A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



infrequently resided at Southwell ; it was there that he died and was buried 

 in 1588. 



We are not aware of any particularly stirring incident in the ecclesi- 

 astical history of the county until the beginning of those combined civil 

 and religious disorders which resulted in the temporary estabUshment of 

 the Commonwealth. Nottinghamshire opinions seem at the outset to 

 have been fairly evenly divided, as was the case in several of the midland 

 shires. The policy of Archbishop Neile, who held the York diocese 

 from 1 63 1 until his death in October 1640, was that of a staunch Church- 

 man and warm ally of Laud. He did much towards repairing and adorning 

 the churches of the Nottingham archdeaconry, and when he visited South- 

 well he took, order for a quire service there."* This line of action naturally 

 gave great offence to those who were puritanically disposed ; and the 

 latter received much support from Bishop Williams of the adjacent diocese 

 of Lincoln. On the death of Neile, Williams, Laud's chief rival, was 

 translated to York, but was driven from his new diocese in the follow- 

 ing year. 



In 1 64 1 a petition was presented to Parliament from the county and 

 town of Nottingham, subscribed by 'above 1,500 hands of Esquires, Gentle- 

 men, and Yeomen,' complaining of grievances under the ecclesiastical govern- 

 ment by archbishops and bishops, and setting forth in much detail in an 

 annexed schedule the heads of their grievances, and outlining a Presbyterian 

 government, under an elected county moderator, as preferable. The whole 

 forms a small quarto tract of twenty-eight pages."' Some of the grievances 

 are of a local nature, and others somewhat curious and unexpected. A sub- 

 heading is concerned with the exactions of money from parishes through 

 the churchwardens, as in the transmitting of copies of registers to York, ' for 

 which if not brought in their time they take what they list' ; also 'for 

 Pentecostall offerings to the Collegiate Church of S : upon unknowne or 

 superstitious originall.' One form of discountenancing preaching and 

 hearing of God's Word was alleged to be the ' Hindering the full Audience 

 of Sermons and withdrawing the opinion of the use of Churches for Auditories, 

 by pulling downe Lofts in great Congregations.' In another place the church 

 authorities of the county are charged with ' Preferring the Communion 

 Table to the East end of the Chancell, turning it to the posture and name of 

 an Altar, advancing it with new steps to it, rayling it with single or double 

 Rayles, placing a Canopie over it. Tapers by it, Crucifixes or other super- 

 stitious Images upon over or above it, appropriating peculiar parte of service 

 to it . . . bowing to the Altar upon approaches, and in comming and in 

 kneeling to the Rayle for the Sacrament.' 



A large number of county petitions against episcopacy reached the 

 House of Commons in January and February 1 640-1 ; they mostly followed 

 a form adopted by the ministers of London and its district, which was sub- 

 mitted to a committee of thirty on 9 February, after considerable debate. 

 On 19 February petitions from Cheshire and Devon reached the committee, 

 and those from Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, and Bucking- 

 hamshire on 23 February."* 



'" Dioc. Hist, of York, 376. '" Thomason Tracts, E. 160 (4). 



"* Shaw, Engl. Ch. during the Civil If 'an, i. 



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