By the Rev. J. E. Jackson. 



311 



to Lord Stourton, appointing him Lord Lieutenant of the Three 

 Shires of Wilts, Somerset and Dorset, with power to raise forces 

 on her behalf. There is probably no reason whatever to doubt 

 that his whole heart was with the cause of Queen Mary and the 

 revival of Romanism : but his near connexion with the Duke of 

 Northumberland would put his allegiance to a sharp test, and it is 

 possible that in the uncertainty of the moment he may not have 

 acted in any very decisive way. Through lack of energy North- 

 umberland's ambitious project of raising his daughter-in-law to the 

 Throne fell to the ground in a very few days. On the 19th of 

 July orders were sent down to certain Justices of Wilts, Sir James 

 Stumpe, Sir John Bonham and others, to proclaim Queen Mary. 

 Lord Stourton at the same time received similar orders ; and 

 through an Officer, or Agent, one Mr. Kent, proceeded to do so in 

 the town of Warminster. But Sir John Thynne, being High 

 Steward of that town, conceived it to be his duty to proclaim Queen 

 Mary there, and the more so, as he had received no formal advice 

 of the appointment of Lord Stourton to be Lord Lieutenant. Sir 

 John accordingly appears to have put Mr. Kent aside : whereupon 

 Lord Stourton addressed to him, and to his colleague Sir John 

 Bonham, another magistrate, the following undignified missive, a 

 few words of which have been, in the original, effaced by damp. 



(No. 43.) 1553, 22nd July. Charles Lord Stourton to Sir John Thynne. 

 ( Original at Longleat.) 



" "Where as of late I resceyvyd the Quene's * Ma tie ' s letters as well for pup- 

 plyshyng of here highnes Juste title unto the crowne of this Realme of England, 

 Fraunce and Hyreland f with all dyngnytes belonging unto the same, as also 

 for the charge of thre Sherys, that is to say, "Wyltes, Somerset and Dorset, the 

 good order of the same and Reysynge, Revueing and Armynge the powyrs of 

 these said Counties ageynst all here highnes enymes as the case shall requyre : 

 doinge my dewtie ther in causyng here Ma ties Juste tytle and name to be 

 pupplysshed by the officer of Warmester, thou, moste trayturrusly, as I am 

 credeably informed dydes not oonly rebuke, revyle, but also thretyn the saide 

 person to hange hym and indede haddyste sleyne hym, yf good hap had not byn, 

 because he so dyd : wherin thou hast shewyd thy selfe to be . . . not only 

 an untrysty . . but chyefly an arraunt and rank traitor. This shalbe to 

 lett the wyte that I am a man most un a matter. Yet 



*In the original, Lord Stourton had written " Ki— ," going to write "King's." Qu is written 

 aver it. 



+ He had written " J?-eland " hut corrects it to " Hy " as if preferring the Latin, Hihernia. 

 VOL. VIII. — NO. XXIV. GG 



