returns from a pilgrimage in consequence of a 
 vision that warns him of the impending remarriage of his 
 wife. He returns and makes himself known by dropping a 
 ring into the lady's cup at the marriage feast. This was the 
 subject of a popular German song in the fifteenth century. 
 Tieck has based a drama upon the subject. There is also an 
 opera by Mr. Marcellus Higgs. The legend has also been 
 localisedat the castle of Sayn on the Rhine. (Snowe's "Legends 
 of the Rhine.") There is a popular chapbook, in which the 
 story is told of Henry the Lion, Duke of Brunswick. The 
 " Heldenbuch," attributed to Wolfram von Eschenbach, 
 who flourished about the beginning of the thirteenth century, 
 is a narrative of the adventures of certain old German 
 worthies, who are supposed to have flourished at an earlier 
 date than the mythical heroes of the Nibelungenlied. In 
 this the adventure with Irving is narrated of Wolfdietrich 
 and the lady Sieghmin. (Scott, Weber, and Jameson's 
 "Northern Antiquities.") There are two or more Norse 
 tales that bear on this legend. One is " Master Tobacco," 
 and the other is that of Halvor and the bride he seeks in 
 Soria Moria Castle. (Dasent's " Popular Tales from the 
 Norse.") Still earlier it is in the saga of Frithiof. The 
 original legend has been made the basis of Tegner's well 
 known drama. 
 
 The romance of Pontus of Galicia, it is believed, was 
 written by order of Pontus de la Tour Landry, between 
 1424 and 1450. There was an English translation issued 
 
The Legend of MaUs Cross. 347 
 
 by Wynkyn de Worde, and one chapter of it tells " How 
 Sydonye knew the pilgrim Ponthus by a ring that she had 
 given him, or he went for to dwell in England." A curious 
 variant of the legend occurs in the Decameron of Boccaccio, 
 and Manni has tried to show that it has an historical 
 foundation. (" Istoria del Decamerone," p. 601.) 
 
 Finally, we may point out that all these European stories 
 have probably come from the East. The legend of the 
 ring appears in the " Katha Sagit Sagara," which was com- 
 posed in the twelfth century by Somadeva Bhatta, who 
 worked up the tales he found in an earlier collection known 
 as the " Vrihat Katha," for the amusement of his mistress, 
 the Queen of Cashmere. (" Katha Sara Sagara," heraus, 
 gegeben von Dr. H. Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1839.) The 
 Indian story is told with many wild embellishments, and in 
 place of a cup the ring is dropped into the vase, in which 
 a maiden of the lady is drawing water. 
 
 Thus have we traced this ancient tradition through many 
 forms to which other variants might doubtless be added. 
 The legend is not only widespread, but is one calculated to 
 captivate the young imagination. In its nobler forms it is 
 fit for a poet in his youth, and has charmed the fancy of 
 Tieck, Boccaccio, Tegner, and Scott. 
 
THE LINDSAYS IN LANCASHIRE. 
 
 There is something indescribably sublime in the idea of a race of 
 human beings influencing society through a series of ages, either by the 
 avatar, at distant intervals, of heroes, poets, and philosophers, whose 
 names survive among us, familiar as household words, for centuries after 
 their disappearance, or by the continuous development of genius, wisdom, 
 and virtue, through successive generations, till the name which has been 
 thus immortalised becomes at last, through the experience of mankind, 
 presumptive of worth in the individuals who bear it. 
 
 ALEXANDER, EARL OF CRAWFORD AND BALCARRES. 
 Lives of the Lindsays. 
 
 THESE words, though not so applied by their writer, are 
 not without a certain fitness as characteristic of the 
 Lindsays. The house of Lindsay is one of the most famous 
 of the Scottish families, its head being the premier Earl by 
 reason of the Earldom of Crawford, which was created in 
 1 398. The other peerage titles it holds are those of Lindsay, 
 which dates from 1633; Balcarres, which was created in 
 1651; and Balniel, which belongs to the same year. These 
 were all dignities of the Scottish peerage, but in 1826 the 
 then Earl of Balcarres was summoned to the House of Lords 
 as Baron Wigan in the peerage of the United Kingdom. 
 
The Lindsays in Lancashire. 349 
 
 The history of the family has been told by one who added 
 fresh lustre to its annals, and the " Lives of the Lindsays," 
 by the late Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, is perhaps the 
 most important book of its kind. It was commenced in 
 1831 whilst he was yet an undergraduate. After careful 
 revision it was published in 1849, and at once took its place 
 as one of the most fascinating contributions to family history 
 in the language. The first and unpublished edition was 
 printed at Wigan, and the preface to the second book is 
 dated from Haigh and appeared in 1838. In it the fortunes 
 of the family are traced from the times of the Normans. 
 One of the race, Sir David of Crawford, was one of the stout 
 Scotchmen who replied to the excommunication hurled by 
 Pope John XXII. at the adherents of the national party. 
 " Never so long as one hundred Scots are alive will we be 
 subject to the yoke of England," was their declaration. At 
 the battle of Otterburn 
 
 The Lindsays flew like fire about 
 Till all the fray was done. 
 
 They were also amongst the ill-fated warriors at Flodden 
 Field. Their name was further made famous by " Sir David 
 Lindsay, of the Mount, Lord Lyon King at Arms," the great 
 national poet and satirist of the fifteenth century. It was a 
 Lindsay who challenged Bothwell to single combat and 
 forced the beautiful Mary Queen of Scots to abdicate in 
 favour of her son. An Earl of Crawford was one of the 
 Catholic lords who entered into a correspondence with Spain 
 before the Armada. The first Lord Balcarres was a friend 
 
350 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 of Drummond of Hawthornden. In the stormy civil war 
 the various branches of the Lindsays were not always arrayed 
 on the same side. Earl Ludovic was with King Charles 
 when the standard was reared at Nottingham, but Lord 
 Balcarres was a leader of the cause of the Covenant, but he 
 opposed the surrender of Charles I. to the Parliament of 
 England, and afterward sided with the Royalists. 
 
 The connection of the Lindsays with Lancashire dates 
 from the year 1780, when Alexander, seventh Earl of 
 Balcarres, married his cousin-german Elizabeth Dalrymple, 
 the heiress of the Bradshaighs of Haigh. Earl Alexander 
 served in the war of the American revolution, and had 
 behaved with gallantry at Saratoga when opposed to Bene- 
 dict Arnold. Some time after, when presented at court, the 
 Earl was introduced by the king to this infamous personage. 
 " What, sire," said the Earl, retreating, " the traitor Arnold ? " 
 This led to a challenge, and it was agreed each should fire 
 at a given signal. Arnold fired and missed his man. The 
 Earl walked away. " Why don't you fire, my lord ? " cried 
 Arnold. "Sir," said Lord Balcarres, looking over his 
 shoulder, " I leave you to the executioner ! " He saw 
 military service in various directions, and was the suppressor 
 of a formidable Maroon insurrection which occurred whilst 
 he was Governor of Jamaica between 1795 and 1801. After 
 his return in 1801, he lived chiefly at Haigh, and devoted 
 himself to building up the fortune of his own family and that 
 of his wife, who had brought him the ancient heritage of the 
 Bradshaighs. An accident had lamed him for ever. He 
 found Haigh in ruins, the furniture sold, the land undrained, 
 
The Lindsays in Lancashire. 351 
 
 the farms in decay, the mines unworked and forsaken. All 
 this was changed by his exertions, and before his death, in 
 1825, he could say, "The efforts of my life, both in my 
 public and private pursuits, have been successful ; we have 
 once more reared our heads ; a handsome competence has 
 again fallen to our lot and praised be the Author of all 
 good for it ! " To his sister, Lady Anne Barnard, the world 
 owes the pathetic ballad of " Auld Robin Gray," which was 
 written when she was twenty-one. 
 
 The seventh Earl, James, was born in 1783, and satin 
 the House of Commons for Wigan from 1820-5, but in 1826 
 was created Baron Wigan in the peerage of the United 
 Kingdom. The Earldom of Crawford was confirmed to him 
 by the House of Lords in 1848. He died in 1869, and was 
 succeeded by his son, Alexander William Crawford Lindsay, 
 the eighth Earl, who was perhaps the most notable of the 
 Lancashire Lindsays. He was sent for education to Eton, 
 and proceeded from thence to Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 at which University he graduated M.A. in 1833. Soon 
 afterwards he visited Italy. In politics he was always a 
 Conservative, but he did not take a very active part in 
 public life; and will certainly be best remembered as 
 a graceful writer and an accomplished art critic and 
 historian. 
 
 His first work was the " Lives of the Lindsays," already 
 mentioned. The preface to his second book is dated from 
 Haigh, and appeared in 1838. In letters addressed to 
 relatives at home he gives his impressions of Egypt, Edom, 
 and the Holy Land. The East was not then so familiar as 
 
352 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 now, but five editions of Lord Lindsay's book show that he 
 possessed the power alike of observation and description. 
 In 1841 appeared a letter to a friend on "The Evidence and 
 Theory of Christianity." In a second tour to Italy Lord 
 Lindsay revisited many of the most interesting cities and 
 districts of Central Italy. In 1841 he gave to the members 
 of the Bannatyne Club a new and authentic edition of those 
 " Memoirs of the Revolution in Scotland," which were 
 presented by Colin, Earl of Balcarres, to James II., at St. 
 Germains, in 1690. To this he prefixed a biographical 
 notice. In 1846 he published " Progression by 
 Antagonism," an essay which at first was intended as a 
 preface to his work on " Christian Art." The basis of this 
 theory is an analysis of human nature into sense, mind, and 
 spirit, and a correspending classification of individuals as 
 sensual, intellectual, or spiritual. These are capable of 
 further sub-division, but from the clash and conflict of their 
 differing natures Lord Lindsay saw the evolution of a moral 
 law of progress alike for the individual and for societies. 
 This theory he projected alike into the sphere of politics, 
 and of comparative theology. 
 
 The "Sketches of the History of Christian Art" appeared 
 in 1847. They form only a portion of the work as originally 
 projected, but remain, even as a fragment, a fitting memorial 
 of the learning and taste of their author. They are in the 
 form of letters to a young amateur artist, presumed to have 
 recently started for Italy. This amateur, in whose company 
 the author " spent many a happy day in exploring the pic- 
 torial treasures of Umbria and the Apennines," was the pre- 
 
The Lindsays in Lancashire. 353 
 
 sent Sir Coutts Lindsay. The work is at once philosophical 
 and historical. The author's theories may be deduced from 
 his memoranda respecting the ideal, the character and 
 dignity of Christian art, and the symbolism and mythology 
 of Christianity, and these are followed by an historical out- 
 line, which begins with Roman and Byzantine art, and con- 
 ducts us through the schools of the Lombards, of Pisano, 
 and of Giotto ; of Sienna, Florence, and Bologna, conclud- 
 ing with a sketch of sculpture and painting north of the 
 Alps. In a postscript he appeals to the rulers of Italy " in 
 behalf of the grand old frescoes which are either perishing 
 unheeded before their eyes, or that lie entombed beneath the 
 whitewash of barbarism, longing for resuscitation." Of this 
 book Mr. Ruskin wrote: "As a contribution to the history 
 of art his work is unquestionably the most valuable which 
 has yet appeared in England." 
 
 Lord Lindsay's interest in religious speculations was again 
 shown in 1861 by the publication of an essay on " Scepticism, 
 a Retrogressive Movement in Theology." His scholarly 
 investigations were again evidenced by the issue, in 1862, 
 of an essay " On the Theory of the English Hexameter." 
 All the preceding works were printed whilst he bore the 
 courtesy title of Lord Lindsay ; but on the death of the 
 seventh Earl in December, 1869, he became Earl of Craw- 
 ford and Balcarres. In 1870 he published a work on 
 " CEcumenicity in Relation to the Church of England." 
 Another evidence of his interest in archaeological investiga- 
 tions was afforded by his book on the " Etruscan Inscrip- 
 tions," which appeared in 1872. This is an attempt to show 
 
354 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 that the language employed in them is an ancient form of 
 German. 
 
