A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



of those ' wicked imps of Antichrist ' without further delay, and for this 

 purpose the aid of the Council in the north was invoked. 



The bishop's success in bringing most of the recalcitrant clergy to 

 a state of passive conformity must have exceeded his expectations. 

 Much had taken place in the two years that elapsed since the royal 

 visitation. There had been sufficient time to discuss the ecclesiastical 

 changes and to make up their minds about their future attitude. It is 

 noteworthy that only two of the clergy of the whole diocese, who had 

 absented themselves from the bishop's visitation, pushed their resistance 

 to the extreme limit and refused to acknowledge the legislative settle- 

 ment of religion. These men were Hugh Hodgson, rector of Skelton, 

 and Robert Thompson, rector of Beaumont, both churches being in 

 the patronage and under the protection of Lord Dacre, who, as we 

 have seen, was a resolute opponent of the reforming party. As 

 Hodgson had been deprived of his provostship of Queen's College, 

 Oxford, by the royal visitors in 1559, little compunction was felt in 

 proceeding against him at once. Bishop Best had no power as yet to 

 deprive for nonconformity, but as he was a member of the Northern 

 Commission his duty was clear. Hodgson was arrested early in August 

 at Kirkoswald, the house of Lord Dacre, 1 his patron, by the authority 

 of the president and council of the north, and conveyed to York, where 

 the oath was tendered to him, and by him peremptorily and obstinately 

 refused. On 2 1 August the sentence of deprivation was pronounced, 2 and 

 on 26 November Henry Dacre, bachelor of arts, was instituted to Skel- 

 ton on the nomination of Lord Dacre, warden of the march. 3 The 

 case of Thompson, rector of Beaumont, did not come on at that time. 

 It was not, however, long delayed, for on 5 May 1562 Henry Hasel- 

 head was instituted to the rectory, vacant by the deprivation of Robert 

 Thompson, the last incumbent, who had obstinately refused to take the 

 oath contained in the Act of Parliament. This nomination was also 

 made by Lord Dacre. 4 There can be little doubt that these two recu- 

 sants were influenced in their resistance by the shelter of the great name 

 of Dacre, a nobleman who, in the words of Bishop Best, was ' some- 

 thing too mighty in this country and as it were a prince.' These were 

 the only victims of the Elizabethan settlement of religion in a diocese 

 which contained at least 1 20 cures of souls, 5 including curates in quasi- 

 sole charge. If we sum up the whole loss which the diocese sustained 

 by the enforcement of the Act of Uniformity, we cannot count on 

 more deprivations than those of the bishop and two parish priests. It 

 cannot be said that the clergy as a body embraced the liturgical changes 

 with alacrity, but none except those mentioned persisted in their refusal 

 to work the new ecclesiastical system. 



> Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. (Rydal MSS.), xii. App. vii. 10. Dacre's influence may be gathered from 

 the fact that the lord president wrote to him, after Hodgson's deprivation, that Richard Dudley might 

 not forfeit his favour in consequence of his having arrested the priest in his lordship's house. 



Carl. Epis. Reg., Best, f. 3. 



3 Ibid. f. 4. Ibid. f. 5. 



Harl. MS. 594, f. 9. 



68 



