A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



as good a readiness as you write we marvel that neither you our cousin of 

 Shrewsbury have been so diligent in viewing and fortifying the fords of the 

 Don as we desired in former letters, nor that you our cousin of Norfolk and 

 our admiral have devised upon the same since your arrival, knowing that we 

 had the doing thereof so much at heart. . . If by your negligence the rebels 

 should . . . cross the Don we should think ourselves ill served.' 1 Finally, 

 however, the king agreed to Norfolk's request, pardon was promised, and 

 the rebel forces disbanded. During the next year the earl of Shrewsbury 

 was rewarded for his prompt measures to quell the rebellion by a grant of 

 the lands and site of the lately suppressed monastery of Ruffbrd in the county.* 



The reigns of Edward VI and Mary seem to have furnished little 

 towards the political history of the county which, on the whole, con- 

 formed to the religious changes and thus had small share in the religious 

 rebellions that were rife during these years for religion's sake. In Eliza- 

 beth's reign, when the north was disaffected, Nottingham seems to have 

 remained loyal. Thus in 1569 the sheriff reported to the council that 

 Nottingham was quiet, and that many in the county had subscribed to the 

 observance of the Statute of Uniformity.* 



In 1562 Lord Robert Dudley was ordered to make preparations for a 

 meeting at Nottingham between Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary of 

 Scots. Tilts were to be set and warning given to all lusty young knights 

 to show feats of arms.* A letter was also directed in July to the sheriff 

 of Nottinghamshire ordering him, since the queen had determined to 

 meet the queen of Scots at Nottingham on 3 September next, ' bothe whose 

 traines will amount to 4,000 personnes,' to repair * to Nottingham, calling 

 unto him as well the most experte and skilfull gentlemen of that shire 

 as of the confynes of the shires adjoining,' and there prepare for the 

 victualling of the train of the queen of Scots.' There still exists a scheme 

 of devices ' to be shewed before the Queen's Majesty by way of maskinge at 

 Nottingham Castell after the meeting of the Queen of Scots,' but these 

 devices were set aside 8 since the meeting was eventually postponed. 7 



As a contrast to this suggestion of pageantry comes a tale of ' most lewd 

 and foule parties and disorders committed in that county ' in the years 1592 

 and 1593. The riots seem to have been caused by the erection of weirs 

 upon the River Trent, and the rioters among other things defaced the coach 

 of Sir Thomas Stanhope, and set up ' vile pictures ' of the earl of Shrewsbury, 

 the owners of the weirs. 8 Orders came from the council to the sheriff 

 and justices of the county to seize and examine all suspected persons and 

 imprison them without bail. A few months later came a censure from the 

 council because the justices, in spite of the late commands, by their ' wilful 

 negligence and partiality,' had shown contempt of justice and Her Majesty's 

 commands rather than ' yealded any show of care ' in the performance of 

 their duties.* 



But for Nottinghamshire, as for many other counties, the history of 

 Elizabeth's reign with its intricate foreign policy resolves itself for the most 



1 L. and P. Hen. viit, xi, 494 'Ibid, xii, pt. ii, 350. 



' Cal. S. P. Dom. 1547-80, pp. 346, 350. Ibid. p. 202. 



* Jcti of P. C. vii, 1 10. Lansd. MS. v, No. 38. Camden, Annals for 1562, p. 60. 



' 4cti of P. C. vii, 1 14. 8 Ibid, xxiv, 77. Ibid. 267. 



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