Wiltshire Quarter Sessions. 



• 



(Trinity, 1604) for that he " hathe dressed fleshe Fridaies and 

 Satterdaies." Occasionally a recusant is presented simply " for a 

 Papist/' but the general complaint is for not coming to Church. 

 Mistress Bridget Hungerford, of Stock, in the parish of Great 

 Bedwyn, was so presented by the " Kimberstone " \Kinwardstone~\ 

 jury in 1606, and again in 1609. The Alderbury jury at the Hilary 

 Sessions, 1606-7 report that " the Viccar of Idmiston doth not come 

 to his owne parish church/' Of another it was alleged that he 

 e< doth not receave the communion yeat cometh to church/'' A fourth, 

 when under interrogation by the Bishop of Salisbury, acting as 

 a magistrate, gave a cautious answer; for (Easter, 1604) John 

 Harford " being asked whether he will now p'sently conforme 

 himself to the lawes of this realme and repayre to the church he 

 saith y l at this present he cannot resolve himselfe so to do, but what 

 he may doe hereafter he knoweth not J' Purely conscientious scruples 

 may have prompted, in large part, a neglect of prescribed religious 

 ordinances ; but there were other motives. One self-indulgent 

 person, of a type possibly still surviving, is described by his neigh- 

 bours (Easter, 1604) as "an epicurious co'tempner of the service of 

 God and would rather lye slugging in his led on the lord's saboth 

 then come to the church" 



The Puritan, no less than the Papist, came in for his share of 

 animadversion. At the Michaelmas Sessions, 1606, the Selkleigh 

 jury open their return with a presentment " that Mr. Sedgwick hath 

 not worne the Serpils sence the tym he hath ben Vicar of Ockborne 

 Saint Andrew . Nether doth hee sine w th the sine of the crosse in 

 babtisme w ch hath bene required of him." At the Michaelmas 

 Sessions, 1608, the minister of the parish of Easton claimed the 

 protection of the court under outrageous abuse poured upon him by 

 a self-elected and extremely foul-mouthed advocate of popular 

 amusements. Thus he rehearses his wrongs : — 



" Uppon Sunday beeinge the xiiij ttL of this instante Auguste Eobt Sweep als 

 Phillips of BurbageTonringe into the Churchy earde of the p'ishe of Eston used 

 these reproachful speeches followinge. 



" Why will you not lett the people dance, better men then you will, for my 

 lord himself will, and looke uppon them also. 



" I answered What have you to doe Robt Sweep to come out of yo r owne p'ishe 



