THE MAYORALTY UE TRURO. 233 



Mayor of the said Bui-iougli, John Pollard, Esqr., John Mauley, 

 Esq., and Edward Mayowe, or any three of them shall at any 

 tyme hereafter thinke or pitch on any other wayes or uieanes for 

 recovery of the said Money it shall be lawfull for them to 

 psecute the same at the charge of the said Burrongh." 



The mayor in 1690 was Henry Herle, son of Kev. Charles 

 Herle, rector of Winwick, Lancashire — a man esteemed by the 

 Puritans as "the prime man of note, learning, and power^ 

 among the clergy,"* 



The oaths of allegiance and supremacy required of all 

 burgesses by Charles II proved to be distasteful to many men 

 who otherwise would willingly have undertaken the duties of 

 local government. Herle was of this number; and on his 

 refusing to act as a Capital Burgess, when elected to that office, 

 the Corporation ordered in October, 1678, that "one Mare taken 

 by virture of a Warrant from William Grregor, gent., late Mayor 

 of the said Burrough, from Henry Herle, merchant, formerly 

 elected one of the Cajiitall Burgesses of the sd Burrough for his, 

 the said Henry Herle's refusinge to bee sworne Capitall Burges, 

 bee forthwith put to sale, and that the overplus, if any bee, above 

 live pounds, bee returned to the said Henry Herle, the pvender 

 and other charges beinge first deducted." But t6 this oi-der 

 John Mayow, Thomas Trewolla, Matthew Eowat, and John 

 Polter disagreed. The mare was sold, and in January of the 

 next year, Herle was dismissed in the following terms : " fforas- 

 much as Mr. Henry Herle was destreyned for ]lefusing to take 

 the oath of Capitall Burgesse, and the distresse being one mare 

 is sould. Wee Doe therefore Dismisse the said Mr. Henry Herle 

 from being one of the Capitall Burgesses of the sd Borough." 

 Later in the year, however, he consented to be nominated and 9 

 November, was " elected of the number of the fower and Twenty 

 Capitall Burgesses of sd Borough." 



Herle was tainted by the corruption prevailing in the 

 public life of the times, and we find that in 1696 the then 

 mayor, William Gribble, wrote to William Tailer, deputy 

 auditor of the duchy of Cornwall, complaining that Henry Herle 

 " had melted down about two tons of tin into bars without 



* Carew's " Survey of CornwaU," edited by Lord de Dunstanville. 



