POLITICAL HISTORY 



In the second rising also, the king had full confidence in the loyalty of 

 the landed classes. He wrote (September 20) to the Bishop of Bath and 

 Wells (Warbeck being then engaged in besieging Exeter) : 'The Perkin and his 

 company, if they come forward, shall find before them . . . the noblemen 

 of South Wales, and of our counties of Gloucester, Wiltshire, Hampshire, 

 Somerset, and Dorset.'^ The list of the fined was practically confined to the 

 Pretender's line of flight from Taunton, by way of Sherborne, Blackmoor, 

 and Cranborne Chase to Beaulieu. There was evidently no discontent with 

 the Tudor monarchy, but merely pity extended to a fugitive. 



The loyalty of the country gentlemen showed itself a few years later 

 (1501) on the bridal progress of Catherine of Arragon. She was received 

 with much ceremonial, and escorted from stage to stage ; two or three miles 

 before she came to Sherborne (from Exeter and Crewkerne) she was met by 

 Sir Thomas de la Lynde, William Martin, Sir John Turberville, Sir Roger 

 Newburgh, Richard Willoughby, William Barket, and Henry Strangways. 

 These conveyed her to Shaftesbury, where she was met by another set of 

 important gentlemen, and accompanied to Amesbury.^ 



At the Field of the Cloth of Gold Dorset was represented by Sir Giles 

 Strangways, Sir Thomas Trenchard, and Sir Thomas Lynde. ^ And to the 

 suppression of the Northern Rebellion of 1536 the county contributed 1,0 £;o 

 men, viz. Sir Giles Strangways 300, Sir Thomas Arundel and Sir Edward 

 Willoughby 200 each. Sir Thomas More and John Rogers, esq. 100 each, 

 and Sir John Horsey 150.* In 1538 there was some slight disaffection,' but 

 on the whole the Tudor period is barren of any stirring events. It is con- 

 cerned mainly with questions of defence, and in it we get glimpses of 

 electoral procedure, following on the borough controversies whose roots lay 

 centuries deep. The county was fairly heavily charged for coat and conduct 

 money, besides having to furnish contingents at frequent intervals. Thus in 

 1546 the coat and conduct money of 100 men raised by the county was 

 £^K, 16s. 8^.,° while in 1600, ^19 16s. \d. was the coat and conduct money 

 charged for 50 men.'' Not so many men were apparently demanded for the 

 wars of Henry VIII as for those of Elizabeth. Henry wanted money and men 

 for his castles and garrisons. Sandsfoot Castle, built by him in 1540, was 

 carefully munitioned,* and gunners for the Isle of Purbeck and for Portland 

 were not reduced in number till 1552.' 



The execution of Lady Jane Grey and reconciliation of England with 

 Rome seem to have produced slight disturbances in 1554, for a letter from 

 the Privy Council to the sheriff and justices of the peace mentions the late 

 false rumours of a ' commocion ' in Dorset, ' to the evil stirring of the 

 people.' Two days later (3 1 July) a second letter thanks them for their 

 diligence and prays them to continue the same ; and because they have a 

 commission of oyer and terminer they are to proceed against the spreaders of 

 these reports. In this connexion Edward Horsey was specially mentioned 

 as ' of evill demeanour.' ^^ In 1557 the county was still suffering disturbance 



' Ellis, Original Letters, i, 35, ser. i. ' Letters of Ric. Ill and Hen. Vll (Rolls Ser.), i, 406, 407. 



' L. and P. Hen. Fill, iii, pt. i, 241. * Ibid, xi, 232. 



' Ibid, xiii, pt. ii, 473. * Jets of P. C. (ed. Dasent), 1542-7, p. 393. 



' Ibid. 1600, pp. 102, 185. ' Ibid. 1550-2, p. 172 ; ibid. 1549-50, p. 393. 



* Ibid. 184 ; ibid. I 5 52-4, pp. 32, 34. '" Ibid. I 5 54-6, pp. 1 68-9. 