 The latest literary venture published during the life time 
 of the late Earl was a metrical tale, entitled " Argo, or the 
 Quest of the Golden Fleece." It appeared in 1876, and was 
 written at the Villa Palmieri, near Florence, in the preceding 
 year. In a " Propylaeum," the author gives what is really 
 his own intellectual autobiography. His boyish aspira- 
 tions were ripened by his pilgrimage beneath fair Italian 
 skies, and he "dreamed of a great song, 'Jerusalem 
 Destroyed.'" Then his Egyptian travels turned his thoughts 
 in another direction, and he thought to tell " How Providence 
 works out the mighty epos of mankind." In thus listening 
 to the words of divine philosophy he stopped his ears to the 
 voice of the muse. But for the first time after many years 
 came weariness of heart, and in his villa palace and garden 
 fair, where Boccaccio told the story of the Decameron he 
 looked out upon the world where " all that truth has con- 
 quered seems as lost." The aspect of continental nations, 
 the growth of democracy in England, the lack of " the old 
 enthusiasm that inspired our sires, ourselves the father of 
 this time," all disturbed his spirit. Soon, however, he 
 remembers that "Truth is great, and will prevail that Time 
 truth's harvest sows in every century for the next to reap." 
 Then the long-neglected muse appears, and bids him sing 
 the song of Argo. 
 
 He married, in 1846, Margaret, the eldest daughter of 
 Lieutenant-General James Lindsay, of Balcarres. From this 
 union sprang one son and six daughters. 
 
The Lindsays in Lancashire. 355 
 
 The following passage, written in 1875, ma Y fittingly be 
 quoted : 
 
 My daughters' voices carolling I hear 
 And one comes forth, their mother, who hath been 
 My inspiration since her childhood's hour ; 
 The Beatrice of my life renewed ; 
 My truest monitor, 'tween earth and heaven; 
 Composing all harsh chords to harmony 
 Beautiful more than ever in her prime, 
 In womanhood's completest grace mature 
 Comes forth, to crown the hour with sympathy, 
 With steps sedate and brow of heaven serene, 
 Giotto's full " O " is rounded in my life. 
 If blessing lack I one, I know it not ; 
 God's hand is bounteous, and my cup is full. 
 
 He died at Florence on the i3th December, 1880. 
 During the last year of his life he was occupied with a work 
 on " The Earldom of Mar in Sunshine and in Shade during 
 500 Years," and it was left at his death so far complete 
 that, with some necessary revision, it appeared in 1882. It 
 deals in an elaborate and erudite manner with the history of 
 the family, and with some of the peculiarities of the Scotch 
 law as to peerages, which he held to have been violated by 
 the action of the House of Lords in 1875. Other works 
 also remained unfinished. His body, after being embalmed, 
 was buried first at Dun Echt, and, after a crime that has 
 happily had few parallels, was transferred to the resting place 
 of the family in the church at Wigan. 
 
 He was succeeded in his honours by his son, Lord 
 Lindsay, who represented Wigan in the House of Commons 
 
356 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 from 1874-1880. The present Earl is a distinguished 
 astronomer, and accompanied the expedition which he fitted 
 out at his own expense to take observations of the Transit 
 of Venus at the Mauritius in December, 1874. The intel- 
 lectual tastes of the Lindsays are fittingly illustrated in the 
 noble library at Haigh Hall, where the late Earl gathered 
 together the most remarkable private collection in the 
 county, if not indeed in the kingdom. 
 
THE LIVERPOOL TRAGEDY. 
 
 Murder most foul, as in the best it is ; 
 But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. 
 
 SHAKSPERE. 
 
 AMONGST the street ballads of the present century is 
 one, entirely destitute of literary merit, entitled " The 
 Liverpool Tragedy," which narrates the murder of a traveller 
 slain for the sake of his money by a wretched couple, who 
 afterwards find that the victim was their son, who had 
 returned home to share with them his hard earned wealth. 
 The Neue Freie Presse of Vienna, early in June, 1880, 
 gave currency to the following narrative of crime : 
 " Fifteen years ago a young Viennese parted from his mother 
 and two brothers to seek his fortune in America. No news 
 ever came of him ; he was supposed to be dead, and 
 lamented as such. Last month, however, the two brothers 
 received the visit of a stranger, who was no other than the 
 supposed defunct. The delight of the recognition may be 
 imagined, and we may be sure that it was not diminished 
 when the wanderer spread out on the table before his 
 
358 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 brothers' eyes the 300,000 florins which he had brought back 
 with him from America. They would not, however, keep 
 their recovered brother to themselves, and told him that 
 their mother kept an inn in a neighbouring village. It was 
 agreed that the long-lost son should not at once reveal him- 
 self to his mother, but should first go to the place incognito^ 
 and that then, after he had spent two days under his 
 mother's roof, his brothers should rejoin him there to witness 
 his revelation of himself to his mother, and celebrate the 
 reunion of the family by an impromptu festival. But the 
 fifteen years of absence had so changed the son that his 
 mother did not recognise him, and when, before going to 
 his room for the night, the young man begged his hostess to 
 take charge of his 300,000 florins for him, she had no idea 
 who it was that reposed in her such extraordinary trust. 
 Never in her life had she seen such a mass of gold ; she 
 could not sleep for the demon of cupidity gnawing at her 
 heart, and yielding at last to the temptation, she took a 
 razor, crept up to the traveller's room, and severed his 
 carotid artery with a single stroke. The body she concealed 
 in a corner of the cellar. Two days afterwards the brothers 
 arrived, and asked if a strange traveller had not come to the 
 inn. The mother grew horribly pale, and, pressed by ques- 
 tions, ended by a full confession. When told who had been 
 her victim, she ran to deliver herself to justice, crying out in 
 the midst of her sobs, ' Kill me, miserable that I am ; I have 
 murdered my son ! ' " 
 
 It will strike those who are familiar with a once famous, 
 but now almost forgotten, play, that this narrative, as well as 
 
The Liverpool Tragedy. 359 
 
 the story of " The Liverpool Tragedy," contains the exact 
 plot of George Lillo's " Fatal Curiosity." 
 
 Lillo's piece was first performed at the Little Theatre in 
 the Haymarket in 1736, and in the following year it was 
 printed as " a true tragedy of three acts." It was frequently 
 acted, and in 1782 George Colman brought out an adapta- 
 tion of it. In 1784 another adaptation was produced at 
 Covent Garden. It was from the pen of Henry Mackenzie 
 who prefixed the title of "The Shipwreck" to that 
 given by Lillo. The play was the subject of high praise 
 by James Harris, who, in his " Philosophical Inquiries," 
 says, that in this tragedy we find the model of a perfect 
 fable. 
 
 It was, perhaps, the eulogy of Harris that led both Colman 
 and Mackenzie to avail themselves of the beauties of the piece 
 whilst endeavouring to remove its blemishes. Lillo, it will 
 be seen, calls it a true tragedy. In fact his play was founded 
 upon a pamphlet called, " Newes from Perin in Cornwall, of 
 a most bloody and unexampled Murther, very lately com- 
 mitted by a Father on his owne Sonne (who was lately 
 returned from the Indyes), at the instigation of a merciless 
 Stepmother, Together with their several most wretched 
 Endes ; being all performed in the Month of September last, 
 Anno 1618.," 4to. B. L. 
 
 The only copy known of this tract is in the Bodleian 
 Library. The event is recorded also in William Sanderson's 
 " Compleat History of the Lives and Reigns of Mary, Queen 
 of Scotland, and of her Son James" (London, 1656), and in 
 Thomas Frankland's " Annals of James L and Charles L" 
 
360 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 (London, 1681). Baker, in his " Biographia Dramatica," 
 has quoted the last named authority. 
 
 Dunlop mentions the same story as told by Vincenzo 
 Rota in one of the late novelle, written early in the last 
 century, but not printed until 1794. Here the murder is 
 located at Brescia. Dunlop mentions another version, 
 where the tragedy is said to have happened at a Norman inn. 
 He also states that Werner's " Twenty-fourth of February " 
 is founded on a similar incident. 
 
 Lillo's play has been both printed in Germany, and tran- 
 slated into German in the last century. These circumstances 
 seem to warrant us in supposing that the Viennese horror is 
 due to the ingenuity of some purveyor of news, who, for 
 motives best known to himself, but still not difficult to guess 
 at, has passed off an old tragedy as police news. 
 
 How accurately he had gauged the public taste may be 
 judged from the fact that his story was copied in a great 
 number of newspapers in Europe and America. London, 
 Philadelphia, Manchester, and Constantinople were alike 
 interested. 
 
 But had the pamphlet on which Lillo bases his plot any 
 foundation in fact ? The Cornish historians are not, indeed, 
 silent upon the subject ; but all rest their case upon the 
 pamphlet, which has all the air of one of those imaginative 
 news letters in which the writer draws upon his fancy for his 
 facts. If this surmise be correct it must be admitted that 
 in this case his imagination has served him well. 
 
LANCASHIRE PROVERBS. 
 
 Proverbs are the texts of common life. 
 
 L. C. GENT. Dictionary of English Proverbs. 
 
 THE excellence of the collection of " English Proverbs 
 and Proverbial Phrases," edited by Mr. W. Carew 
 Hazlitt, has been so generally recognised that the new 
 edition, which is "greatly enlarged and carefully revised" 
 (published by Messrs. Reeves and Turner in 1882), will be 
 warmly welcomed by those who delight in those quaint say- 
 ings which are said to preserve the wisdom of many and the 
 wit of one. In addition to what are usually known as proverbs 
 things easy to recognise though difficult to define Mr. 
 Hazlitt includes in his widespread net many local phrases 
 which, from their traditional currency, may be reckoned as 
 part of the unwritten culture of the commonalty. Several of 
 these relate to Lancashire, and were supplied to Mr. Hazlitt 
 by the spontaneous courtesy of the late Mr. John Higson, to 
 Lees, a ripe antiquary, whose death was a great loss to local 
 archaeology. The greater part of these sayings refer to 
 specific places in County Palatine. Some are mere rhymes 
 
362 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 for the better recollection of certain facts or fictions in con- 
 nection with scenery or natural phenomena. Thus : 
 
 Irk, Irwell, Medlock, and Tame, 
 
 When they meet with the Mersey do lose their name. 
 
 These are names of small streams, which, by joining the 
 larger river, lose their separate existence. Similar is the 
 well-known Mytton rhyme : 
 
 The Hodder, the Calder, the Kibble, and Rain, 
 All meet in a point on Mytton's domain. 
 
 Another version runs : 
 
 Hodder and Calder and Kibble and Rain, 
 All meet together in Mytton demesne. 
 
 A third is of a depreciatory character : 
 
 The Hodder, the Calder, Kibble and Rain, 
 All joined together can't carry a bean. 
 
 " As old as Pendle Hill " is a Lancashire method of express- 
 ing the superlative of antiquity, and truly this one of the 
 brotherhood of the " everlasting hills " may well be the 
 symbol of a hoary past. The native is not altogether indis- 
 posed to slightly exaggerate its greatness : 
 
 Pendle, Ingleborough, and Penigent, 
 
 Are the three highest hills between Scotland and Trent. 
 
 Another version runs : 
 
 Pendle, Penigent and Ingleborough, 
 
 Are the three highest hills all England thorough. 
 
Lancashire Proverbs. 363 
 
 " These three hills," says John Ray, " are in sight of each 
 other; Pendle, on the edge of Lancashire; Penigent and 
 Ingleborough, near Settle, in Yorkshire, and not far from 
 Westmoreland. In Wales, I think Snowdon, Cader Idris, 
 and Plinlimmon are higher." Mr. Hazlitt adds : " Grey 
 Friar, in the north of Lancashire, and Whernside. in York- 
 shire, are loftier than Pendle Hill. But in such cases as 
 this, the country folks are sure to maintain the honour of 
 their own, in spite of facts and ordnance surveys." 
 
 When Pendle wears its woolly cap, 
 The farmers all may take a nap. 
 
 There is a similar saying as to Old Know, near Rochdale. 
 Another great Lancashire Hill is Rivington Pike, which rises 
 1,545 feet above the sea level. The weather prophets have 
 not neglected this indicator, and'affirm that 
 
 If Rivington Pike do wear a hood, 
 Be sure the day will ne'er hold good. 
 
 Another proverb has given rise to some misconception : 
 
 Kent and Keer 
 
 Have parted many a good man and his meer. 
 
 This is given by Mr. Higson, who observes that these two 
 rivers in Lancashire are "fatal or dangerous to persons 
 attempting to ford them with their horses or mares." Pro- 
 fessor Skeat includes this in his edition of Pegge's Kent- 
 icisms, and explains "Keer" to mean (probably) "care." 
 "The river Kent, at low water, flows in several channels 
 over the sands to the middle of Morecambe Bay. The 
 
364 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Keer enters upon the sands in a broad and rapid current, 
 rendering the passage over it at times more dangerous than 
 fording the Kent. Many have perished in fording both 
 rivers when swollen, and in crossing the adjacent sands 
 without due regard to the state of the tide." Such is the 
 explanation given in " Lancashire Legends " by Harland and 
 Wilkinson. 
 
