Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/39

This page needs to be proofread.

22 HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. After the rebellion, those who had taken any share in the proceedings, either passively or actively, were called to account for their conduct, and in a manuscript in the Registrar's Office, Durham, which contains a brief extract of their replies, we find the following : — John Lilborn, of Sheldon; gentleman, aged 31. He rent the bible in pieces in the Church of St. Andrew, Auckland, and is heartily sorry therefore, and hath bought another Bible at his own charge ; and further, he took the boards of the communion table and threw them underfoot. WilL Cook, of Bishop Auckland, tore part of the books with his hands and teeth. John Bumop, of St. Helens Aukland, says, He was at church on the Second Sunday in advent, when Gaudete in Domino was usually sung. That one Qeorge White came to the church and said mass, and preached against the state of religion in the realm, and willed them to revert to the Church of H.ome. He read absolution to the people, amongst whom was Jane, wife of Mr. Robert Eden. Mrs. Eden was present from beginning to end, sitting in the quire. Before Sir Qeorge went to mass, he received Mrs. Eden into the Church by the hand, as the custom was, and sprinkled holy -water upon her," From the criminal records of Durham we also find that Bishop Auckland participated in some degree in the disturbances of thcise turbulent times. On October 3rd, 1666, Edward Lamerson, yeoman, of Bishop Auckland, Anthony Hodgson and Emanuel Grice, of the same place, Quakers, were sentenced by the Court of Quarter Sessions to seven years' transportation, for assembling at the house of John Longstaffe, for the purposes of their religion. The following list of persons suffered fine and imprisonment for not attending the Parish Church during the reigns of Elizabeth and James — ^a time when men were appointed in each parish to report to the Bailiflf or Constable all those who refused or neglected so to do. These lists were made up periodically and sent to the Quarter Sessions, and warrants were then ordered to be made out for the apprehension of the offenders. In April, 1672, warrants were also issued against several petty constables for not sending in their returns of parish recusants. These lists are very lengthy, and were found by Mr. C. Carlton, of the Copyhold Ofllce of Durham, whilst arranging the county records belonging to the magistrates, after being lost eight of for upwards of two centuries : — Roll dated 7th January. James I. — Jane Wall, spinster, St. Helen's Auckland ; Elizabeth Wall ; Isabella, wife of George Shafto, gent, Hamsterley. April 13th, James L — Margery, wife of John Eden, of West Auckland, Esq. ; Meriale Eden, spinster. Ltnbsack and Softley (1682-34, Charles n.) — ^Ralph Hodgson, yeoman, and Anna, his wife; William Elstob, and Maria, his wife ; Anthony Hodgson, yeoman, and Jane, his wife ; John Brown, and Jane, his wife ; John Hodgson, yeoman ; and Christopher Hodgson, yeoman. Qyers Green. — ^William Tetter, yeoman ; George Iverson, yeoman ; Jane Vincent, widow ; Margaret Vincent, spinster; William Lampton, gent, and Maria, his wife; Ealph Fenwick, gent; Anna Lampton, spinster; James Lampton, gent ; Isabella Lampton, spinster ; Martin Hartley, jun., yeoman, and Anna, his wife ; and William Greenwell, yeoman, and Maria, his wife. Bishop Auckland. — James Trotter, yeoman, and Margaret, his wife ; John Walton, yeoman ; Deborah Walton, spinster ; William Spencelly, yeoman, and Margaret, his wife ; Margaret Teasdale, widow ; Jennetta Lambton, widow ; Sarah Lambton, spinster ; Bobert Robinson, yeoman, and Sarah, his wife ; Anna Arrundell, widow ; John Garth, yeoman ; Bobert Pleasance, yeoman ; Maria Wren, widow ; Sarah Mason, spinster ; Anthony Hodgson, yeoman, (transported) ; Elizabeth Hodgson, spinster ; Abigella Hodgson, spinster ; Zachariah Smirthwait, yeoman ; Margaret Trotter, widow ; James While, yeoman, and his wife ; Emanuel Grice (transported) ; Sarah Rickley, widow ; and Dorothea Thomaley, spinster. Newton Cap. — Stephen Walton,* yeoman, and Maria, his wife; and Roger Denison, yeoman, and Deborah, Ids wife. HuNWiGK.-r-Margaret Wright, widow ; and Jeremiah Head, yeoman. In Eichard Bameg (1575), the successor of Pilkington, we have a curious illustration of the propensity in human nature to desire to pry into futurity, which in those early days

  • Stephen Walton was a Baptist, and in 1699, the first meetins of the IQorthem Baptist Aasooiatlon was held at his honse at

Newton Cap. In the following year, 1700, a meeting was also held at the same place. Bonglass, in his History of the Baptist Chnrchee in the North of EnsUnd, sa^s This was the first associated meeting of a new and remarkable oentnry ; in the last ten jean of which were formed the Baptist Missions, foreign and homa Digitized by Google