POLITICAL HISTORY 



came the answers of Sir John of Lowther, who deferred his opinion on 

 the first question till he heard the debates of the House, and in reply 

 to the second, he would support those who were loyal and well affected 

 to the king and the established government. The same answers were 

 given by the majority of the justices present, disagreeing with the king 

 on the first two issues, but all of them expressed the desire to satisfy his 

 third question by striving to live in love and charity with their brother 

 Christians of every persuasion. Of the thirty-one justices who attended 

 the meeting, only eleven ranged themselves on the king's side, and these 

 were mostly papists and men of little influence. At the conclusion of 

 the business Lord Preston ' treated all the gentlemen very kindly and 

 nobly with wine, ale, and a good dinner.' Though the outcome of the 

 Penrith meeting was disappointing to the king and his advisers, a more 

 decided opposition was given by those who, for some reason or other, 

 were absent. Sir Wilfrid Lawson of Isell was the only absentee who 

 gave unqualified adhesion to the proposals, except, perhaps, John 

 Fisher of Stainebankgreen, who, with inconsistent hesitation, suspended 

 his opinion on the first question and assented to the second. Of the 

 others who answered by letter, all were apparently for the maintenance 

 of the penal laws, some answering evasively, a few with firmness. In 

 a few months all the old justices of Cumberland were disjusticed ' ex- 

 cepting eight whose names here follow : Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Sir 

 William Pennington, Mr. Charles Orfeur, Lawyer Aglionby, Mr. 

 Warwick, Squire Dacre, Mr. Thomas Dalston, and Mr. William Chris- 

 tian,' * who had declared themselves in favour of the king's plans. 3 



Cumberland had its share in the confusion and excitement of the 

 Revolution. Shortly before the landing of the Prince of Orange, the 

 justices retained in the commission of the peace drew up an address of 

 sympathy with the king, in which they told him that at that juncture 

 they thought it their duty to offer their lives and fortunes to his 

 Majesty's service, not doubting but a happy success would attend his 

 Majesty's arms ; and if he thought fit to display the royal standard they 

 faithfully promised to repair to it with their persons and interest. 3 But 

 it was too late, the Revolution had begun. In a fit of panic the ejected 



i Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. (Rydal MSS.), xii. App. vii. 212. 



The authorities for the above narrative on the events of 1687-8, unless where otherwise stated, 

 are the collection of original documents in the Bodleian, printed by Sir George Duckett in Penal Laws 

 and Test Act in 1688, and in Transactions of Cumbld. and Westmorld. Arch&ol. Soc. iv. 346-71, and the 

 letters and papers at Rydal Hall, printed by Nicolson and Burn, Hist, of Westmorld. and Cumbld. i. 165-71. 

 8 Chambers, Book of Days (1883), ii. 550. This was no idle boast on the part of the papist justices, 

 for Mr. Howard and his son, Mr. Curwen, and Mr. Salkeld joined the army of King James as volunteers 

 in November 1688 (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. [Rydal MSS.], xii. App. vii. 220). Scottish troops to the num- 

 ber of 2,000 passed through Carlisle on 10 October 1688 on their way south, and threw the county into 

 consternation. The posse comitatus was called out and marched to Kirkby Lonsdale, where, as it was 

 reported, a skirmish took place and the Irish and Scotch were routed (ibid. 215, 227, 229). There was 

 not much bloodshed, if we are to believe a popular ballad which satirized the courage of the local militia 

 in the encounter : 



In '88 was Kirkby feight 



When ne'er a man was slain : 

 They ate their meat and drank their drink, 

 And so went yham again. 



II 297 38 