 Lancashire is famous for its mosses, but only that of 
 Pilling appears to have attained proverbial renown. " Never 
 done, like Pilling Moss," is by no means a bad way of 
 expressing a lengthy continuity. Speculation as to the origin 
 of these great sealike wastes must often have entered the 
 mind of the curious beholder. The favourite solution of the 
 enigma would seem to be : 
 
 Once a wood, then a sea, 
 Now a moss, and e'er will be. 
 
 There is another saying : " God's grace and Pilling Moss are 
 boundless." Many of these rhymes are satirical allusions to 
 various places and their people : 
 
 Preston for panmugs, 
 Huyton for pride, 
 Childwall for toiling, 
 And playing beside. 
 
 Another version runs : 
 
 Prescot, Huyton, and merry Childow, 
 Three parish churches all in a row : 
 Prescot for mugs, Huyton for ploydes, 
 Childow for ringing and singing besides. 
 
Lancashire Proverbs. 365 
 
 " Ployde " is a word that has escaped our local glossary- 
 makers. It is interpreted as "merry meetings," although 
 some think that ploughs are meant. 
 
 There are various rhymes about Preston, of which the 
 best known is : 
 
 Proud Preston, 
 
 Poor people ; 
 High church, 
 
 Low steeple. 
 
 Mr. Higson gives a version of the same proverb applied to 
 another town :, 
 
 Proud Ashton, poor people, 
 
 Ten bells, and an old crackt steeple. 
 
 Mr. Higson remarks : " This must have originated many 
 years ago, as the church was damaged by a thunderstorm in 
 January, 1791, and the tower rebuilt in 1820-1. No one 
 but an Ashtonian born and bred can pronounce the name of 
 their town as they do. It is between Ash'on and Esh'n." 
 
 " Like Colne clock, always at one," is a way of saying that 
 a person or thing is always the same. Another proverb 
 given on the authority of Mr. Higson has a very modern 
 smack and was probably applied to the local scene by an 
 admirer of Sir Walter Scott : 
 
 He who would see old Hoghton right, 
 Must view it by the pale moonlight. 
 
 Here is a local challenge which has . probably been the 
 prelude to many a well-fought field : 
 
366 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 Th' Abbey Hey bull-dogs drest i' rags, 
 Dar' no' com' out to th' Gorton lads. 
 
 Miss E. S. Holt has recorded this enigmatical rhyme : 
 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 
 
 Lived in a little house a bit aboon Bacup ; 
 
 Abr'am delved and Isaac span, 
 
 And Jacob ran about with a little kitty-can. 
 
 (Old South-East Lancashire, p. 49.) 
 
 The good qualities of certain foods is set forth in the 
 following cautious rhyme : 
 
 In Oldham brewis, wet and warm, 
 
 And Rochdale puddings there's no harm. 
 
 " Brewis," it may be necessary to explain, even to some 
 Lancashire readers, is oatcake, or bread toasted and soaked 
 in broth or stew. The word is of Welsh origin. 
 
 There is a curious saying that 
 
 In Rochdale, 
 
 Strangers prosper, natives fail. 
 
 Which we may hope is accurate to the extent of one half. 
 The following is somewhat enigmatical : " The constable 
 of Oppenshaw sets beggars in stocks at Manchester." This, 
 say Harland and Wilkinson, "may mean that when the 
 constable of Openshaw found Manchester sparks enjoying 
 themselves too freely in his district he could follow them 
 home, and then have them placed in the stocks." 
 
 A local way of expressing the famous land of Weiss- 
 nichtwo is to say that it is " Neither in Cheshire nor Chow- 
 
Lancashire Proverbs. 367 
 
 bent." Mr. Hazlitt will, perhaps, allow us to protest against 
 the misprint of " Chawbent." Some of the phrases are 
 mere meaningless nicknames. Thus, Mr. Hazlitt gives 
 "Oldham rough heads, Boughton trotters, Smo'field 
 cossacks, Heywood monkey town." In this, Boughton 
 stands for Bolton. Many others, like " Bury muffs," " Smo- 
 bridge sondknockers," " Middleton moonrakers," &c., might 
 be added to the uncomplimentary list. Perhaps the best 
 known of these is that which draws a nice distinction 
 between "Liverpool gentlemen and Manchester men." 
 "This saying," says Mr. Hazlitt, "which is, of course, a 
 sneer at the inferior breeding of the Mancunians, may be 
 thought to be out of date now, since assuredly there is as 
 much culture at least in Manchester as at Liverpool." 
 Another saying aimed at the Mancunians is : 
 
 Manchester bred : 
 Long in the arms, 
 And short in the head. 
 
 The Manchester men may, however, console their offended 
 dignity by reflecting that the same sneer has been addressed 
 to the men of Cheshire and Derbyshire. One of the poets 
 of the hill county has indignantly retorted : 
 
 I' Darbyshire who' re born and bred, 
 
 Are strong i' th' arm, but weak i' th' head : 
 
 So th' lying proverb says. 
 Strength i' th' arm, who doubts shall feel ; 
 Strength i' th' head, its power can seal 
 
 The lips that scoff always. 
 
368 Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 The jealous jade, nor Derby born 
 
 Where praise wor due pour'd forth bu' scorn 
 
 An' lying words let faw. 
 But far above the proverb stands, 
 The Truth, that God's almighty hands 
 Ha' welded strength an' mind in one, 
 And poured it down i' plenty on 
 
 Born Darbyshire men aw. 
 
 Another " rhyme " throws some doubt on the architectural 
 orthodoxy of the Wigan church builders. " Maudlin 
 maudlin, we began, and built t' church steeple t' wrang side 
 on." "The steeple," says Mr. Higson, "is built on the 
 north side, at the junction of nave and chancel." The 
 vanished glories of Ribchester are set forth in the boast : 
 
 It is written upon a wall in Rome, 
 
 Ribchester was as rich as any town in Christendom. 
 
 "As throng as Knott Mill Fair" and "As thrunk as Eccles 
 wakes " need no explanation. 
 
 The rhymes as to the Black Knight of Ashton have been 
 noticed elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 Amongst the many prophetical sayings once current in 
 many parts is the following : 
 
 When all England is aloft, 
 Weel are they that are in Christ's Croft ; 
 And where should Christ's Croft be, 
 But between Ribble and Mersey ? 
 
 This is given by Hollingworth, who, writing in the seven- 
 teenth century, identifies the croft as the name given to the 
 
Lancashire Proverbs. 369 
 
 lands granted by the Conqueror to Roger de Poictou, 
 " inter Ripa et Mersham." Another version is : 
 
 When all the world shall be aloft, 
 Then Hallamshire shall be God's Croft. 
 
 This " ould prophesy," as Hollingworth calls it, reappears in 
 the vaticinations of the lugubrious Nixon : " One asked 
 Nixon where he might be safe in those days?" He 
 answered, " In God's Croft, between rivers Mersey and 
 Dee." The meaning of u Beyond Lawrence of Lancashire " 
 is not very apparent, but the phrase itself is an old one. 
 " He has Lathom and Knowsley," is a Lancashire phrase 
 intended to convey an idea of the superlative in personal 
 possessions. The Bab Balladist of these modern days avers 
 that no Saxon can pretend to an " affection for pipes," but 
 it would appear that our ancestors thought otherwise, and 
 both Lincolnshire and Lancashire were celebrated for their 
 bagpipes. " Like a Lancashire bagpipe " is quoted by Mr. 
 Hazlitt from a tract of the iyth century, and in the reign of 
 James I. the name of Thomas Basset, "the Lancashire 
 bagpipe," occurs in the order of a Masque. " He's in a St. 
 Giles's sweat," or, in the vernacular, " He's in a Sent Gheil's 
 swat," although given as current in the county, is not one 
 in which Lancashire men can have any special property, nor 
 is it one that they would desire to claim, for the meaning 
 is " He lies in bed while his clothes are being mended." 
 St. Giles is adopted by beggars as their patron saint. 
 
 The love of good cheer is witnessed by the old saying : 
 He that would take a Lancashire man at any time or tide, 
 Must bait his hook with a good egg pie, or an apple with a red side. 
 
Lancashire Gleanings. 
 
 "This," says Mr. Hazlitt, "is given with a slight variation 
 in ' Wit and Drollery,' 1661, p. 250, ' He that will fish for,' 
 &c., and it is also in the edition of the same work printed 
 in 1682. It occurs in what is called 'The Lancashire 
 Song,' apparently a mere string of whimsical scraps." 
 
 There is an oft quoted saying, 
 
 Lancashire law, 
 No stakes, no draw. 
 
 A proverb that has often saved a luckless gamester from the 
 payment of his "debts of honour." Another saying about 
 the county that has been curiously verified on several 
 occasions in recent years is "What Lancashire thinks to-day, 
 England thinks to-morrow." 
 
 Lastly, reserving the best wine for the conclusion of the 
 feast, there is the proverb that declares the beauty of the 
 women of the County Palatine. " Lancashire fair women " 
 is an article of faith with every Lancashire lad, whether he 
 be of the city or of the bleak fell side. There is no danger 
 of heresy to this complimentary creed, so long as one of 
 the race of Lancashire Witches shall exist. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abbey Hey bull-dogs, 366 
 
 Abington monk, 125 
 
 Abram, 66 
 
 'Abstemius, Fables of, 168 
 
 Adam dalve, 9 
 
 Adlington Monster, 330 
 
 Advent, Second, 83 
 
 Aighton, 142 
 
 Albany, 89, 141 
 
 Albemarle, Duke of, 242 
 
 Aldgate Ward, 80 
 
 Alexander, Rev. H., narrative of 
 a murder, 184 
 
 Allen, Gould, and Larkin, 150 
 
 Allenson, Rev. Mr., on the Lan- 
 cashire Plot, 137 
 
 Alleyn, Edward, the actor, 282 
 
 Alport Lodge, 15 
 
 Altrincham, 214 
 
 American Lancashire, 174 
 
 American Sherburnes, 141 
 
 Ancoats, 16 ; hall, 22, 24, 25, 226 
 
 Andagoya, Pascual de, 202 
 
 Anderton, Hy., and teetotalism, 
 294 
 
 Angel or dragon, 328 
 
 Angier, Rev. John, 19. 
 
 Ancona, 168 
 
 Angostura, 152 
 
 Ann the Word, 88 
 
 Anne of Denmark. 128 
 Annet, Peter, Sketch of his life, 
 
 324 
 
 Apennines, 352 
 Apparitions, 7, 334 
 Apple red, 369 
 Appleby, 51 
 Apure, 153 
 Arctic ocean, 177 
 Ardwick, 215 
 Arkansas, 176 
 Arkwright, Richard, 287 
 Arnold, Benedict, and the Earl of 
 
 Balcarres, 350 
 Arlotto's "Facetia," 278 
 Art, Early, in Liverpool, 250 
 Artists, Society of, in Liverpool, 
 
 2 5I 
 Arundel, Earl of, and John Shawe, 
 
 112 
 
 Asheby, William, English am- 
 bassador, 127 
 
 Asheton, Roger, 127 
 
 Ashton-under-Lyne, 51, 67, 125, 
 1 86, 194, 217, 294 ; Church r 
 237; Hallmote,i97; Rhymes, 
 
 365 
 Ashton, Black Knight of, 125, 186, 
 
 368 
 
 Ashton-in-Makerfield, 66 
 Ashton, John, 331 
 
372 
 
 Index. 
 
