6 
For Aid. William Robinson.. 3 voices. 
„ Aid. Robert Paycock.......... 1 ,, 
So Alderman Robert Askwith was elected. 
The election of the second citizen was then conducted in the 
same manner, and with the following result:— 
For Sir John Rennet, Knight. 29 voices. 
,, Aid. Sir Robert Watter, Knight 8 „ 
,, Aid. William Robinson........ 1 ,, 
„ Christopher Brooke, Esq. ...... 60 ,, 
„ Aid. Thomas Mosley . .. 12 „ 
,, Aid. Robert Paycock. 1 ,, 
So Christopher Brooke was the other citizen elected. 
It was a highly complimentary testimony to the merits of 
Mr. Brooke, that a large majority of his fellow-citizens preferred 
him to so important and influential a person as Sir John Bennet.^ 
The two members for York were in their places in the House 
of Commons when parliament assembled on the 19th of March, 
and a few weeks afterwards they wrote a joint letter to their 
constituents, giving an account of the manner in which they 
had discharged their duties. It was the custom at this period 
for the representatives of cities and boroughs to communicate by 
monthly letters to the electors all the more important proceed¬ 
ings in parliament. 
This was the year of the great plague at York, and in a letter 
from Alderman Askwith, dated at London the 24th of May, he 
says, “It is not a little sorrow to us here that God his wrathful 
hand hath stroken our city with infection : the Lord of his 
mercy withdraw it from you and defend us, being here.” 
On the 7th of July, parliament was prorogued, and did not 
reassemble until the 5th of November in the following year, 
(1605,) the memorable day on which the Gunpowder Plot was 
discovered. During this session, which terminated on the 27th 
of May, 1606, the parliamentary duties of the members for York 
devolved upon Mr. Brooke alone, his colleague, being Lord 
Mayor, was prevented from leaving the city. In a letter from 
Brooke to the Lord Mayor, written a day or two after the pro- 
* I may mention here that Sir Jolin Bennet was the lineal ancestor of the 
present Earl of Tankerville (Chas, Augustus Bennet.) 
