A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



It is perhaps significant that just about this time a number of incum- 

 bents disappear for one reason or another.'" 



In spite of the unusually vivid interest attaching to these early glimpses 

 of Lancashire recusancy it cannot be said that they indicate the existence in 

 ic68 of any very numerous or very virulent 'Papist party The harvest 

 which Allen was destined to reap was of slow growth. Until he had founded 

 the seminary at Douay and trained a band of priests and sent them forth into 

 England, thus inaugurating a new era in English Catholicism, the recusancy 

 of the county palatine is to be regarded as little more than a survival of 

 Marian Catholicism. Indeed, it is more than likely that the rebelhon of 

 1569 in the northern counties had a steadying effect on the loyalty of the 

 Lancashire Catholics, for we hear of no movement occurring, although 

 at one time fears were entertained of them ;'" and when in the course of the 

 following year a fresh disturbance is traceable in the county it is to be attri- 

 buted, as before, to the compulsive force of papal intrigue. The bull of Pius V, 

 dated 5 Cal. March, 1 569, was set up, or made known in London by John Fel- 

 ton in March, 1569-70. In the national domain this bull, which denounced 

 Elizabeth as a heretic and absolved her subjects from allegiance, was followed 

 by Elizabeth's proclamation of i July, 1570, against Papists bringing in traitor- 

 ous books and bulls, and by the Acts of i 571 against imagining the death of the 

 queen, and against bringing in bulls from Rome.'" A letter from the bishop 

 of Carlisle to the earl of Sussex reveals the effect which the pope's action had 

 in Lancashire ; how all things in Lancashire savour of open rebellion ; provision 

 of men, armour; assemblies of 500 and 600 at a time; wanton talk of invasion 

 by the Spaniards ; in most places most people fall from religion and refuse to 

 hear service in English ; since Felton set up the bull the greatest there never 

 came to any service, but openly entertained Louvainist massers.'" The result 

 of these commotions was a series of fresh admonitions from the Privy Council 

 to the bishop of Chester to appear in London to answer for the disorders in his 

 diocese, especially committed in Lancashire and Richmondshire in matters con- 

 cerning religion."' As we hear nothing further of the matter it would seem 

 that the effervescence died down, and until the advent of the seminary priests 

 there is no further reference to recusant disturbances in Lancashire. 



The English college at Douay had been founded by Allen in 1568. 

 From the first, doubtless in some part as a result of Allen's connexion with 

 the county, the number of Lancashire men who were attracted to the college 

 was disproportionately large. For instance, in 1573 out of twenty-one new 

 admissions no less than seven came from the diocese of Chester, almost entirely 

 Lancashire men ; and when in the following year the first missionaries were 

 sent forth from Douay into the English harvest, this high relative proportion 

 of Lancashire men is again noticeable.'" 



"• Langley of Prestwich was deprived, because his conscience would no longer allow him to minister ; 

 Cross of ChildwaU resigned on a pension ; Lowe of Huyton disappears, for reasons unknown ; Ambrose of 

 Ormskirk was deprived. There may have been other cases. 



« S.P. Dom. Eliz. Add. vol. 15, No. 113. ="13 Eliz. cap. i and 2 



«^ S.P. Dom. Eliz. Add. vol. 19, No. 16 ; S.P. Dom. Eliz. vol. 74, No. 22, Oct. 21 and 27, IC70. 



"*//<■/:; o/M^r P.C. vu, 399 ; viii, 5, 12 Nov. 1570 and 13 Feb. 1570-1. 



'•'' Up to '584 the college sent out 198 seminary priests. Out of these 31 were of the diocese of 

 Chester-practicaUy all Lancashire men. From 1 584 to the end of Elizabeth's reign this proportion falls off 

 ma most remarkable way, for out of a similar number of exactly 198 missionaries sent out from Douay (i c8o- 

 1602) only five are of asceruinably Lancashire origin. / v :> 



54 



