By W. IF. Ravenhill, Esq. 



255 



Two other orders follow, one of which relates to the prosecution of 

 one William Costine, accused of the manslaughter of his wife, the 

 other to a dispute between the parishes of Upton Pyne and St. Giles's 

 near Torrington, Devon, as to the settlement of a poor impotent 

 man, J ohn ffurseman. Neither have anything to do with the Rising 

 in the West. 



It is well to observe the names above once again, Holle and Nicholas 

 both present, and Windham absent ; and the entry may be relied on, 

 for I find on reference to other entries, that only the J udges present 

 in court were placed in the heading. For instance suppose two 

 Judg-es were on circuit, only the one presiding in the Crown Court 

 would be mentioned. Here there was only one Court, and that a 

 Crown Court ; and all five Judges are named and therefore present. 



I have not been able to find any plan or view of High Sheriff 

 Copplestone's Court. No doubt it was a great improvement, which 

 Chief Justice Rolle and other Western Circuit Judges would be sure 

 to compliment him upon. But it does seem rather hard, to call on 

 the ratepayers to pay for a work they never authorized ; carried out 

 whether lavishly or otherwise they probably knew not; by a nominee 

 of the Government, over whom they had no control. 1 



The Court then sat in great state on the 18th, and Mr. Serjeant 

 Glynn delivered his charge to the Grand Jury. 2 We shall obtain 

 some insight into the character of that address from the following 

 letter : — 



4 1 Mr. James Nutley to Mr. Secretary Thurloe* 



In obedience to your command, I humbly certify your honor, that the Grand 

 jury here, although they first made diverse scruples upon the bills of high 

 treason, the chiefest whereof was concerning the Statute laws, against which 

 the offence is alledged to bee committed, what those statutes were, and then 

 how they could be meant of his highnesse the lord protector ; and they having 

 the old Statute of 25 Ed. III. and the late ordinance ; and it being given in 

 charge by Mr. Sergeant Glynne very learnedly and fully, that by the Statute of 

 25 Edw. III. and the common law, the levying warre against the chief officer of 

 the commonwealth (lett the name be whatsoever) was high treason, and by the 

 word king in that statute must be meant the Chief officer (and the beareing of 

 that office) the Major part of the Grand Jury were quicklie satisfied. I was 



The present Courts at Exeter are a separate building of much later date. 



* 3 Th„ 898. 



