ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



to the harbouring of seminary priests occur in the state papers of the 

 period. 



In 1 609 the judge of assize writes that whilst Northumberland, Cum- 

 berland, Westmorland, and Lancashire are quiet, and show an abatement of 

 recusancy, Yorkshire and Durham are not so quiet nor so free from recu- 

 sants. 831 In the whole diocese of Durham they had been estimated as about 

 700 in the early years of the reign, which shows a marked increase, but the 

 vigilant commissioners reduced them to 400, though a personal visitation by 

 Bishop James in 1615 revealed an increase once more.* 88 Later in the same 

 year the bishop was much occupied in trying to unravel the intricacies of a 

 plot which does not seem to have left much impression on the records of the 

 time, and yet promised, it was then thought, to develop into a conspiracy of 

 some magnitude. He was shrewd enough to obtain the services of a renegade 

 Romanist, or at all events one who knew Romanist ways well, and was able 

 to insinuate himself into assemblies of seminary priests and others in the 

 north of England. The bishop believed at one time that the king's life was 

 in danger, but his fear probably exaggerated matters. 88 * Another spy reported 

 to Win wood in 1616 that * throughout the bishopric of Durham popery 

 prevails, so that at the ports Hartlepool, Sunderland, &c., the recusants can 

 import as they will.' 88 * The writer's opinion was that the bishop and his 

 officers were slack and covetous, so that law was not well administered ; he 

 desired to see the reduction of the bishop's prerogative, and the introduction 

 of a system of government similar to that which obtained in Northumberland. 

 This criticism of the bishop's way of using his position had come up in the 

 previous reign, and recurred at intervals in later days. Its interest at the 

 moment lies in the transient glimpse that is given of the condition of affairs 

 in the Palatinate. The people, for instance, were now unused to arms ; 

 woods had been cut down in the county ; recusancy was rampant. 88 ' A lull 

 followed, and the last nine years of King James have left no proof of severity 

 in Durham. This accords with the general character of those years in the 

 larger history of England, where little or nothing is heard of the penal laws 

 and their enforcement, though there is no reason to doubt that papal agita- 

 tion still flourished in those gentler days. 888 The beginning of the reign 

 of Charles was signalized by an attempt to seize the arms of recusants. 887 

 This was of a piece with the declared policy of the new king in the early 

 days of the reign, and was endorsed by a letter from him in which he 

 specially directed the enforcement of the laws. 888 Bishop Neile unearthed a 

 good deal of correspondence between Sir Robert Hodgson, of Hebburn, and 

 some others ' reputed pragmatical in ill offices of conveying, receiving, and 



" Cat. S.P. Dom. 1603-10, p. 54.3, &c. 



" Ibid. 161 1-18, p. 289. 'Ten years before there were 700 recusants in his diocese ; by the Ecclesi- 

 astical Commission, &c. they were reduced to 400, but have increased again. Has spent three weeks in 

 personal visitations to make a true report on them.' James had been appointed dean in 1596, and became 

 bishop in 1606. He spoke, therefore, with nearly twenty years' experience of the diocese. 



" Cat. S.P. Dam. 1611-18, pp. 301-2, &c. 



134 His name was Berridge or Morton. His paper gives some details as to the recusant ladies of Durham 

 and Northumberland, and of the Durham prebendaries ; ibid. 395. 



04 See the suggestions of Henry Sanderson ' for the good of Northumberland and the bishopric of 

 Durham,' 1615 ; ibid. 329, also Cat. S.P. Dom. for 1625. 



14 The reasons are given by Gardiner in his Hiit. of Engl. iv, 34 and 289. 



* Cal. S.P. Dom. 1625-6, p. 134. 



** B.M. Add. MSS. 33207, fol. 32. The letter is dated 22 Dec. 1625. 



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