 Ashton, Katherine, has a trance, 
 
 333 
 
 ,, Ralph, 66 
 ,, Robyn of, 198 
 Asnall, Robert, killed in bull-bait, 
 
 49 
 
 Asneaton, Messire Jean, 191 
 
 Aspden, Dr., 5 
 
 Aspland, Alfred, 337 
 
 Assheton, Sir John de, 189 ; Sir 
 John, 193, 198 ; Nicholas, of 
 Downham, 51, 61 ; Sir 
 Ralph, 125, 187, 193, 198 ; 
 Sir Robert, 1 88 ; Sir Roger, 
 193 ; Thomas, 189 ; Sir 
 Thomas, his Alchemical 
 researches, 192 ; Dr. William 
 de, Councillor to John of 
 Gaunt, 189 
 
 Assueton, Sir John, 191 
 
 Aston, Joseph, 224 
 ,, Sir Thomas, 15 
 
 Atherton, Sir John, 236; Sir 
 William, 126 
 
 Atherton midnight meetings, 318 
 
 Augustine, 44 
 
 Auld Robin Gray, 351 
 
 Australian Lancashire, 177 
 
 Bacon, Lord, 241, 309 
 
 Bacup rhyme, 366 
 
 Bad company, 109 
 
 Bagpipes, 369 
 
 Bailey, J. E., 235, 274, 328 
 
 Baines, Edward, 189 
 
 Baker, D. E., 360 ; Sir Richard, 
 
 1 80 
 Balcarres, Alexander, Earl of, and 
 
 Benedict Arnold, 350 ; Colin, 
 
 Earl of, 352 ; Earldom, see 
 
 Lindsay. 
 
 Baldwin, Archbishop, 292 
 Balniel, Earldom of, 348 
 Ballads, Lancashire, 40, 329 
 Bancroft, Abp., birth-place, 234 
 Banim uses the word teetotal, 295 
 
 Bankes, Legh, 136 
 Baralt, 155 
 Barbauld, A. L., 212 
 Bardsley, Richard de, 195 
 Baring-Gould, S., 122 
 Barnard, Lady Anne, 351 
 Barnes, Rev. Thomas, D.D., 33, 
 
 36, 37 
 
 Barritt, Arthur, 122 ; Mary, 7 ; 
 Thomas, traditions recorded 
 by him, 121 ; Valentine, 122 
 
 Barrow ford, 39 
 
 Bartholomew's Day, 119 
 
 Barton, Margaret, 194 
 
 Bartons of Middleton, 194 
 
 Basin story, 330 
 
 Bath, 23 
 
 Bayeux, Seneschal of, 189 
 
 Beamont, William, 275 
 
 Beaumaris, 17 
 
 Beaumont and Fletcher, 200 
 
 Bedford, Earl of, 1 12, 314 
 
 Bedlam, 85, 315 
 
 Beechey, the artist, 252 
 
 Bell, Sarah, 149 
 
 Bellamy river, 143 
 
 Benet, Charles, wonderful child, 
 
 331 
 
 Berners, Lord, 189 
 
 Berri, Due de, 74 
 
 Berwick, in 
 
 Besant, Walter, 278 
 
 Beswick, 217 
 
 Bevilaqua, Lorenzo, 168 
 
 Bible, 336 
 
 Birch, 41 ; Edward, 248 ; Thomas, 
 
 108 
 
 Birstall, 4 
 Bishop, 277 
 
 Blackburn, 44, 176, 294 
 Blackburn, William, manages 
 
 American cotton factory, 143 
 Black Crows, Three, 163 
 Blackfaces (spies), 318 
 Black Knight of Ashton, 186 
 Blackett, Sir William Wentworth, 
 
 345 
 
Index. 
 
 373 
 
 Blackrod, 238 
 
 Bland, Lady Ann, 21 ; Sir John, 
 
 20 
 
 Blasphemer, death of, 67 
 Blasphemy, trial and punishment 
 
 for, 326 
 
 Bletchingley, 223 
 Blount, Sir John, 278 
 Blundell, W., of Crosby, 62, 67, 
 
 132; Henry, 252 
 Buena Vista, 153 
 Boardman, James, 242 
 Bobbin, Tim (see Collier) 
 Boccaccio, 347 ; villa, 354 
 Boethius, Hector, 201 
 Bold of Bold Legend, 124 
 Bolesworth, 27 ; Castle, 26 
 Bolivar, Simon, 153 
 Bolton, 81, 176, 184, 204, 209, 
 
 210, 214, 217, 231, 234, 238, 
 
 239 ; trotters, 367 
 Bolton, Baron Scrope of, 127 
 Book of Sports, 51, 57 
 
 ,, Wordless, 172 
 Booth, Sir George, 115 
 ,, Sir William, 193 
 Bosanquitt " Sister," 7 
 Boscean, 264 
 Boston, 179 
 
 Bothwell challenged, 349 
 Bound, Dr. Nicholas, 49 
 Bowden, Holland, forced to take 
 
 an unlawful oath, 318, 320 
 Boyle, Rev. J. R., 108 
 Boyles, Phoebe, 311 
 Bradbury, Elizabeth, the child 
 
 preacher, 7 
 Brad field, 109, 119 
 Bradford, 4, 209 
 Bradford, the Martyr, 45 
 Bradshaw Chapel, 238 
 Bradshaw, Sir William, 125 
 Bradshaighs, of Haigh, 343, 350 
 Braithwaite, John, 339 
 Bells, Church, 238 
 Bragget Sunday, 39 
 Brampton, no 
 
 Bramwell, Rev. Wm., and women 
 
 preachers, 4 
 Breda, 66 
 Brereton, Sir William, 15, 114 
 
 Col. Uriah, 136 
 Brescia murder, 360 
 Bretton hall, Legend of, 345 
 Brewis, 366 
 Bride ales, 47 
 Bridegroom, Spectre, 261 
 Bridecake, Bishop, Ralph, 17 
 Bridgwater, Duke of, 287 
 Bridgewater Foundry, 298 
 Brierley, James, a rioter, 320 
 ,, Rodger, founds a Sab- 
 batarian sect, 65 
 Brimelow, W., 322 
 Brindley, the engineer, 287 
 
 and Shakspere, 290 
 Bristol, 17 
 Broadley, John, 108 
 Broadsides, Lancashire, 329 
 Broad wood, Messrs., and the 
 
 Chadwick Estate, 247 
 Brockhaus, Dr. H., 347 
 Broken Heart, 113 
 Bromfield, Dr., 133 
 Broughton, 215 
 Brown, Thomas, 92 
 Browne, Sir George, 194 
 Brown family, 238 
 Brownlow, John, 319 
 Bruges, 238 
 Bull-baiting, 48 
 Bullough, Adam, 319 
 Barbage, James, an actor, 129 
 Burger, G. A., Story of "Lenore," 
 
 258 
 
 Burke, Edmund, 71, 266, 325 
 Burleigh, Lord, and the players, 
 
 Burnley, 65, 176 
 
 Burritt, Elihu, 174 
 
 Burton, Dr., 255 
 
 Bury, 217, 239, 245, 294; muffs, 
 
 367 
 Bustleton, 310 
 
374 
 
 Index. 
 
 Butler, John, the mountebank, 67 
 Byrom, Beppy, 227 
 Byrom, Dr. John, 121, 163, 227 
 Major, 18 
 Sir John, 193 
 Byron and Trafford feud, 126 
 ,, J-,48 
 Margaret, 193 
 
 Calamy, 119 
 
 Calder river, 362 
 
 Caldwell, Mr., 44 
 
 Californian Lancashire, 177 
 
 Cambridge, 109, ill, 238, 351 
 
 Cameron, Julia M., 259 
 
 Campion, 246 
 
 Canada, 176, 179, 205 
 
 Canne, John, 117 
 
 Canoll, Sir Robert, 190 
 
 Cape Bathurst, 177 
 
 Carabobo, battle of, 153 
 
 Carey, Henry, 38 
 
 Carle, 9 
 
 Carling, Sunday, 40 
 
 Carlingford, Lady, 112 
 
 Carlisle, 51, 127 
 
 Carre, Henry, 283 
 
 Carter Place, 242 
 
 Cartes, 42 
 
 Carthagena, 158 
 
 Cartmel, 43, 115, 116 
 
 Cashmere, Queen of, '347 
 
 Caspian sea, 10 
 
 Casting of the stone, 42 
 
 Cat, 276 
 
 Caton, 176 
 
 Catonsville, 176 
 
 Cattell, the Jacobite, 228 
 
 Cave, Sir A., 314 
 
 Celibacy, 3, 84 
 
 Chaderton, Bishop, William, 48 
 
 Chadwick, Sir Andrew, Estates 
 
 of, 241 j Charles, 126; 
 
 Edmund, 242 ; Ellis, 242 ; 
 
 James, 245 ; John, 246 ; 
 
 J. O., 242, 249; Joseph, 
 
 245 ; Robert, 242 ; Thomas, 
 
 247 ; Association, 241 ; and 
 
 Ackers, Messrs. 24 
 Chandler, Samuel, and Peter 
 
 Annet, 326 
 
 Chapbooks, Lancashire, 329 
 Chapel Town, 160 
 Chappell, W., 334 
 
 ,, Bishop, 109 
 Charles I., anecdote, 112 
 
 and the Book of Sports, 62 
 Charles II., 66 
 Charles Edward, Prince, 22 
 Charlewood, John, 220 
 Charlson, Abraham, 319, 320, 321 
 
 John, 319 
 
 Chaucer, 126, 180, 204 
 Cheetham, 215 
 Chelmsford, 175 
 Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, 311 
 Cheshire, 26 ; " Neither in, nor 
 
 Chowbent," 366 ; bred, 367 ; 
 
 Legend of Roe's Cross, 344 ; 
 Chester, 17, 44, 108, 149, 182 
 
 ,, Hugh Lupus, Earl of, 124 
 Chesterfield crooked-spire, 289 
 Chetham, Humphrey, 17, 159 
 Chetham's Hospital, 18, 121 
 Chetham Society, 129, 203, 235 
 Chettam, Hannah, 311 
 
 Joseph, 311 
 Chetwood, W. R., 281 
 Child, Mrs. L. M., i 
 Child, executed, 321 ; preacher, 
 
 8 
 
 Child, Prof. F. J., 345 
 Childow rhyme, 364 
 Childwall rhyme, 364 
 Chorlton, 215 
 Chowbent midnight meetings, 318 
 
 ,, proverb, 366 
 Christianity attacked by Annet, 
 
 324 
 
 Christmastide, 41 
 Christ's croft, 368 
 Chumleigh, Devon, no 
 Church Goods in 1552, 235 
 
Index. 
 
 375 
 
 Churchill, 174 
 
 Cinque Ports, Warden, 189 
 
 Clapperfold midnight meetings, 
 
 3i8 
 
 Clappville, 176 
 Clegg, James, 185 
 Clement, Joseph, 320 
 Clifford, William, 320 
 Clifton, $ir Thomas, 132 
 Clinton, Lord, 314 
 George, 90 
 Clitheroe, 61 
 Clayton, 193 
 
 Clayton, the Jacobite, 228 
 Clitheroe, James, 149 
 Cloth, homespun, 12 
 Clothworkers, 10 
 Clough, John, narrative of West- 
 
 houghton riot, 322 
 Clowes, Rev. John, 268 
 Cobden, R., Song in Memory of, 
 
 146 
 
 Cobham, Lord, 314 
 Cockerham, 133 
 Cockersand Abbey, 188 
 Cockfighting, 24 
 Coffee-houses, 308 
 Colchester, 175 
 
 Collier, John, as an artist, 75, 267 
 ,, Thomas, 77 
 J- P., 148 
 Collyhurst, 13 
 Colman's adaptation of Fatal 
 
 Curiosity, 359 
 Colne clock, 365 
 Colombia, 156 
 Commerce with America in 1789, 
 
 307 
 
 Commons, House of. The Earl 
 of Pembroke a member, 1 1 1 
 Congregationalism at Farnworth, 
 
 231 
 
 Congress of 1 789, 307 
 Connecticut, 98, 177 
 Constable of Manchester, 16 
 Constance, Bailiff of, 189 
 Constitutional Society, 267 
 
 Contributors and Editors, 288 
 Cooper, Dr. Thomas, 267 
 Cordes, J. C., 260 
 Cornwall, tradition, 264, murder, 
 
 359 
 
 Coro, 157 
 
 Corpus-Christi, play, 42, 115 
 Coucy, Lord of, 189 
 Covenant, Solemn League and, 
 
 116 
 
 Cowper, William, 267 
 Cox, David, 254 
 Crab, Roger, 292 
 Craig, W. M., 252 
 Craven, 65 
 Craven, Thomas, 238 
 Crawford and Balcarres, Alex- 
 ander, Earl of, biographical 
 
 notice, 352 
 
 Crawford, Earl. See Lindsay 
 Crewdson, T. M., and the steam 
 
 hammer, 303 
 Cripple executed, 321 
 Crompton, 176 
 Cromwell, Oliver, 118 
 
 ,, Richard, 118 
 Crosby, "Sister," 7 
 Cross, Legend of, 122 
 Cross, William, 160 
 Crossley, James, 285 
 Crowhurst, 223 
 Crows, Three Black, 163 
 Croxteth, 134 
 Cudworth, Ralph, 239 
 Culcheth, 41, 275 
 Culchit, Beatrice de, 41, Gilbert 
 
 de, 41 
 
 Curiosities of Street Literature, 145 
 Cursing by bell, book, and candle, 
 
 40 
 
 Cushman, Charlotte, 101, 127 
 Cutler, Ann, woman preacher, I 
 Cutler, Sir Gervase, 1 5 
 
 Dalrymple, Elizabeth, 350 
 Dancing naked, 92 
 
376 
 
 Index. 
 
