40 



and conveying certain peas into a bark at Watchett. After a 

 full investigation Bickham acknowledged, that about a fortnight 

 before Michaelmas he had bought in a private house at 

 Wiveliscombe " of persons whose names he knew not," twenty- 

 four bushels and a half of peas at 4/8, which were brought to him 

 at Watchett by one Cole and another, name imknown. The same 

 peas he delivered to Mr. Johnstone for Mr. Witheridge, of 

 Barnstaple, for whom they were bought, and they were put on 

 board a bark at the " Key." There were also about ten pecks 

 more in his house, and which his sei-vants had bought in the 

 Tuesday's market at Wiveliscombe for Thomas Stevens and 

 AValter Burston, two masters of "Pynisses" then at the quay. 

 This being all Bickham could say, the deposition of Richard 

 Luccas, of Watchett, yeoman, was taken on the 20th November, 

 who, it seemed, being deputed by Mr. Norris, the " customer," to 

 see what was brought in or taken out of the harbour, learned from 

 Bickham that twenty bushels of peas would be caiTied on board 

 the boat of Mr. Stevens, of Barnstaple, and that they were 

 intended for victualling Mr, Witheridge's sliip there. Without 

 " any more speeches" and seeing Bicldiam's man the same evening 

 carry something m sacks upon a horse, towards the harbour, he 

 repaired to Stevens's boat and demanded whether he had taken in 

 twenty-four bushels of peas, and then "purposing to view" 

 whether he had any greater quantity, he went on board, but found 

 that the cargo was laid deep in the hold and covered mth gi'eat 

 stones, so that he could not see it. Departing, he intended next 

 day " to have farther speech " with Stevens, but the wind and 

 tide serving, that astute skipper secretly sailed in the night, 

 without any " lett passe or cockett."* 



All this was forwarded to the Council, but other information 

 being obtained, Sir John Wyndham writing from Orchard, after- 

 wards " tendered " the examination of John Coles, of Wivelia- 



' Stale Papers, 1631, Vol. ceiii., fol. 48, articles 1 and 2. 



