58 DIARY OF WILLIAM WHITEWAY. 



commencement of the diary and his own marriage, begins with the 

 entries" paid my wife 3s. 6d," " paid 4th Feb; 12s.," " paid 7th for a 

 cap, 6s.," from which entry we gather that Mrs. Whiteway was 

 accustomed to wear the " capp of woll knit," which the maternal 

 government of Queen Elizabeth in support of home industries and to 

 the confusion of the foreign French hatters, who then as now set the 

 fashions in headgear ordained by statute A.D., 1571, should be worn on 

 Sabbath and other Holy Days under a penalty of 3s. 4d. a day. How 

 would the ladies in these days submit to a sumptuary law prescribing 

 what kind of bonnets they should wear on Sundays under a penalty of 

 3s. 4d. ? The ladies did not appear to like it in Queen Elizabeth days, 

 for the statute was repealed a few years after it was made, though the 

 custom of wearing the woollen cap seems to have continued. 



As the reading of the whole diary would occupy some time, I shall 

 pass over most of the references to home and foreign politics which have 

 lost their point, and confine myself mainly to the entries which are of 

 local or at least of general interest. The first entry is dated 1618 



In the year of the reign of our Sovereign, Lord James, by the 

 grace of God, King of England, France, and Ireland, defender of 

 the faith', and of Scotland the two-and-fiftieth. 



" Sir Walter Carle, Knight, was sheriffe of Dorset ; John Gould, 

 and William Joliffe, Bailliurs of Dorchester; John Hill and 

 Dennis Bond, Constables." 



Nov., 1619. There was seen a blazing star in the south-east, 

 which continued. 



Sir Walter Eawleigh was beheaded in London about the end of 

 October, and after his death was much lamented by the Londiners, 

 having acquitted himself of the death of the Earl of Essex and of 

 his Atheism as appeared by his speech at his execution. About 

 the same time also there were many reports of wars betwixt 

 England and France and the Low Countries, but no certainty in any 

 of them, the ground only was because there was no English 

 Ambassador in France, nor French in England. (Then follow 

 some lines on Sir Walter Raleigh and the Spanish Armada). 



Aug. 28, 1619. In this month there was established a custom 

 upon all wool cloth, being on our Dorsets 9d. more than before and 

 6d. on a Devon, what will be the issue of it is not yet known. 



