because the town spake hardly of him for it, as that his fact would prejudice the rest of the tenants, and that hereupon I presently re-entred the sd toft. Now if they had right to it, or would joyne wth him or any other of the tenants, I desir'd them to speak, for I ment to sue for the church's right therein. They all answered they would not defend any of them nor joyne wth them, for I might doe wth my owne as I thought meet. Lastly, I told them that I had right to the ffayres, & markets, & courts leet, courts of pleas, and courts baron, and other privileges, both by sundry charters given to my predecessors from many kings of England, & by continuall custome of using them till 3° Eliz.; I did therefore now clayme and chalenge the same and required them to doe nothing therein against my right. Their answer hereto was, that for these privileges they had right to them, and hoped so to prove in law. Whereupon I desired them, for prevention of sute, that they would referr the ending and determining these and all matters of clayme or difference between us to any 2 lawyers, and I offered that either I would nominate 20 lawyers whereof they should take two to end all our differences, or they should name 20, and I would choose two out of them, and that we would enter into a £1000 bond on either side to stand to that wch they should say in their conscience was law and just, but they refused this offer. Then I offered them to stand to the determination of any indifferent gentlemen in the country for the composing of these matters, whereto they answered (and particularly Willm Ford, alderman,) that they were all sworne to mayntayne the privileges of the town, and must loose it by course of law, and otherwise not end it
- Witnesses hereto
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On the 27th of February, 1617-8, Dr. Bridgeman was elected canon of Lichfield, to which he was admitted on 24th March ensuing,[2] in the place of Dr. John Boyle, who had been appointed bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross.
