A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



ment at Nottingham for brawling in church, Fox proceeded to Mansfield 

 Woodhouse, and there followed out the same tactics, delivering his testimony 

 to the congregation in church. Here his conduct provoked much violence, 

 and after a rough experience in the stocks he was stoned out of the town. 



Besse records several imprisonments and distresses in 1658 in this county 

 for non-payment of tithes. John Cowper of Skegby, for refusing to pay 1 6s. 

 of tithes, had three cows taken from him worth 10, William Clayton of 

 Elton, for large arrears of tithes, is said to have had goods taken from him to 

 the value of 22, and also to have been imprisoned for upwards of three years. 

 William Smith of Besthorpe, Edward Langford of North Collingham, and 

 Thomas Elsham of Girton also suffered considerable imprisonment for unpaid 

 tithes. During the same year Mary Leadbeater and Anne Fricknall were set 

 in the stocks at Mansfield Woodhouse ' for some words they had spoken 

 displeasing to a priest (i.e. an Independent minister) there,' whilst Robert 

 Wild of Wollaton was fined 3 6s. %d. for not putting off his hat in court. 



In 1659 a mob broke up a meeting of Quakers, using much violence. 

 In April 1660 Elizabeth Hooton the woman preacher, 'passing quickly along 

 the road, was met by one Jackson, priest of Selston, who abused her, beat her 

 with many blows, knockt her down, and afterwards put her into the water.' 

 During this latter year Besse records the names of thirty-six Quakers who 

 were imprisoned in the town and county gaols of Nottingham for refusing to 

 take the oath of allegiance to Charles II, in addition to others for refusing 

 to pay tithes. From this time forward, until peace came in 1688, the 

 Quakers of Nottingham were severely harried throughout this county, not 

 only as to tithes, but more especially for illegal gatherings under the 

 Conventicle Act. Besse states, and he sets forth many names and particulars, 

 that the then immense sum of 598 IQJ. loJ. was taken from the Notting- 

 hamshire Quakers in 1670, through goods seized by distress on account of 

 their religious meetings. The goods seized in 1676 from Edward Wood, a 

 wheelwright of Eakring, for a meeting held at his house, and from four of 

 those who were present, amounted to 63 is. 6d. Several meetings held 

 during that year at the house of John Seaton of Blyth produced the astounding 

 total of 348 i6s. \od. Robert Thoroton seems to have been the most severe 

 of the justices in the suppression of conventicles ; warrants under his hand and 

 seal to the constables, churchwardens, and overseers of Wellow, Sutton in 

 Ashfield, and Hucknall, are printed by Besse. 



In 1659 a sheet was printed for Thomas Simmons at the ' Bull's Mouth,' 

 Aldersgate, subscribed with the initials G.F. for George Fox, headed 

 * Surely the Magistrates of Nottingham are blinde, as though they had never 

 read the Scriptures, have they cast a man into prison for saying, " The Scrip- 

 tures were not the Living Word." ' 133 



Charles the Second's celebrated ' Indulgence ' was published on 1 5 March 

 1672. It was thereby declared, on the authority of the king in council, that 

 all penal laws against Nonconformists and recusants should be suspended, and 

 that a sufficient number of places of worship should be allowed for all 

 Nonconformists (save Papists), but that none should meet at any place until 

 the place of meeting and the teacher of the congregation had been approved 

 and registered. Nottingham eagerly embraced this opportunity. 



1JJ B.M. 1865, C. 15 (9). 



74 