 Darley, M., 76 
 Dasent, Sir G. W., 346 
 Daventry, 32, 33 
 David, 326 
 Deacon, Dr., 228 
 Dean, 238; Moor, 185, 318 
 Deane ghost, 323 
 Death sentence, 320 
 Dee, Dr. John, 50 
 
 river, 123, 369 
 Deity, 3 
 Delius, Prof., and "Fair Em," 
 
 281 
 
 Delph, 4 
 
 Denmark, Anne of, 128 
 De Quincey, Thomas, father of, 
 
 285 
 
 De Quincey uses the word tee- 
 total, 295 
 Derby, 4, 108 ; women in the silk 
 
 mills, 289 
 Derby, Earl of, 44, 50 ; F., Earl, 
 
 Lamentation for his death, 
 
 331 ; Henry, Earl of, 48; 
 
 James, Earl of, marriage, 331 ; 
 
 Household book, 129; House 
 
 of, 129 
 
 Derbyshire, 345 
 " Derbyshire bred," 367 
 Derwentwaters, estates of, 248 
 Deverell, William, patents a steam 
 
 hammer, 297 
 D'Evereux, General, 152 
 Devonshire Legend of Sir Francis 
 
 Drake, 344; merchants, no 
 Dewsbury, 4 
 Diaz, 155 
 Dicconson, Hugh, 138; Roger, 
 
 137; William, 132 
 Dice, 42 
 
 Dickinson, Elizabeth, 6 
 Didsbury, 14, Church, 13 
 Dinah Morris, I 
 Dixon, W. Hepworth, 100 
 Dodd ridge, 32 
 Dolkans, Abbey of, 190 
 Doneam Moss, 196 
 
 Doncaster, 112 
 
 Douce, F., 46 
 
 Dover, 143, 189 
 
 Downham, 39, 61, 144 
 
 Dragon or Angel, 328 
 
 Drake, Sir Francis, Legend of r 
 
 344 
 
 Drayton-in-the-Clay, 336 
 Dreams, Murders detected by, 180 
 Drummond, of Hawthornden, and 
 
 first Earl of Balcarres, 350 
 Drunkenness, fines for, 48 
 Dryden, John, 268 
 Dublin, 242 
 Dubost and the screw propeller,. 
 
 301 
 
 Duckworth, Mary, 246 
 Dudley, Lord, 44 
 Duquet, and the screw propeller, 
 
 301 
 
 Dukenhalgh, 134 
 Dukinfield cross, 337 ; George 
 
 Fox at, 337 
 Dunbar, 299, 300 
 Dun Echt, 355 
 Dunham, 115, 193 
 Dunlop, John, 360 
 Durham, 238 
 Dutton, Sir William, 126 
 Duxbury, 176 
 D wight, Dr., 88 
 Dyson, Joseph, 231 
 Dyson, Simeon, 231 
 
 Earle, Bishop, 108 
 
 Early rising, 2 
 
 Earwaker, J. P., 316 
 
 Easter Monday, 186, 203 ; Sunday,. 
 
 40 
 
 Eastwood, J. A., 121 
 Eccles, 71, 238, Wakes, 70, 368 
 Ecclesfield, 109 
 
 Ecclesiastical Commissioners, 48- 
 Eccleston, Thomas, 132 
 Edinburgh, 128, 302 
 Editors and contributors, 288 
 
Index. 
 
 377 
 
 Edom, 351 
 
 Egan, Charles, 272 
 
 Egg pie, 369 
 
 Egypt, 351 
 
 Elias, the Manchester Prophet, 
 
 312 
 
 Eliot, George, I, 121, 271 
 Elizabeth, Queen, u, 213 
 Ely, the carpenter's son, 314 
 Embden, 141 
 Enfield, 96 
 Enfield, Dr., 33 
 Epigram, 117 
 Epitaphs, 5, 73, 119, 311 
 Essex, Earl of, 44 
 "Estmere, King," ballad of, 345 
 Eton, 351 
 
 Evans' Catalogue, 324 
 Evans, Elder, F. W., 86, 100 
 Evans, Elizabeth, 4 
 Evans, John, 173 
 Evans, Mary Ann, see Eliot, 
 
 George 
 
 Evenus, King, 201 
 Everard, of Liverpool, 251 
 Eve span, 9 
 Execution of rioters at Lancaster, 
 
 321 
 Eyre, Sir Giles, 134 
 
 Factory system, 267, 289 
 "Fair Em," 280 
 Fairfax, Lord, 112, 113, 116 
 Fairs, 24 
 
 Faith and wisdom, 325 
 Farewell Manchester, 334 
 Farmer Edwards, 334 
 Farnworth Congregationalism, 23 1 
 Farnworth near Prescot, 234 
 Farrar, Dr., on Annet, 325 
 Farrington, the artist, 252 
 Fasting of the Manchester prophet, 
 
 314; woman, 337 
 " Fatal curiosity, 1 ' 359 
 Fell, Judge, and George Fox, 339 
 Fell, Margaret, 339 
 AI 
 
 Femmes et le Secret, 166 
 
 Ferraguti, Signer A., 200 
 
 Ferriar, John, 151 ; Thomas, 151 
 
 Fines for drunkenness, 48 
 
 Fires, incendiary of, 1812,318-321 
 
 Fish torpedo, 302 
 
 Fishwick, Colonel H., 330 
 
 Fitz-Ailward, Orm, 188 
 
 Fitz-Alwyn, Henry, 278 
 
 Fitz-Orm de Ashton, Roger, 1 88 
 
 Fitzwarren, Alicia, 278 
 
 Fleay, F. G., 129 
 
 Fletcher, Job, 319, 320, 321 
 
 Fletcher, Mrs., 7 
 
 Fletcher, the Jacobite, 228 
 
 Flixton, 236 
 
 Flodden Field, 349 
 
 Flushing, 152 
 
 Fogge, Sir John, 194 
 
 Football, 42. 
 
 Fordyce, Lady Margaret Lindsay, 
 
 259 
 
 Fox, Charles James, 10, 266 
 
 Fox, George, his early experiences 
 in Lancashire, 336, 337, not a 
 Sabbatarian, 65 
 
 Foxe's Book of Martyrs, 119 
 
 Fox hunting, 26 
 
 Fulclres, crier of London, 315 
 
 Fuller, Thomas, 49, 274 
 
 Funeral, old fashioned, 263 
 
 Furness, 116 
 
 Furnivall, F. J., 129 
 
 Fustian cutter's song, 334 
 
 Fuseli, 252 
 
 France, 134, 307 
 
 Frankland, Thomas, 359 
 
 Franklin, Benjamin, on population 
 of Manchester, 213 ; prints 
 anti-slavery book, 306 ; letter 
 describing Sandiford and Lay, 
 
 307 
 
 Free Inquirer^ 326 
 French, G. J., 210 
 French prophets, 81 
 Friend quoted, 309 
 Froissart, 189 
 
378 
 
 Index. 
 
 G 
 
 Gainsborough, the artist, 252 
 'Garentina, an Albanian poem, 264 
 Garret Hall, 10, 237 
 Garstang, 44, 51 
 Gascoigne, George, 189 
 Gaskell, Holbrook, and the inven- 
 tion of the steam hammer, 
 
 302 
 
 Gaunt, John of, 189 
 Gawthorp, 43, 44 
 Gay, John, 159 
 " General Lucid," 320 
 George II. compared to David, 
 
 326 
 
 Gentle blood, 9 
 
 Gerard, the Attorney- General, 312 
 Gerard, Thomas, 132 
 Gerard, Sir W., 132 
 Gerrard, Rev. Richard, 10 
 Gesta Romanorum, 171 
 Ghosts, 323 
 Gifford, or Clifford, William, a 
 
 rioter, 320 
 
 Gilbert, W. S., on bagpipes, 369 
 Gillor's Green, 262 
 Gipsies, 42. 
 
 Girdle containing gold, 17 
 Glenham, Sir Thomas, answer to 
 
 Charles I., 112 
 Gloucester, Duke of, 66, 194 
 Glover, Mrs., 245 
 Goddard, Sir Thomas, the miller 
 
 of Manchester, 283 
 Golden goose, 330 
 Goldsmith, Oliver, 266, 268, and 
 
 Peter Annet, 325, 327 
 Goosnargh, 133 
 
 Gorton, 49, 176, 217, rhyme, 366 
 Gould, Allen and Larkin, 150 
 Gramercy, Penny, 334 
 Gravesend, a prophet at, 314 
 Gray, Thomas, 263 
 " Great Britain " steamship, 297 
 Greek Church, 237 
 Greenhalgh, Joseph, a rioter, 320 
 Green, J. R., 273 
 
 Greene, Robert, and " Fair Em," 
 
 282 
 
 Gregory, Pope, 38 
 Gregson, John, 150 
 Gresley, Albert de, 188 
 Gresley, Emma de, 188 
 Grey Friar hill, 363 
 Grignion, the engraver, 255 
 Grindletonian sect, 65 
 Grimshawe's mills, 176 
 Grimm's story of the golden goose, 
 
 330 
 
 Grove, Rev. Samuel, 246 
 Grubb, Edward, 293 
 Guicciardini, Ludovico, 167, or 
 
 the galleys, 269 
 Guilforde, Sir John, 194 
 Guildhall, first library, 278 
 Guynes, Governor of, 188 
 
 H 
 
 Haigh, 125, 343, 349, 350, 356 
 
 Hairdressing, 28 
 
 Halifax, 32, 44 
 
 Hall, Ellis, Eliseus, Elias or Ely, 
 
 the Manchester prophet, 312- 
 
 3i6 
 
 Halleck, Fitz- Greene, 312 
 Halliwell-Phillips, J. O., 333 
 Halshaw Moor wakes, 234 
 Hambleton, 39 
 Hampstead manor, 248 
 Haras, Colonel, 154 
 Hardwick, Charles, on the word 
 
 teetotal, 295 
 Harland, John, 212, 363 
 Harris, James, opinion of " Fatal 
 
 Curiosity," 359 
 Harrison, Samuel, 311 
 Harrison, Tho., 67 
 Harvard, 91 
 Harvard College, 142 
 Harwarde, Simon, his sermon at 
 
 Manchester, 219 
 Haslingdon, 242, 246, 294 
 Hastings, "Warren, 266 
 Hawarden Church, 123 
 
Index. 
 
