A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



as bred again more strife, variance, and contention in that one small cite 

 and shyre than was almost in the holl realme.' They also charged him 

 that when they sent down godly and learned men to preach God's 

 Word at Winchester, in order to disappoint disgrace and hinder them, 

 * he dyd occupye the pulpit himself.' ' 



Recognizing the gravity of such an act towards a well known 

 statesman, the council on the next day (i July) communicated with all 

 the ambassadors of the foreign powers, setting forth in detail their 

 reasons for sending the bishop to the Tower. 2 



After an imprisonment of two years the council on 8 June, 1550, 

 agreed that it was time to speak to the imprisoned bishop and promise 

 him release if he would repent of his former obstinacy. Somerset and 

 others were appointed to visit him. During the next six weeks several 

 visits were paid to Gardiner in the Tower, and various declarations 

 drawn up for him to sign ; but so soon as he had signed certain state- 

 ments others of a much more advanced nature were presented to him. 3 

 It is quite clear that the action of the council at this time was only 

 intended to conciliate the considerable weight of opinion against his 

 long imprisonment. On 19 July sentence of sequestration from his 

 bishopric was pronounced. 4 Burnet admits that the bishop's treatment 

 was now 'much censured as being contrary to the liberties of Englishmen 

 and the forms of all legal proceedings.' 



At last the council could no longer resist the remonstrances of 

 Gardiner and his friends, and he was brought to trial at Lambeth before 

 a special commission presided over by the archbishop. The trial began 

 on 15 December, 1550, and ended on 14 February, 1551, the court 

 having sat twenty-two days. 6 A good deal of the evidence turned upon 

 what the bishop had really said on certain controversial matters in his 

 sermon at Paul's Cross, there being many conflicting statements. There 

 was also a great body of evidence on behalf of the bishop from Hamp- 

 shire, clergy, gentlemen and tradesmen (in addition to many of the 

 bishop's servants) vying with each other in protestations as to Gardiner's 

 peaceable conduct and endeavours to secure due obedience to constituted 

 authority. The warden of Winchester College, the master of St. Cross 

 and several of the cathedral clergy, as well as the verger, described the 

 nature of the bishop's sermon at St. Swithun's on Palm Sunday. Much 

 evidence was also given by people of all ranks, who had heard the 

 bishop preach in the parish church of Farnham on St. Matthew's day, 

 1548, when on his way to Winchester, after his release from the Fleet. 

 William Locking (vicar of Farnham) deposed that the bishop tarried 

 at the vicarage on St. Matthew's eve, and that he preached the following 

 day on the virtue of obedience and submission, to quiet men's minds 

 who had been much disturbed by the recent visitation of the king's 



1 Acts of Privy Council, 1547-50, pp. 131, 157, 208-10. 



* Dm. State Papers, Edward VI. vol. iv. No. 20. 



I 1* c f p 'y c un 1 ' IS50-2, pp. 43, 44, 48, 65, 67, 69, 70, 72, 73, 76, 78. 



Ibid. pp. 84-7 ; Dom. State Papers, Edward YI. vol. x. No. 14. 



1 The trial is set forth at length in Fox's Acts and Monuments, vi. 93-266 (Townshend's ed.). 



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