By James Waylen. 



115 



said Court at the Devizes. — May it therefore please your Worship to cause your 

 under sheriff at the uext Court to be held at the Devizes, to adjourn the said 

 Court to the borough of Wilton, where it had its foundation, beintc the S^hire- 

 town, and so continued until these last Sheriffs' times. And not only ourselves 

 shall rest very thankful ; but we are confident that the Earl of Pembroke, when 

 it is done, will give you thanks also ; whose letter, if time had permitted, would 

 have been written unto you, to this purpose. 



The Devizes Counter Petition to the Sheriff, '^th December, 1660. 

 May it please tou; — The absence of the Mayor of our borough, he being 

 now at Loudon, hath been the cause of retarding our making a more timely 

 application unto you concerning the County Court, which, through the good 

 inclination of the two last Sheriffs unto the common good and their well-wishing 

 unto this our town, hath been holden and kept in this our borough these five 

 years past, it being the centre of the county, to the great ease and contentment 

 of the inhabitants of all the north part, and middle part also, of this county, — 

 who, in case the Court should be kept in the skiit of the Shire, must of necessity 

 be compelled to travel, some of them thirty, some forty, and some fifty miles or 

 near thereabout, unto the Court. And in regard thereof, they would rather pay 

 unjust debts than take so far a journey ; where, having no acquaintance, they 

 may be put to great straits in case of arrests — We, the inhabitants of the said 

 borough of Devizes whose names are here underwritten, do in the name of the 

 whole borough, and in behalf also of the inhabitants of the county, whose hands 

 we have heretofore had upon the like occasion to the number of many hundreds 

 of them, humbly desire your worship to be pleased to continue the County Court 

 to be kept here at the Devizes during your sheriffwick ; or [else] every other 

 Court at the Devizes and the other at Wilton ; on which Court-days all persons 

 having business to Court shall, as in time past, come free and go free without 

 any aiTcst out of our Town-Court ; unless your worship with the Justices of 

 peace of the County shall be pleased to give way for arrests under 4'5, in case 

 the defendants shall come to out-swear their creditors of their due debts which 

 they owe them. And we hope there shall be no complaints made against the 

 Court ; there having in truth very few or none been made against it these five 

 years. Thus having made bold to solicit you in this behalf, as well knowing it 

 to be your just right to dispose thereof, we refer it to your grave consideration, 

 and remain, 



Tour Worship's humble servants to serve you, 



William Allford 

 John Burnett 

 John Eyles, jun. 

 William Filkes 

 Henry Flower 

 Thomas Flower 

 John Gaysford 

 John Glas 

 Thomas Grubb 

 William Hayes 

 John Hicklouss 

 Robert Ings. 



Thomas Long 

 John May 

 William Naish 

 Edward Paine 

 Edward Pierce 

 Eichard Pierce 

 Christopher PuUen 

 John Rose 

 William Sayer 

 John Sloper 

 Robert Sloper 

 John Smith 



Philip Strong 

 Eichard Smith 

 William Thurman 

 John Tidcombe 

 Robert Walker, Jun. 

 John Watton 

 Richard Watton 

 Richard Webb 

 John -White 

 John Wintworth 

 John Worsdall 

 Cornelius Wyrt 



