A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



his zealous loyalty by the arrest of suspected persons. In compliance with the 

 queen's request the bishop made a tour of his diocese, which extended over 

 all Lancashire, and on i November, 1568, wrote a report to Cecil as to the 

 doings of the ecclesiastical commissioners, and mentioned certain prominent 

 recusants, who were examined before them.^' 



In February, 1569, the queen wrote to her ecclesiastical commissioners 

 in the north, and in particular to the earl of Derby, the bishop of Chester, 

 and the sheriff of Lancaster, directing them to attach such persons as under 

 pretence of religion drew sundry gentlemen and other persons from their 

 ' duty and allegiance.' " In another letter to Edward Holland, the sheriff of 

 Lancashire, the queen commanded him to apprehend certain ministers '* 

 who were obviously Roman Catholics preaching their so-called ' disloyal ' 

 doctrines. One of these was that afterwards notorious political schemer 

 Cardinal Allen," who, warned of his danger in remaining in Lancashire, 

 went over to Flanders in the same year. 



As a further measure of precaution against idle discontent the whole 

 mob of vagrant persons who had no honest means of livelihood were herded 

 up and swept out of the county. Strype tells us that no less than 13,000 

 ' masterless ' men were sent back to their own counties as the result of this 

 general order." 



The anxiety of the queen and her ministers was amply justified in that 

 second great ' Rebellion of the North,' which broke out in November, 1569, 

 on behalf of Mary queen of Scots and of the restoration of the Roman 

 Catholic religion. Again, thanks to the stout loyalty and extensive power 

 of the earl of Derby, Lancashire was kept from taking any part in this 

 insurrection, though the rebel carls of Northumberland and Westmorland 

 sent letters to ask his help and countenance.^^ On 20 November, 1569, 

 the queen had appointed Lord Derby her lord-Heutenant " in the county 

 palatine of Lancaster. Now, therefore, came the earl's chance for proving 

 his staunch loyalty. He had already written to the queen giving her 

 information of the intended rising, and assuring her that Lancashire should 

 not participate in it. He next forwarded the letters of the rebel earls, and 

 before the queen could have received them a missive reached him from Eliz- 

 abeth commanding him to raise the whole forces of Lancashire and Cheshire 

 and to proceed against the rebels." They were easily dispersed, and the 

 county forces returned home. But from this time onwards the queen and 

 her council kept the county closely in hand both as to the persecution of 

 recusants and the preparation of available troops for cases of similar political 

 and military emergency.'" 



It was probably these costly musters that obliged the government to 

 have recourse to taxation, so that in 1569-70 'the ancient Tenth and 



" Sec Lane. Lieutenancy, pt. i, 46, note 89 ; also note 28, quoting letter of Bishop Downham to the 

 Secretary of State. 



" Cal. S.P. Dom. 1547-80, p. 305. .. ibjd. 307 



See Lanes. Lieutenancy, pt. 1, 25, note (continued from note 2, p. 23). 



" Strype, Annals of the Reformation, i, 572. 



" Published in Burghley's State Papers, i, 564. 



" Baines, Hist, of Lanes, (ed. Harland), i, 1 69. 



" Cal. S.P. Dom. 1566-79, p. 159. 



"See Harl. MS. 309 fol. 104 for the earl of Derby's adjustment of the respective division, of force 

 assigned to the justices of the peace in the palatinate, Sept. 1570. 



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