272 SOCIAL LIFE IlSf GUERNSEY. 



during Divine Service in their respective Parish Churches. 

 And all this was because they had all secretly met together 

 and held a " frairie, dite de Ste. Suzanne," at some time and 

 place not stated. 



On December 13th, 1575, Nicholas Bernius, "Minister 

 of God in the name of the Church of Guernsey," wrote to 

 Horn, Bishop of Winchester, complaining of Hellier Bonamy, 

 of Les Caches (great grandson of the John Bonamy whose 

 note-book I have already quoted). He described him as " a 

 disorderly character and one not less notorious for impiety and 

 obstinacy than he is powerful in wealth and friends." Not 

 oply had he neglected the " teaching of God's Word," but 

 " what is far more grievous, he has for three whole years 

 abstained from the Holy Supper of our Lord." On being 

 summoned before a Conference of Ministers and Elders, 

 Bonamy pleaded that " he acknowledged no presbytery here." 

 Finally, however, he acknowledged his offence and submitted 

 himself to the judgment of the Ecclesiastical Court, which 

 was that he should make an open confession of his contumacy 

 before the whole church on November 27th. He at first 

 refused, but on threat of excommunication yielded for the 

 moment, but on the day appointed declared " that we should 

 rather drag the moon from the sky with our teeth " than 

 extort a public confession from him. Therefore by order of 

 the Synod he was, in every Church in the Island, " publicly 

 excommunicated as a rotten member from the Church of God 

 and of His Saints, and given over to Satan until he should 

 repent." The Bishop replied, approving of what had been 

 done, and saying that he had written further on this subject 

 to " our common friend and brother in Christ, and one greatly 

 beloved by me, Master Leighton, Governor of the Isle," and 

 signing himself " Your very affectionate brother in Christ and 

 fellow Minister, Robert Horn, Winton."^ 



At the end of 1579, or early in 1580, a general fast "pour 

 apaisser l'yre et courroux de Dieu envers son peuple " had 

 been ordered, for on January 22nd, 1579/80, we find that 

 Hellier La Perre was ordered to the "profonde fosse" on 

 bread and water, fined 100 sous, and told to do public penance 

 in the Castel Church on the following Sunday, for having not 

 only ignored the fast ordained by the Governor and clergy by 

 having refrained from going to Church both morning and 

 evening, but having selected that occasion to give a feast 

 ("tenu ung banquet"). What intensified the offence was 

 that Hellier was Constable of the Catel Parish, and not only 

 (1) Parker Society's Publications. Zurich Letters, 2nd Series. 



