POLITICAL HISTORY 



part into a long list of muster rolls. In the critical years before the Spanish 

 Armada, when England's safety seemed to rest on such slender defences, 

 English forces had to be sent to give Elizabeth's half-hearted aid to the Lords 

 of the Congregation against the French faction in Scotland, to the Nether- 

 landers against the French, and to the French against the Spaniards. In 1559 

 a levy of 200 men was ordered from Nottinghamshire to march to Berwick 

 to help in the siege of Leith. 1 From Nottingham itself went forty-two able 

 men, of whom ten were archers and thirty-one bill men, the latter having 

 twelve 'harnesses' between them. 3 Again, in 1573, when the massacre of 

 St. Bartholomew made definite action on Elizabeth's part a necessity, fresh 

 musters were ordered from the town of Nottingham to advance to Edinburgh 

 for the help of the king's party. 3 



The failure of her shifting policy and the events of 1576 drove the 

 queen into negotiations with the Low Countries, and in accordance with her 

 promise of help fresh musters were ordered throughout the country in 1577.* 

 In April of that year the council wrote to the commissioner of trustees for 

 Nottinghamshire concerning the training of the number of men appointed, 

 and ' signefieing Her Majestie's pleasure that fiftie shalbe rebated.' 5 Further 

 commissions were issued in 1580 and 1581, when 100 men from Nottingham- 

 shire were ordered to help in the suppression of the rebels in Ireland.' 



From this time until the Spanish Armada had become a thing of the 

 past all energies were concentrated on preparations for defence against the 

 threatened attack of Spain. Thus in 1580 musters were taken ' not to charge 

 men in any foreign service,' but to ascertain the strength of the realm in case 

 of any rebellion or invasion. 7 A change seems to have been made in the list 

 of horsemen to be maintained by the county of Nottingham. The rate of 

 assessment for the subsidy of that year was two light horse from land worth 

 ^Tio, a lance and a light horse from land worth 20, a lance and two light 

 horse from land worth 30, and two lances and two light horse from land 

 worth 40. 8 The gentlemen of the county were required to attend a muster 

 at Newark in January, 1581, and those 'expected to show horses' were 

 sixty-four in number. 9 Several pleas for exemption were put forward. 

 Sir John Byron wrote to the lord-lieutenant that as he was now sheriff of 

 Lancashire he trusted he would not be ' charged in Nottinghamshire.' 10 Sir 

 Francis Willoughby stated that he could not provide the lances and horsemen 

 and their furniture by the time appointed ' because the county yields not the 

 same upon the sudden,' but would send two lances and two light horse. 11 

 Edward Stanhope petitioned that ' being a younger brother and having no 

 residence in Nottinghamshire,' he should be excused from providing a demi- 

 lance and a light horse. 13 In January, 1588, the beginning of the critical 

 year, the earl of Rutland, with the consent of the gentlemen of Nottingham- 

 shire, decided that the county should furnish 1,400 footmen of whom 400 

 were to be selected at once. 13 The quota originally required from the county 



Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, pt. iv. vol. i, 71. 



Ibid. p. 70. * Acts of P. C. viii, 107. 



Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, pt. iv, vol. i, 1 12. * Acts of P. C. ix, 335. 



Ibid, xiii, 45. Hut. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, pt. iv. vol. i, 1 19. 7 Ibid. p. 125. 



Ibid. p.. 123. ' Ibid. p. 124. 



10 Ibid. p. 125. " Ibid. " Ibid. 



13 The numbers for Nottinghamshire according to the musters of 1574 and 1575 are omitted in Peck's 

 Desiderata Curiosa. See vol. i, liber ii, 75. 



i 337 43 



