POLITICAL HISTORY 



Howard was 'sicke and not able to appeare ' ; Thomas Brewer of Penrith 

 ' refused tosweare, and was fined 40^., and did afterwards take the oathes.' 

 The Jacobites of Cumberland appear to have suffered little further in- 

 convenience till the suspicion of the privy council was aroused by the 

 reports of plots in France on behalf of the exiled king. On 25 Feb- 

 ruary 1696 the local authorities were instructed by Lord Carlisle to 

 have the two counties in readiness, and to secure the horses, arms and 

 persons of all persons disaffected to the government. ' You must be 

 careful,' he said, ' to leive no armes or horses that may be serviceable 

 to them upon such an occasion as this in any Roman Catholicks' hands, 

 and you will also be careful to return theme their horses againe when 

 this matter is over.' Warrants were issued in accordance with these 

 instructions, but little came of them. Papists and nonjurors were so 

 few and inconsiderable that they were not considered dangerous. More- 

 over the mob was so averse to popery that there would be twenty to 

 one against the Jacobites. 1 It must be said that unless danger was 

 actually imminent, or the justices were forced by imperative orders, the 

 penal laws were put in force in Cumberland with as much leniency and 

 consideration as possible. 



The first effect of the legislative union with Scotland in 1707 was 

 to stir up a feeling in favour of the Stuarts, which the friends of the 

 pretender were careful to keep alive by promises of immediate invasion. 

 Parliament took precautionary measures by passing an Act for the better 

 security of her Majesty's person and government, and for the apprehen- 

 sion of those who were suspected of conspiring against them. At the 

 Easter Sessions 1708 the deputy lieutenants and justices of Cumberland 

 arranged for a special meeting at the Moothall, Carlisle, on 28 April 

 following, ' in order to put ye said Act in execucon by tendring ye 

 oath of abjuration to all papists, nonjurors and such others as may be 

 suspected to be dangerous or disaffected to her Majesty or her govern- 

 ment.' In pursuance of this order, the high constables were directed 

 to summon ' the severall persons whose names were underwritt ' to 

 appear accordingly. The report made to the privy council on the loyalty 

 of the county did not indicate that the pretender had a large following 

 of sympathizers. The persons who refused the oath of abjuration 

 numbered about eighteen in all, and included such names as Thomas 

 Fletcher of Moresby, Joseph Porter of Wearyhall, John Porter of 

 Flimby, Joseph Curwen of Seton, John Warwick of Warwickhall, 

 Thomas Howard of Corby, William Tonstall of Wetheral, James Dacre 

 of Lanercost, Richard Skelton of Armathwaite, and Marcus Fletcher 

 of Hutton. Bishop Nicolson took an active part in enforcing the law, 

 and held individual conference with papists for the purpose of persuasion. 

 Writing to Mr. Salkeld of Whitehall on 24 July 1708, he explained 

 that the hazard of invasion was not quite blown over, and that he was 

 more than ever apprehensive of danger from the great numbers of those 



' Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. (Rydal MSS.), xii. App. vii. 339-43. 

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