POLITICAL HISTORY 



and Flanders to land men. One Wylforde is the governour, and by 

 report a man that might be dealt with ; and if he would allow the fleet 

 to land there he might have for himself and his soldiers any money in 

 reason.'^ The father added that ' there are many gentlemen in Sussex 

 that are our friends,' and the spy notes in the margin the name of 

 Thomas Leedes, a prominent recusant. Indeed, in spite of the general 

 loyalty of the county, several Sussex men were involved in the various 

 conspiracies of this reign. Thus in 1569 the Earl of Arundel, Lord 

 Lumley, and Viscount Montague were all concerned in the Duke of 

 Norfolk's plot, and it w^as even intended to carry off Mary, Queen of 

 Scots, to Arundel Castle.* Nicholas Woolfe of Ashington was involved 

 in Somerville's attempt of 1583, and when presented by the church- 

 warden for not attending church called him ' a heretick,' and said that 

 within a year he should ' singe a newe songe ... or els he will frye 

 with a fagot,' and that ' if all thinges had happened right as it was 

 meante,' the queen would not be on the throne.^ In the Throck- 

 morton conspiracy of the next year the Earl of Northumberland's name 

 was mentioned in connection with secret meetings with the Pagets at 

 Petworth.^ 



On 28 July 1588, the Armada having passed the Sussex coast, 

 orders were at once issued for the dismissal of the county forces,^ and a 

 week later the 2,000 men formerly sent to London returned,^ the last 

 sign of the military preparations being removed in October, when the 

 beacons were discontinued.' Next year an English army was sent to 

 assist Henri IV, of France, and Sussex was called on to supply 1,000 

 men, to serve under Sir John Burgh and Sir Nicholas Parker.^ Arrange- 

 ments were made for them to embark at Chichester, Arundel, New- 

 haven and Rye, at which last port all the transports were to assemble f 

 but when the troops arrived they were found to be so badly equipped 

 that Lord Buckhurst had to re-arm most of them out of his own 

 armoury, and a sharp letter was sent to the justices to explain how they 

 came to make such a bad selection of men and arms."" This was not the 

 only occasion on which such a complaint was made; in 1585 the 

 troops sent under Mr. Wilgoose to Gravesend were insufficient in 

 number and had to be re-armed at the county's expense ;" and in 1591 

 Captains Christmas and Power complained of the soldiers sent from 

 Sussex as ' lose and ragged fellows without apparrell, armour, weapon 

 or money in theire purse,' and said that if Sir Nicholas Parker had not 

 partly remedied their defects at his own expense they would have refused 

 to take them. As it was they had expected trained men, but received 

 ' a company of very rogues ragd without apparrell, without armour 

 and in suche miserable case as they doubte the greate parte of them will 

 starve for want and colde so sone as they are on the other syde.'" Several 



1 S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccix. 57. 2 Cecil MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i. 1436. 



3 S.P. Dom. Eliz. chdii. 74. ' Ibid, clxxi. 79. 



6 Jets of P.C. xvi. 194. « Ibid. p. 215. 



• Ibid. p. 297. 8 Ibid, iviii. 87. ^ Ibid. p. 113. 



>" Ibid. p. 166. » Harl. MSS. 703, f. 38. -^ Ibid. f. 66. 



519 