 379 
 
 Haworth, Thomas, 181 
 
 Hazlitt, W. C, 329, 330; on 
 
 English Proverbs, 361 
 Healey hall, 126 
 Healey, John, 148 
 Health drinking, 19 
 Heart, a broken, 113 
 Heathcote, Dorothy, marries John 
 
 Shawe, no 
 
 Hector Temperance Society, 296 
 Henderson, A., tries to make 
 
 Charles I. a Presbyterian, 
 
 112 
 
 Henry, Philip, 36 
 Henry, Thomas, 37 
 Herbert, George, 38, 235 
 Heretics whipped by ministers, 315 
 Hertford, 217 
 Hesketh lane, 69 
 Hesketh, Sir Thomas, of Rufford, 
 
 44 
 
 Heton, 238 
 
 Hewitt, Sir William, 14 
 Heys, John, 320 
 Heyrick, Warden, 18 
 Heyton, Lambert, 238 
 Heywood, 217, 239, 294, monkey 
 
 town, 367 
 
 Heywood, Robert, 50 
 Hibbert-Ware, Dr., 187, 203 
 Higden's Polycbronicon, 123 
 Higgs, Marcellus, 346 
 Highwood, 14 
 Higson, John, on Lancashire'place 
 
 rhymes, 363 
 Hobby horse, 47 
 Hocknell, Hannah, 82 ; John, 82, 
 
 88 ; Richard, 88 
 Hodder river, 362 
 Hoghton, 51, by moonlight, 365 
 Hoghton, Alexander, 44 ; Thomas, 
 
 44 ; Sir Richard, 51 
 Holcombe rush bearing, 161 
 Holcroft, Sir John, 236 
 Hollingworth, Richard, 368 
 Holme, 39 
 Holmes, Dr. Oliver Wendell, 142 
 
 Holstein-Ducoudray, 156 
 
 Holt, Alice, trial, 149 
 
 Holt, Sir Thomas, 236 
 
 Holy Land, 351 
 
 Hoole, 65 
 
 Hopwood, Betty, 247 ; David, 247 
 
 Horkstow, 255 
 
 Hornby Castle, 51 
 
 Hornpipes, Lancashire, 334 
 
 Horn, romance of, 345 
 
 Horrox, Jeremiah, 64 
 
 Horsey, 246 
 
 Hospital, Lunatic, 88 
 
 Hotham, Sir John, 113 
 
 Hour-glass, 113 
 
 Howarth and teetotalism, 294 
 
 Howarth, Bold, a rioter, 319, 321 
 
 Howitt, Richard, 345 
 
 Huddersfield, 231 
 
 Hulbert, Charles, 7, 206 
 
 Hull besieged by Charles I., 112, 
 
 "5 
 
 Hulme, 21, 215 
 
 Hulme, Thomas, 82 
 
 Hulton, 238 
 
 Humfrey, Margaret, 243 
 
 Humphries, F., and Jas. Nasmyth, 
 
 297 
 
 Hungerford, Walter, Lord, 237 
 Hunter, James, and the screw 
 
 propeller, 300, 301 
 Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of, 48 
 Hunt, Leigh, 297 
 Hunt, Robert, 263 
 Hurrell, "Sister," 7 
 Hurst, John, 320 
 
 Hutchinson, Mrs., murder of, 148 
 Hutt, a member of parliament, 326 
 Huttonfield, 194 
 Huyton rhyme, 364 
 Hyndelegh, Hugh de, 41 
 
 JL 
 
 Illinois 177 
 Ince-Blundell, 252 
 India, 152 
 Indiana, 176, 177 
 
380 Index. 
 
 Ingleborough rhyme, 362 
 
 Inglewhite, 39 
 
 Iowa, 177 
 
 Ipswich, 175 
 
 Ireland, justiciary of, 1 88 
 
 Irk, river, 22, 362 
 
 Irwell, 362 
 
 Isle of Man, 237 
 
 Isle of Wight, 113 
 
 Italy, 351 
 
 Jack Homer, 330 
 
 Jackson, B., 160 
 
 Jackson, John, 86 
 
 Jacobites, 22 
 
 Jamaica, 350 
 
 James I. and VI., 51, 127; visit to 
 
 Houghton Tower, 53 
 James II. and Colin, Earl of 
 
 Balcarres, 352 
 James, Philip, 308 
 Jameson's Northern Antiquities, 
 
 346 
 
 Jekuthiel ben Isaac, 271 
 Jenner, Dr. Lord, 10 
 Jesus, resurrection of, 324, 325 
 Jewel, Rev. Joel, on the word 
 
 teetotal, 296 
 Jews, early references to them in 
 
 Lancashire, 271, persecution 
 
 of, 272 
 
 hones, Richard, 220 
 'oily fustian cutter, 334 
 ;ohnson, Dr. Samuel, 266, 292 
 ones, Richard, 239 
 ones, Rev. William, 232 
 Jones, Sir William, 34 
 Joseph, 325 
 Judaisms, Statute de, 272 
 
 K 
 
 Karslake, H. W., 249 
 Katha Sagit Sagara, 347 
 Kaufmann, Angelica, 252 
 Kay, William, 319 
 Kayserling, Dr. M., 273 
 
 Keane, Sir John, 152 
 
 Keer river rhyme, 363 
 
 Keith, George, opposes the slave 
 
 trade, 308 
 
 Kempe, William, the actor, 129 
 Kendal, 43, 51, 116 
 Kennedy, Jane, 128 
 Kent, river, 363 
 Kentucky, 176, revival, 97 
 Kerfoot, Thomas, 319, 320, 321 
 Kibble, William, 205 
 King Evenus, 201 
 King, John, an early teetotaller, 
 
 293 
 
 Kirk, Thomas, 202 
 Kirkham, 39, monster, 330 
 Knight, Black, of Ashton, 186 
 Knight, Charles, and the author- 
 ship of " Fair Em," 282 
 Knott Mill Fair, 368 
 Knolles, Sir Robert, 189 
 Knowles, John, 136 
 Knowsley, 44, 129, 254, proverb, 
 369 
 
 Labessade, Leon de, 200 
 
 Lacy, John, 1 1 
 
 Lafontaine, 163 
 
 Lake, Sir Lancelot du, 123 
 
 Lampitt, Priest, 339, 342 
 
 Lancashire bagpipe, 369; chamber, 
 at Christ's College, Cam- 
 bridge, 109 ; condition in 
 1812, 317; cuckold, 330; 
 fair women, 370; gentleman's 
 unfortunate love, 330; George 
 Fox in, 337, 338, 342; 
 hornpipes, 334; lad, 331 ; law, 
 370 ; Lindsays in, 348, 350 ; 
 lovers, 330; man cosened 329; 
 Plot, 130 ; Proverbs, 361 ; 
 did Shakspere visit it? 127 ; 
 what Lancashire thinks to- 
 day, &c., 370 ; wonder, 331 ; 
 beyond the sea, 174 
 
Index. 
 
 381 
 
 Lancaster, 43, 108, 175, 319, 
 
 apparition, 334 ; Fox im- 
 prisoned at, 342 
 Lancaster, Duke of, 189 
 Lancaster Sound, 177 
 Langton, Philip, 132 
 Lanseng Temperance Society, 
 
 296 
 
 Lapper, Elizabeth, 240 
 Lapper, Sir William, 240 
 Larkin, Allen, and Gould, 150 
 Lathom, 44, 55, 129, 369 
 La Torre, 154 
 Laud, Archbishop, 62, no 
 Lauder, Sir T. D., ?nd the screw 
 
 propeller, 301 
 Lauderdale, Earl of, and the 
 
 screw propeller, 300 
 Law, Sarah, 245 
 LaWarre, William Lord, 11 
 Lawrence, of Lancashire, 369 
 Lawrence, St., Vigil of, 41 
 Lay, Benjamin, opposes negro 
 
 slavery, 308 
 Laying ghosts, 323 
 League and covenant, 116 
 Lebanon, 90 
 Le Blanc, Sir S., 320 
 Lee, Ann, biographical notice, 
 
 79, 95 > J nn > 79 5 Nancy, 88; 
 
 S. L., 274 ; William, 88 
 Leeds, 4, 202, 254 
 Lees, Ann, 86 ; Betty, 86 
 Lees, Dr. F. R., on the word 
 
 teetotal, 295 
 Legend of Mab's Cross and its 
 
 variants, 343 
 Leith, experiments with the screw 
 
 propeller, 301 
 Leigh, 40 
 Leigh, Mr., 44 
 Leigh, of Stanish, 6l 
 Leigh, Sir Peter, 44 
 Leigh, Rev. W., account of 
 
 Adlington monster, 330 
 Leland, the antiquary, 212 
 " Lenore," Story of Burger's, 258 
 
 Libraries open on a Sunday, 74 
 Lillo's Fatal Curiosity, 146, 359 
 Lindsay, Sir David, 349 
 Liverpool, 150, 177, 212,261,324; 
 Early art, 250; Election of 
 Mayor of, 42 ; Sandiford 
 family, 304 ; gentlemen, 367 ; 
 mermaid, 332 ; Tragedy, a 
 ballad, 146, 357; bay, 177 ; 
 cape, 177 ; mountain range, 
 177; plains, 177; river, 177 
 Livesey, Joseph, 291 
 Local rhymes and sayings, 361 
 Lodge, Dr., and " Fair Em," 282 
 London, 80, 217, 257, 277, 278, 
 
 3H 
 
 London, Bishop of, 118, 314 
 Longfellow, H. W., 177, 329 
 Longwith, Samuel, 184 
 Lord's day flight from the battle 
 
 of Newburne, 1 1 1 
 Lowe, Roger, 66 
 Lower Dublin, Philadelphia, 310 
 Low Moor ironworks, 303 
 Lowrys, Sir Launcelot, 190 
 Ludd, General, 320 
 Lunatic hospital, 88 
 Lunt, John, 133 
 Lupus, Hugh, Earl of Chester, 
 
 124 
 
 Lymme, 114, 116 
 Lyons, Dr., 278 
 
 M 
 
 Mab's Cross, 125, 343, 346 
 Macbeth, 128 
 Macclesfield, 4 
 Macerata, 168 
 Mackay, Dr., Charles, 276 
 Mackenzie's play of the "Ship- 
 wreck," 359 
 Maginn uses the word teetotal, 
 
 295 
 
 Maine, 98, 176, 177 
 Maitland, Captain, and the screw 
 
 propeller, 300 
 Man after God's own heart, 326 
 
382 
 
 Index. 
 
 Manasseh ben Israel, a corres- 
 pondent of Thomas Fuller, 
 274 
 
 Manchester, 4, 7, 10, 25, 30, 74, 
 114, 206, 219, 223, 226, 236, 
 239, 250, 294 ; barony, 188 ; 
 " Manchester bred," 367 ; old 
 church, 1 8, 86 ; cross, 18 ; 
 " Fair Em" of, 280 ; fairs and 
 markets, 24 ; George Fox in, 
 337 ; Grammar School, 163 ; 
 in 1791, 266; Infirmary, 80; 
 
 "Manchester men," 367; popu- 
 lation, 212 ; Prince Charles 
 Edward Stuart's supposed 
 visit, 224 ; power looms in, 
 266 ; prophet, 312 ; pro- 
 phetess, 79 ; riots, 317 ; 320 ; 
 Warden of the. Collegiate 
 Church, 50, 267 ; St. Ann's 
 Church, 21 ; Shudehill, 121 ; 
 Swan Inn, 226 
 
 Manchester's an altered town, 147 
 
 Manchester Angel, 334 
 
 Manchester beyond the sea, 177 
 
 Manchester College in Tennessee, 
 178 
 
 Mandeville, 285 
 
 Mansfield, Lord, 24 
 
 Maracaybo, 157 
 
 Marchpanes, 50 
 
 Maretown, 82 
 
 Mario w, Richard, 42 
 
 Maroon insurrection, 350 
 
 Marsden, 231 
 
 Marston Moor, 116 
 
 Martin, Matthew, 248 
 
 Martindale, Adam, 19 
 
 Mary, Queen of Scots, 349 
 
 Mary II., Queen, 131 
 
 Maryland, 176 
 
 Massachusetts, 98, 176, 177 
 
 Matthe.ws, Bishop Tobias, 65 
 
 Mayer, Joseph, 250, 257 
 
 Mayer MSS., 252 
 
 Mayfield, 252 
 
 May, Queen of the, 47 
 
 Maypoles, 64 
 
 Meacham, Joseph, 95 
 
 Medcalf, Christopher, 320 
 
 Medlock, 25, 362 
 
 Melfort, Earl of, 135 
 
 Mendey, 154 
 
 Mermaid, 332 
 
 Merrimac, river, 178 
 
 Merry fair, 39 
 
 Mersey, river, 368 
 
 Mersey, river, in America, 177 
 
 Mezzofanti, 34 
 
 Michigan, 176, 177 
 
 Middlesex, 217 
 
 Middleton, 8, 237 ; Bartons of, 
 194 ; moonrakers, 367 ; riots, 
 317, 320 
 
 Middle wich, 15, 82 
 
 Midhurst, 29 
 
 Miller, John, 69 
 
 Miller's daughter, 331 
 
 Milton, John, 130, 219, 224 ; 
 poems published by H. 
 Moseley, 18; a fellow student 
 with John Shawe, 109 
 
 Minnesota, 176, 178 
 
 Miracle plays, 42 
 
 Misrule, Lord of, 4$ 
 
 Missouri, 176 
 
 Moderation and teetotalism, 294 
 
 Moland, M. Louis, 168 
 
 Molyneux, Lord, 132 
 
 Molyneux, Lydia, 319 
 
 Money, fall in value, 312 
 
 Monkey town, 367 
 
 Monsters, 331 
 
 Montana, 178 
 
 Moonrakers, 367 
 
 Morris-dancer, 39, 46 
 
 Morris, Susannah, 311 
 
 Morton, Bishop, no; author of 
 the Book of Sports, 52 
 
 Moseley, 9 
 
 Moseley, Humphrey,Milton's pub- 
 lisher, 14, 1 8 
 
 Moseley, Dr. Benjamin, 10 
 
 Mosley family, 9 ; Sir Oswald, 225 
 
Index. 
 
