POLITICAL HISTORY 



have risen in a body. A papist king was a thing to mock at, and in 1688 

 at Bury the Dissenters burlesqued the doctrine of Rome in a show called 

 ' Before the Firy Purgation,' which even the gentry found extraordinarily 

 comical. ' Free parliaments and the Prince of Orange,' the obverse to that 

 of ' No popery,' was now the cry. All Papists were displaced in the militia, 

 and the Revolution was accomplished with characteristic tranquillity. The 

 regiment that had been Lord Dumbarton's, by its mutiny at Ipswich and the 

 subsequent trial of the ringleaders at Bury, created the only excitement. 



The political history of Suffolk since the Revolution mainly centres 

 round its Parliamentary interests. Under Edward I the shire returned two 

 knights, while Ipswich, Dunwich, and Orford were each summoned to 

 send two burgesses. The Liberty of St. Edmunds was represented by its 

 abbot ; only one writ was issued for the election of a burgess 1 (30 Edw. I), 

 and the sheriff noted on the back that the seneschal of St. Edmunds had the 

 right to the return of all writs. Bury was only accorded the right of 

 parliamentary representation by James I. The election of the knights of 

 the shire was nominally in the hands of the suitors to the county court, but 

 until restrained by public opinion and parliamentary act it was practically in 

 those of the sheriff. In 1275 the sheriff was instructed to cause the election 

 of two knights in full county court, but the territorial importance of the court 

 was diminishing, and in 1406 it was enacted that all the suitors duly 

 summoned, as well as others, should attend the election. It was also 

 ordered that the sheriff should make proclamation of the election in every 

 market town fifteen days before the court. In 1430 'in consequence of the 

 tumults made in the county court by the great attendance of people of small 

 substance and no value, whereof everyone pretended a voice as to such 

 elections equivalent with the most worthy knights and esquires resident,' the 

 franchise was strictly limited. To have the right to vote it was necessary 

 to be a resident in Suffolk and to possess 40J. in freehold, the same to be 

 sworn to on the Gospels. In 1432 the freehold had to be in Suffolk. The 

 sheriff had the right to reject any elector who did not satisfy him that he 

 possessed the necessary qualification. 2 The power of the sheriff was hard 

 to limit. He could issue a general summons to the court, or he might only 

 cite his special friends, and in extreme cases he simply did not return the 

 writ. The act of 1406 tried to accomplish this limitation. It directs that 

 the names of persons chosen shall be written in an indenture under the seals 

 of those that did choose them. This indenture was to be attached to the 

 writ and regarded as the sherifFs return. In 1410 the justices of assize were 

 given power to inquire into the returns, and any sheriff making a false one 

 was to be fined £100, while the members forfeited their wages. The 

 persons eligible as knights of the shire were described in 1275 as ' de 

 discretioribus et legalioribus.' Those girt with swords were meant, for 

 in 1340 they are specially described as ' gladio cinctos et ordinem militarem 

 habentes et non alios.' In 1372 sheriffs were disqualified as candidates, and 

 in 141 3 it was enacted that candidates must be resident in the county. 

 The knights elected 3 had to find two, four, or six manucaptors that they 

 would appear at the day and place appointed. If they refused to find these 



1 Brevia Parliamentarian ii, 2 1 2-1 3. ' Stubbs, Const. Hist. vol. iii, ch. xx. 



5 Brevia Parliamcntaria, ii, 137. 



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