ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



A very large number of small livings were augmented at this period ; 

 thus between 1656 and 1658, to take a few instances, 16 was granted to the 

 minister of Pagham S81 (subsequently increased by an additional 24.), 26a 20 

 each to those of Fishbourne, 263 East Grinstead (with another 50 for his assis- 

 tant minister), 264 Brighton, 265 Madehurst, 266 Wisborough Green, 267 West Hamp- 

 nett, 268 and Selsey ; 269 23 to Beddingham, 270 30 to Framfield and New Shore- 

 ham, 271 40 to Patcham, 272 50 to Singleton 273 , 70 to Rye, 274 and 80 (in addi- 

 tion to a former sum of 9) granted to William Speed, who had succeeded John 

 Corbett as minister at Chichester. 275 Another method of increasing the value 

 of a benefice was by the union of two adjacent livings. Thus on the death of 

 Mr. Whetstone, minister of Patching, and in accordance with his dying re- 

 quest, the cure of Patching was united with that of Clapham, the parishioners 

 of the latter certifying that their minister, Samuel Wilmer, had been 'zealous 

 in gathering the scattered saints into one body to enjoy gospel ordinances,' but 

 was overwhelmed with expenses. 276 In the same way the parishes of St. Peter- 

 the-Less, St. Pancras, and St. Martin were united with St. Andrew's, 

 Chichester, that of Earnley with East Wittering, and that of Climping with 

 Ford 277 ; St. Peter-the-Great, All Saints, St. Bartholomew's, and St. Olave's 

 in Chichester were formed into one parish, 278 Ovingdean joined to Brighton, 279 

 Goring and Ferring to Kingston (the chapelry of East Preston being detached 

 from Ferring and included in Rustington), 280 Tortington to Arundel, 281 and 

 Tangmere to Boxgrove. 282 



Under the Commonwealth religious toleration existed nominally, but 

 practically the toleration was confined within narrow limits, quite outside 

 which lay the ' papists.' The unfortunate adherents of the Church of Rome, 

 after the persecutions of Elizabeth's reign, had during the rule of her two 

 successors been subject to a less rigorous, but scarcely less harassing, course 

 of fines, surveillance, domiciliary visits, and occasional imprisonment ; a new 

 and irritating feature being introduced by James I, who caused the penalties 

 exacted for nonconformity to be paid, not to the crown, but to private 

 persons to whom he assigned the ' benefit of the recusancy ' of individual 

 Catholics. When the Parliament emerged victorious from the Civil War they 

 became the special objects of oppression on account alike of their religious and 

 political opinions, for they were naturally royalists almost to a man ; heavy 

 fines crippled their estates and imprisonment did the same for the bodies of 

 some, though on the whole their injuries were pecuniary rather than personal 

 in Sussex. 



The most remarkable instance of intolerance, however, is seen in the 

 conduct of the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical, towards the sect of the 

 'Friends,' or Quakers. A full account of their coming into Sussex and of 

 their sufferings there has been preserved, 283 and no reader can refuse them the 

 tribute of admiration for their courage and constancy, even if he regret their 



*' Cat. S. P. Dam. Interregnum, cxxvi, 66. ** Ibid, clviii, 4. 



161 Ibid, cxxix, 47. *' Ibid, cxxx, 122. " Ibid, cxxxi, 15. 



** Ibid, clvi, 89. "' Ibid. IM Ibid, clviii, 100. 



169 Ibid, clxxx, 163. "> Ibid, clviii, 100. "' Ibid, cliv, 114. 



"' Ibid, cxxvi, 66. " Ibid, clviii, 100. '" Ibid, clvii, 85. 



m Ibid, cxxxi, 52. m Ibid. Ixv, 44. n Ibid, cxxx, 5. 



178 Ibid. 16. "" Ibid, cliv, 12. 13 Ibid, clvi, 54. 



181 Ibid. 105. "'Ibid, clxxx, 163. 



183 Partly printed in Suss. Arch. Coll. xvi, 65-125. 



37 