 383 
 
 Mottram Church, 344 
 Mounteagle, Lord, 44 
 Mowbray, Lord, 112 
 Murders detected by dreams, 1 80 
 Murders revealed, 331 
 Murray, George, 25 
 Muscovia, 10 
 Myerscough, 51 
 Mystery play, 42 
 Mytton rhyme, 362 
 
 N 
 
 Nasmyth, James, his invention of 
 the steam hammer, 297 
 
 Nantwich, 44 
 
 Napoleon I., 266 
 
 Need wood, Axbearer of, 21 
 
 Negro Slavery, 304-311 
 
 Neile, Abp., and John Shawe, 
 ill 
 
 Neile, Sir Paul, and Lord Pem- 
 broke, in 
 
 Neuskenna, 89 
 
 Nevison, William, 148 
 
 New Brunswick, 177 
 
 New Hampshire, 98, 1 78 
 
 New Jersey, 178 
 
 New Orleans, 152 
 
 New South Wales, 177 
 
 New York, 88, 98, 176, 177, 178 
 
 Newark, siege, 117 
 
 Newburne battle, ill 
 
 Newbery, the publisher, 327 
 
 Newcastle, 117 
 
 Newcastle, Earl of, 114 
 
 Newspapers at coffee houses, 308 
 
 Newton, 67 
 
 Newton, Thomas, 44 
 
 Newton-in-Cartmell, George Fox, 
 
 339 
 
 Nevill's Cross, battle, 189 
 Newcome, Henry and health 
 
 drinking, 19 
 Nicaragua, 202 
 Nixon's Prophecy, 369 
 Norman's Woe, 177 
 North Carolina, 178, 307 
 
 Northbrook, J., and the May- 
 
 marrions, 46 
 Northampton, 193 
 Norwood subterranean canal, 289 
 Nottingham, 113, 338, 350 
 Nova Scotia, 176, 177, 179 
 Nowell, Dean, 44 
 Noyon, 190 
 
 O 
 
 Oath, unlawful, 318 
 Ogden, poet, 269 
 Ohio, 98, 176, 177, 178 
 Oldfield Lane doctor, 237 
 Oldham, 4, 7, 176, 239, 294 ; 
 Brewis, 366 ; roughheads, 
 
 367 
 
 Old Know hill, 363 
 Oneida, 178 
 Ontario, 176, 179 
 Openshaw constable, 366 
 Orange, Princess of, 66 
 Oregon, 176, 177 
 Otley, 4 
 
 Otterburn, the battle, 349 
 Owen, Charles, 81 ; John, 79 ; 
 
 Robert, 82 
 Oxford, 29, 220, 223 
 Oxwellmains, 299 
 
 Paddles for ships, 299 
 
 Padiham, 44 
 
 Paez, General, 152 
 
 Paisley, 204 
 
 "Pallas," wreck of, 299 
 
 Palm Sunday, 39, 40 
 
 Paneton and the screw propeller, 
 
 301 
 
 Pantley in Gloucestershire, 277 
 Parsons, Lawrence, 136 
 Partington, John, 83 ; Mary, 88 
 Pascual de Andagoya, 202 . 
 Pasto, 158 
 Patricroft, Bridgewater foundry, 
 
 298 
 Paul, St., 325 
 
3^4 
 
 Index. 
 
 Peace, Mary, 311 
 
 Peck, 46 
 
 Peckforton Hills cavern inhabited, 
 
 26 
 
 Peels, The, 287 
 Peer, a member of the House of 
 
 Commons, in 
 Pembroke, Philip Earl, uses his 
 
 staff of office, in 
 Pendle Hill rhymes, 362, 363 
 Pendle, George Fox at, 338 
 Pendlebury, 217 
 Pendleton, 47, 217 ; in the United 
 
 States, 176 
 Penigent rhyme, 362 
 Penistone Church, 119 
 Penketh, William, 237 
 Pennsylvania, 177, 178 
 Penrith, 77 
 Pepys, S., 334 
 
 Percival, Dr. Thomas, 37, 213 
 Percy, Bishop, 260 
 Perin murder, 359 
 Peru, 157 
 Pestilence at Cambridge in 1630, 
 
 no 
 
 Peterloo, 146 
 Philips, John Leigh, 252 
 Phillippa, Queen, 189 
 Phillips, Edward, 282 
 Phillips, Wendell, 141 
 Philadelphia and negro slavery, 
 
 305-3H . 
 Philpot, a minister, whipping a 
 
 visionary, 315 
 Picardy, 189 
 Pickup, Thomas, 320 
 Pilkington, Bishop, 237 ; and the 
 
 Manchester prophet, 314 
 Pilling Moss, 364 
 Pillory, 315, 326, 327 
 Pitt, William, 266 
 Plague, 13, 1 6, no 
 Platt, 41 
 
 Ployde, meaning of the word, 365 
 Pluralist and Old Soldier, 76 
 Poictou, Roger de, 188, 369 
 
 Pollard, Jonathan, 25 
 
 Pond, the engraver, 255 
 
 Pontus of Galicia, 346 
 
 Pope, Alexander, 231, 268 
 
 Pope, The, Sermon against, 22O 
 
 Pope John XXII., 349 
 
 Portarlington, 29 
 
 Portfield, 6 1 
 
 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 141 
 
 Potter, John, 67 
 
 Poughkeepsie, 90 
 
 Preaching by a child, 8 
 
 Prentice, A., 322 
 
 Presbyterian attempt to convert 
 
 Charles I., 112 
 Prescot, 176, 234, 263; rhymes, 
 
 364 
 
 Preston, I, 43, 44, 55, 205, 209 ; 
 seven men, 293 ; rhyme, 364, 
 
 365 
 Preston Bluff, 176; Cape, 176; 
 
 Hollow, 176; Lake, 176 
 Prestwich, 239 
 Pretender, The, 134 
 Priestley, Dr., 35 
 Procter, R. W., 87 
 Proctor, Miss, 7 
 Prophecy, Ulverston, 333 
 Prophet, Elias Hall, 312 
 Prophetess, Ann Lee, 79 
 Proverbs, Lancashire, 361 
 Puerto-Cabello, 154 
 Puritans and Sunday, 49; at 
 
 Cambridge, in 
 Puddings, Rochdale, 366 
 Pye, H.J., 259 
 
 Quakers on American slavery, 
 
 305, 306 ; and Sunday, 66 
 Queen of the May, 47 
 Queen's players, 44, 128 
 Quin, Rev. Mr., 263 
 
 R 
 
 Radcliffe Church, 238 
 Radcliffe, Samuel, 319, 320 
 
Index. 
 
 335 
 
 Rain, river, 362 
 
 Raines, Canon, 234 
 
 Ramsay, Sir James, 274 
 
 Randolph, Thomas, 280 
 
 Rathbone, Mr., 92 
 
 Rawlinson, William, 25 
 
 Ray, John, 363 
 
 Reading, 175 
 
 Restoration of Charles II., 18 
 
 Revelations of Manchester pro- 
 phet, 315 
 
 Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 252 
 
 Rhode-Island, 176, 307 
 
 Ribble, 39, 362 ; rhyme, 368 
 
 Ribchester, 181 ; rhyme, 368 
 
 Richard II., 41 
 
 Richardson, George, 25 
 
 Ridgway, George, 28 
 
 Riots of 1812, 318-321 
 
 Ripon, 193 ; treaty, 112 
 
 Risley, 32 
 
 Ritson, Joseph, 47 
 
 Rivington, 239 ; rhyme, 363 
 
 Robin Hood, play of, 45 
 
 Robin Hood Society, 325 
 
 Robinson, John, and the Mer- 
 maid, 332 
 
 Rochdale, 32, 33, 37, 65, 73, 
 176, 217, 239, 240, 294 ; 
 puddings, 366 ; rhyme, 366 
 
 Roe Cross legend, 344 
 
 Rogation Sundays, 39 
 
 Rokeslie, Gregory, 278 
 
 Rolleston, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 
 30, 31 
 
 Rood Dee at Chester, 123 
 
 Rood, Legend of the, 122 
 
 Roscoe, William, 251 
 
 Rota, Vincenzo, 360 
 
 Rotherham, in, 112, 114, 119 
 
 Rowe and Duncough's mill 
 burned, 320 
 
 Roy, Sir Johan of, 190 
 
 Rudhall, 239 
 
 Rufford, 44 
 
 Rugby, 29 
 
 Rupert, Prince, 116 
 Bl 
 
 Rush-bearing, 39 
 
 Ruskin, John, on Lord Lindsay 
 
 as an art critic, 353 
 Rutter, Samuel, 17 
 Ryan, "Sister," 7 
 Rylond, Nicholas del, 40 
 Rylonds, William, 40 
 
 Sackfield, Sir Richard, 314 
 Saddleworth, 240 
 St. Aubyn, Sir John, 12 
 St. Germains, 131 
 Saint Giles' sweat, 369 
 Salaries of great offices, 309 
 Salford, 47, 235 ; population, 235 
 Salford in the New World, 179 
 Samesbury, 39 
 Sampson, Dominie, 36 
 San Carlos, 153 
 Sandby Paul, 252 
 Sandby, Thomas, 252 
 Sanderson, Bishop, 64 
 Sanderson, William, 359 
 Sandgate, Governor of, 188 
 Sandiford, John, Town Clerk of 
 
 Liverpool, 304, 305 
 Sandiford, Ralph, protests against 
 
 slavery, 304 
 
 Sandiford, Thomas, 304 
 Sandyford, see Sandiford 
 Saratoga, Earl of Balcarres at, 
 
 350 
 Sauvage and the screw propeller, 
 
 301 
 
 Saville, Sir George, 289 
 Savile, Jane, 193 
 Savile, John, 193 
 Sawrey, John and the Friends, 339 
 Saxony, 260 
 
 Sayn on the Rhine Legend, 346 
 Schlegel, 260 
 Schneider, M., of Creusot, and the 
 
 steam hammer, 298, 302 
 Schmidt, Dr. Karl, 199 
 Scott, Alexander, 244 
 Scott, E. J. L., 127 
 
Index. 
 
 Scott, Sir Walter, 259, 365 and 
 Legend of Mab's Cross, 343, 
 
 346, 347 
 Screw propeller, invention of, 300, 
 
 301 
 Scrope, Baron Henry, of Bolton, 
 
 127 
 
 Stratford, 128 
 Second Advent, 83 
 Seeker, Abp., and Peter Annet, 
 
 326, 328 
 Secrets, difficulty of keeping, 
 
 163 
 
 Seddon, John, 319 
 Selby, 113 
 
 Selwyn, George, 267 
 Semple, David, 210 
 Sermon of the Sixteenth Century, 
 
 219 
 
 Seton, see Assueton, Sir J, 
 Sewell's History bequeathed, 311 
 Shadrach Irelands, 91 
 Shakers, 79 ; bibliography, 103 ; 
 
 villages, 98 
 Shakspere, 32, 79, 151, 250, 266, 
 
 291,312, 317, 357, and Brind- 
 
 ley, the Engineer, 290; " Fair 
 
 Em " attributed to him, 280 ; 
 
 Did he visit Lancashire? 127 
 Shaw, 239 
 Shawe, John, 43; autobiography, 
 
 noticed, 108 
 
 Shawe's, Mistris, tombstone, 118 
 Sheldrake, William, 160 
 Shepherd, James, 82, 88 
 Sherburne, Dorothy, 142 ; Hon. 
 
