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HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCEXAND. 19 Tms Eabl or Wistcebstes to thb *^ Customebs," &o., or Nswcastlb. To my frendes the Costomersf Comptroler and searchers of the porte of NewcastelL I eomend me to yow, and so will and require yow to permytt and suffer my verie good Lord the Bisshopp of Durehame to take and poinde at your porte for his howsolde ezspences sevne Tonnes of wine, without payeing the new ympost. And this writting shalbe warraunt to you for the doing therof. Written this zviijth of October, 1567. WlNCHESTKB. On the 26th November, 1565, a commission sat at the Palace of Auckland, composed of the following, viz.. Bishop Pilkington, William Lord Eure, Sir George Bowes, and Thomas Layton, for the purpose of inquiring into the condition of the Ports of the County-Palatina A report to the Privy Council was drawn up, which gives much curious information respecting some of our most important neighbouring towns in those early days, and which contrasts strangely with their condition three centuries later. We quote the following : — At Hartlepool there w^re sixty-six householders. The town had one ship, the *' Feter,** belonging to John Brown and Qeorge SmitL Besides this vessel the town had three five-men boats, and seventeen small cobles, all occupied in fishing, and by which fifty-one persons got their living. Three miles from Hartlepool was a creek called " Tees Mouth," but no town nor habitation until Stockton (ten miles distant), where ships might come near the shore, and boats might oome on land. There was a fishing town oedled '^ Sunderland," which had thirty householders, but there were neither ships nor boats, and only seven fishing cobles belonging to the town, occupying twenty fishermen. The town was in great decay of building and inhabitants. There was also a fishing town or creek called South Shields," having fifty-one householders, fifty being fishermen. There were no landing or unlading, save of their own fish, as all that came into the river were unladed at Newcastle. There were three ships belonging to the town, the " Uswen," the " Edward," and the ^* John of Shields," belonging to John Bowmaker, William Lawson, and Edward Eitchin ; and six boats or cobles, all occupied in fishing. Twenty-five persons got their living thereby. There were also twenty houses in the town wherein fishermen dwelt, which were in decay. Deputies were ordained by the above-named, for each place, for the execution of the articles annexed to the Commission. We quote from, the same old author before mentioned the following curious account of the death and burial of Bishop James Pilkington : — He died at Auckland the 23 of January 1575 ; presentlye after whose death, one being appointed to bowell him, who shewing himself unskilfull therein, left a knyfe within his body, having unfynished that work, by reason whereof one Wylliams of Damton, being sent for for that purpose, soddenly putting his hand into the dead bodie unawares hurt himself upon the said knife, not knowing of the same. He was streighte way after buiyed in the parish church of St. Andrew Auckland without any solemnitie, for that he did not like nor allowe of such ceremonies ; but he was afterwards, 1^ the appointment of some that were in authoritie, taken up again, for that they were given to understand that he was not so honourablye buryed as became such a prelate to be, by reason whereof his bodye was taken up again, and was earryed to Durham upon a very tempestuous day, and there lieth buryed in the Quear of the Cathedrall Church of Durisme under a marble tume taken out of the Colledge of Auckland, being the tume of one Tompson, once Deane of the said Colledge, and from thence caryed to Durham ; and in carriage a comer of the said stone did burst ; notwithstanding, it was set together again, and so lyeth erected above the said Bushop. The great chaiige in the religion of the State, which was effected by Henry VIIL (says Eaine, jim.), " was by no means a popular measure in the north of England ; and in no part of the British Empire did the first pale and struggling ray of the Reformation break with more imwelcome lustre." This statement seems fully borne out by a letter written by Bishop Barnes to Lord Burleigh. After lauding the people of Northumberland for their civil obedience and excellent conformity, and himself for driving out *' the reconciling Priests and Massers, whereof there is great store, but now they be all gone to Lancashire and Yorkshire/' he proceeds — " I assure your Lordship these people are far more plyable to all good order than those stubborn, churlish people of the county of Durham, and their neighbours of Eichmondshire, who show but, as the proverb is. Jack o' napes* charity in their hearts." In the "Memorials of the Eebellion of 1569," by Sir C. Sharpe — ^which* are principally composed of original documents and letters, fragments of which were discovered in a closet in the library at Gibside, and some others, which were found on the 6th of October, 1833, in an old deal box, thrown carelessly aside in the room used as an armoury by the Derwent and Gibside Digitized by Google