POLITICAL HISTORY 



would have ruined the country and caused widespread ill-feeUng. In the 

 spring of 1587 the loan was called for by circular letters, addressed under 

 sanction, or by command of the Privy Seal, to the wealthier inhabitants of each 

 county, whose names were furnished by the lords-lieutenant. In some cases 

 the names given were of those who really could not pay. But in Dorset no 

 remissions were allowed, and jri,g^o was paid by forty-seven of its gentry. 

 Robert Freke of Cerne, John Miller of Came, Henry Coker of Mappowder, 

 Robert Harley of Stalbridge, Thomas Chafyn, and James Hannam of Purse 

 Caundle paid >Ci°o each.^ Matthew Chubb of Dorchester, assessed at £S'^, 

 wrote to Secretary WoUy, saying that ' neither the Lord Lieutenant, nor the 

 Deputy Lieutenant, have certified the sufficiency of your suppliant to be able 

 to lend Her Majesty any sum of money.' There is no record of how he 

 fared.' 



All this while the twin towns of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis had 

 been carrying on a bitter quarrel. The old competitors of Dorchester 

 (Lyme, Wareham, and Poole) had all withdrawn from the contest. Wey- 

 mouth and Melcombe, however, continued their strife with unabated vigour, 

 in spite of the so-called Act of Union of 1571, which united the two 

 boroughs ' in government, the peace, and entire jurisdiction,' also as to the 

 receipt of the petty customs of ' the haven and watercourse ; ' but for 

 ' private actions, suits, etc. ... in leets and lawdays . . . they retained the 

 same divided in their several towns.' ' This apparent settlement had been 

 arrived at by a commission from the Privy Council, consisting of the Lords 

 Justices Jeffisry and Manwood. But the disturbances ran so high* that in 

 1586 a fresh commission was sent to settle them. The matter was not ended 

 till 1616, all the local lawyers being kept busy, on both sides, and ' Holand- 

 shed, a keeper of recordes in the Tower, delivered a ^0 Warranto to Best, 

 and Best thought it to be forged, because he had it so good cheape.'^ 



Interference with elections for Parliament is a common feature of this 

 period. The Earl of Pembroke (steward of Weymouth, Wyke, Portland, 

 and other royal manors) with 'E. Philippes gent.' selected the two representa- 

 tives for Weymouth in 1585.' Lord Warwick chose the opposing two for 

 Melcombe.^ Lord Bedford, in 1576, wrote to the bailiffs of the former 

 proposing that ' upon the return of your indentures you will send the same, 

 with a blank for the name,' as he wished to nominate one of the members.' 

 In 1 57 1 he had already selected one of the members for Poole ; in 1581 the 

 Earl of Leicester assumed this privilege, in 1584 the recorder, Giles Estcourt, 

 and in 1585 the Earl of Warwick. In Poole, at any rate, this state of affairs 

 continued till the Commonwealth.' So late as the county election of 1675 

 the Bishop of Bristol sent circulars to all his clergy instructing them which 

 way to vote : — 



I have sent my secretary into Dorsetshire on purpose to disperse these letters amongst 

 you, and I hope you will be careful so to send these from one to another that the whole 

 diocese will be sensible of my desire to them.^" 



' T. C. Noble : ' The names of those persons . . . who subscribed to the Armada.' Notes and Queries 

 fir Som. and Dors, i, 3 3 sqq. 



' Cal. S.P. Dom. E/iz. 1581-90, p. 223 (114). 



' Weymouth Chart, ii, 4. * j4cts of P. C. iSJ^-Jy P- 3^8. ' Weymouth Chart, ii, 70. 



' Ibid, ii, 4; iii, 15. ' Ibid, i, 25. ' Ibid, iv, I J. " Hutchins, Dorset, i, 25-7. 



'° Christie, Life of the First Lord Shaftesbury, ii, 2 1 8. 



2 145 ^9 