 Henry, 142 ; Henry, 142 ; 
 
 Hugh, 142 j Joseph, 142 ; 
 
 Sir Nicholas, 132 ; Richard, 
 
 61, 142 ; Sir Richard, 142 ; 
 
 Samuel, 142 
 
 Sherburnes in America, 141 
 Shirborn, R., 48 
 Sherborne, 51, 161 
 Sherlock, a churchwarden, 237 
 Sherlock, Bishop, attacked by 
 
 Annet, 325 
 
 Ships, side paddles and screw 
 propellers, 299, 300 
 
 Shoreditch church, 316 ; theatre, 
 129 
 
 Shrigley, Mr., 228 
 
 Shuttleworth, Ann, 44 ; Ellinor, 
 44; John, 319 
 
 Shuttleworths, of Gawthorp, 43 
 
 Sicard, M., 328 
 
 Sidlow, a rioter, 318 
 
 Sikehouse, 109 
 
 Simnel Sunday, 40 
 
 Simpson, Richard, and the author- 
 ship of "Fair Em," 282 
 
 Sinclair, Sir John, and the screw 
 propeller, 301 
 
 Skerringham, 116 
 
 Skinners' hall, 42 
 
 Slaidburne, curate of, 62 
 
 Slave trade, 266, 308 
 
 Slavery, protests against, 304 
 
 Smiles, S., and the invention of 
 the steam hammer, 297, 302 
 
 Smith, Aaron, 135 
 
 Smith, Albert, 259 ; James, 319, 
 320, 321 ; Sir F. P., and the 
 invention of the screw pro- 
 peller, 301 
 
 Smithills hall, 44 
 
 Smyth, Richard, 239 
 
 Smo'field cossacks, 367 
 
 Snow's Legend of the Rhine, 
 346 
 
 Snydale ghost, 322, 323 
 
 Solemn league and covenant, 116 
 
 South Carolina, 176, 178 
 
 Spanish Invasion threatened in 
 
 1599, II 
 Spam, 349 
 
 Spectre Bridegroom, 261 
 Spence, James Mudie, 154 
 Spencer. Hon. W. R., 259 
 Sports, Book of, 57 
 Spy system, 322 
 Stafford, 44 ; Earl of, 112 
 Staffordshire, 29 
 Staley, Roe Cross, 344 
 
Index. 
 
 387 
 
 Stamford and Warrington, Earls 
 
 of, 193 
 
 Stamford, outrages on Jews, 273 
 Standerin, Abraham, 82 
 Standish, 44 ; monster, 330 
 Standish, in the United States, 176 
 Standish, William, 132 
 Standley, Elizabeth, 82 
 Standley, Abraham, 82 
 Stanley, Bishop John, 236 ; J. T., 
 
 259 ; Sir Roland, 132 
 Stanley papers, 129 
 Staunton, John, 247 
 Stanwood, James Rindge, 141 
 Starkee, 61 
 Starkey, Mrs., 228 
 Statuta de Judseismo, 272 
 Stayley, Sir Ralph de, 344 
 Stead and teetotalism, 294 
 Steam hammer, invention of, 297 
 Stillington, Margaret, 118 
 Stockport, 209, 217, 294 
 Stockport, in the United States, 
 
 176 
 
 Stonyhurst, 142 
 Storm paddles, 300 
 Stowe, John, 315, 316 
 Strange, Lord, 15 
 Strange, Lord, servants of, 281 
 Street Literature, Curiosities of, 
 
 145 
 
 Strype, John, 316 
 
 Stuart's, Prince Charles Edward, 
 
 supposed visit to Manchester, 
 
 224 
 
 Stubbes, Philip, 45 
 Stubbs, George, biographical 
 
 notice, 252 
 
 Sturowitz, Captain, 151 
 Suffolk Miracle, 260 
 Sunday in the Olden Time, 38 
 Sunday Schools, rise of, 73 
 Surtees Society, 108 
 Swarthmoor, George Fox at, 339, 
 
 . 342 
 
 Swindlehurst and teetotalism, 294 
 Swine, 13 
 
 Swinton, see Assueton, Sir J., 191 
 
 Taafe, and the Lancashire Plot, 
 136 
 
 Tabling, no 
 
 Taft, Z., 2, 6 
 
 Talbot family, 125 
 
 Talbot, Sir John, 6l 
 
 Tame river, 362 
 
 Tankersley, 193 
 
 Tannahill, Hugh, 205 
 
 Tannahill, Robert, his residence 
 in Lancashire, 204 
 
 Tanridge, 223 
 
 Taunton, Dean, 277 
 
 Taylor, ancestor of Oldfield Lane 
 Doctor, 237 
 
 Taylor, Ann, 66 
 
 Taylor, John, 245 
 
 Taylor, John, LL.D., 173 
 
 Taylor, R. E. , on the spy system, 
 322 
 
 Taylor, Thomas, 252 
 
 Taylor, Wm,, of Norwich, 259 
 
 Teare and Teetotalism, 294 
 
 Teetotal, origin of the word, 291 
 
 Tegner, Bishop E., 347 
 
 Tennant, Jenny, 204 
 
 Tennessee, 178 
 
 Tennis, 42 
 
 Tennyson, Alfred, 141, 343 
 
 Texas, 176, 178 
 
 Thill-Horse Green, 262 
 
 Thomason, the bookseller, 113 
 
 Thomson, Baron, 320 
 
 Thomson, James, 268 
 
 Thompson, Adam, 70 
 
 Thoresby, Ralph, 108, 203 
 
 Three Black Crows, 163 
 
 Threlfall, of Goosnargh, 133 
 
 Threlkeld, Rev. Thomas, Extra- 
 ordinary Memory of, 32 
 
 Thwaite, Henry, 320 
 
 Tieck, L., 347, and "Fair Em," 
 280 
 
 Tildesley, Mr., 133 
 
3 88 
 
 Index. 
 
 Tim Bobbin, see Collier 
 Tiraqueau, Andrew, 229 
 Todmorden Parsonage murder, 
 
 149 
 Tomlinson, Prof., and the steam 
 
 hammer, 302 
 Topping, Peter, 320 
 Torpedo with screw propeller, 302 
 Torver, 333 
 
 Toulouse, battle of, 152 
 Ton man, Rev. Thomas, 26 
 Tour-Land ry, Geoffrey de la, 169 
 Towneley gallery, 252 
 Townley, John, 81, 86 
 Towton, 125 
 Traditions, collected by Thomas 
 
 Barritt, 121 
 Trafford, E., 48 
 Trafford, Sir Edmund, 235, 236 ; 
 
 Alchemical researches, 192 
 Trafford, William, 237 
 Trafford legend, 283 
 Trafford and Byron feud, 126 
 Tragedy, Liverpool, 146 
 Trance, 6, 333 
 Transit of Venus, 356 
 Traske, John, 65 
 Tremoille, Charlotte de la, 283 
 Turner, " Dickey," uses the word 
 
 teetotal, 294 
 Turpin, Dick, 148 
 Turton Fair, 40, 159 
 Tutbury Castle, 15 
 Tweed, river, 203 
 " Twist or puff," 318 
 
 U 
 
 Ulverstone, George Fox at, 339, 
 
 341 
 
 Ulverstone trance, 333 
 Umbria, 352 
 
 United States Census, 97 
 Urbino, Duke of, 168 
 Uttoxeter, 14 
 
 Vaccination, 10 
 
 Vagrants, 42 
 Valencia, 154 
 Vaux, John, the Puritan Lord 
 
 Mayor of York, 1 1 1 
 Vaux, Lawrence, 239 ; Robert, 
 
 3 
 
 Vegetarian prophet, 314 
 Venezuela, 153 
 Venus, transit of, 64, 356 
 Vermont, 176, 178 
 Vienna murder story, 357 
 Vinci, L. da, and the screw pro- 
 peller, 301 
 
 Virginia, 178 ; West, 176 
 Visions, 6, 313, 333 
 Vittoria, battle of, 152 
 Voltaire, 200, 326 
 
 W 
 
 Waddington Hall, 125 
 
 Waite, James K., 210 
 
 Waits, 250 
 
 Walkden, Peter, 69 
 
 Walker, Anna, 182 
 
 Walker Art Gallery, 250 
 
 Walmsley, the Jacobite, 135 
 
 Warburton, 116 
 
 Wardle, 240 
 
 Ward ley, James, 8 1 
 
 Wardley, Jane, 81 
 
 Ware, see Hibbert-Ware 
 
 Warner, Daniel, 142 
 
 Warner, Sarah, 142 
 
 Warrington, 32, 33, 131,223 
 
 Warrington, Earls of, 193 
 
 Warton fair, 39 
 
 Warwick, the " King-maker," 236 
 
 Waterloo, 152 
 
 Waters, John, 180 
 
 Watervliet, 90 
 
 Watmough, Abraham, 73 
 
 Watt, James, patents a steam 
 
 hammer, 297 
 Weatherhill, Miles, 149 
 Weavers' sufferings in 1812, 317 
 Webster's Discovery of Witchcraft, 
 
 1 80 
 
Index. 
 
 389 
 
 Wedding feasts, 47 
 
 Weeton fair, 39 
 
 Weever, John, 42 
 
 Weld, Thomas, converts John 
 Shawe, 109 
 
 Wendell, Evert Jansen, 141 
 
 Wendell, Isaac, 143 
 
 Wendell, Jacob, 141 
 
 W'endell, Col. John, 141 
 
 Wendell, John, 142 
 
 Wendell, Oliver, 141 
 
 Werner's "Twenty-fourth of Feb- 
 ruary," 360 
 
 Wesley, John, Letter to Ann Cut- 
 ler, 3 
 
 West Marches Warden of, 127 
 
 Westhoughton, 40 ; Factory Fire, 
 317; distress relieved, 322 
 
 West Indies, 305 
 
 Westminster, 244, 273, 278 
 
 Westleigh, 246 
 
 Westmoreland, 339 
 
 West, Sir William, 11 
 
 Whalley, 72 
 
 Wharton, 51 
 
 Whatman, the paper maker, 249 
 
 Whernside hill, 363 
 
 Whipping, by ministers, 315 
 
 Whitaker, T. D., 72 
 
 Whittaker, James, 86, 88 
 
 Whitehall, 118 
 
 Whitemeat, vegetables, 314 
 
 Whittington and his Cat, 276 
 
 Whittington, Sir Richard, 276 
 
 Whittington, Sir William, 277 
 
 Whitworth, 240 
 
 Whyte, E. A., 260 
 
 Whyte, Samuel, 260 
 
 Wigan, 74, 254, 343 ; burial place 
 of the Lindsay's, 355 ; Church 
 steeple, 368 ; Murder, 148 ; 
 Baron Wigan, 348 ; ' ' Lives 
 of the Lindsays, "349; Lord 
 Crawford, M.P. for Wigan, 
 351 ; Lord Crawford created 
 Baron Wigan, 351 
 
 Wight, Isle of, 113 
 
 Wilberforce, William, 266 
 
 Wilkes, John, 244 
 
 Wilkinson, T. T., 364 
 
 Wilkinson, Miss, 35 
 
 William the Conqueror, 188, 272 
 
 William III., 21, 131 
 
 Williams, John, 143 
 
 Williams, Sir William, 133 
 
 Wilson, a witness in the Lanca- 
 shire plot, 136 
 
 Wilson, John Gleeson, 148 
 
 Wilson, Robert, and the invention 
 of the steam hammer, 297 
 
 Wilson, Bishop Thomas, mother 
 of, 237 
 
 Winchelsea, 29 
 
 Windsor Castle Library, 229 
 
 Wind -wheels and screw propeller, 
 300 
 
 Winskill, P. T., on the word 
 teetotal, 294 
 
 Winstanley, Hamlet, 254 
 
 Wisconsin, 178 
 
 Woman, a fasting, 337 
 
 Womball, a witness in the Lan- 
 cashire plot, 135 
 
 "Women of Lancashire fair, 370 
 
 Women preachers, I 
 
 Wood's Athenae, 223 
 
 Wood, Vice-Chancellor, 247 
 
 Woodward, B. B., 229 
 
 Woodward, Robert, 319 
 
 W T oollen trade, 10 
 
 Wordless Book, 172 
 
 Worthington's ghost, 323 
 
 Wool ward, dressing in wool, 314 
 
 Wrexham, 35 
 
 Wright, of Derby, 252 
 
 Wright, John, of Esher, corres- 
 pondent of Franklin, 307 
 
 Wright, Lucy, 95 ; Martha, 32 ; 
 Thomas, 209 ; Thomas, 
 F.,S.,A., 1 68 
 
 Wynkyn de Worde, 347 
 
 Y 
 
 Yates, John, 240 
 
390 
 
 Index. 
 
 York, 65, 108, ill, 112, 113, 
 
 1 1 6, 254 ; Duke of, 66 
 Yorkshire, 41, 194 
 Yorkshire, George Fox, 338 
 Young, Arthur, 287 
 Young, Colonel, 157 
 
 Yownge, a minister, whipping 
 visionary, 315 
 
 Zunz, Dr. Leopold, 272 
 
 Brook, and Chrystal^ Printers, Manchester. 
 
394251 
 
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