Clerical politics in Lancashire and Cheshire during the reign of Charles I, 1625-1649 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sheffield by James Robert Mawdesley B. A. (Hons.) Lancaster, M. A. Sheffield The Department of History The University of Sheffield July 2014 (revised after examination, November 2014) 1 2 Contents 7. Abstract. 9. Acknowledgements. 11. Abbreviations. 13. Note on publication. 15. Map of the early modern diocese of Chester. 17. Map of the early modern diocese of Chester, focused upon Lancashire and Cheshire. 19. Introduction. 35. Chapter One: The Church of England in Lancashire and Cheshire, c. 1559-1625. 59. Chapter Two: Sabbatarianism, Laudianism and puritanism: Clergymen and the Church of England, c. 1625-1637. 123. Chapter Three: The impending crisis: Clerical politics, 1637-1640. 161. Chapter Four: Clerical politics and the road to civil war, 1640-1642. 223. Chapter Five: ‘God save His Church’: Civil war and religious reformation, 1642- 1649. 277. Conclusion. 3 291. Appendices: 293. Some general notes about the appendix spreadsheets. 395. Spreadsheet abbreviations. 301. Appendix One: Church patronage in Lancashire and Cheshire. Spreadsheets: (a). Lancashire church patrons. (b). Cheshire church patrons. (c). Lancashire and Cheshire combined church patrons. (d). Diocese of Chester (Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire, and Cheshire parishes) and Diocese of Carlisle (all parishes) church patrons. 307. Appendix Two: The numbers of puritan nonconformists amongst the clergy, 1625- 1642. Spreadsheets: (a). Puritan nonconformist clergy in Lancashire and Cheshire, 1625-1642. (b). Presentations (when known) of beneficed clergymen accused of puritan nonconformity, 1625-1642. 315: Appendix Three: The clerical signatories of the Cheshire petitions, 1641-1642. Spreadsheet: The Cheshire clergy and petitioning, 1641-1642. 323: Appendix Four: Clerical royalism and clerical ejections in Lancashire and Cheshire, 1642-1649, with notes on scandal and religious disaffection. Spreadsheets: Lancashire: (a). Clerical ejections. (b). Clerical royalism. (c). Allegations of religious misconduct. (d). Allegations of scandalous conduct. Cheshire: (a). Clerical ejections. (b). Clerical royalism. (c). Allegations of religious misconduct. (d). Allegations of scandalous conduct. 4 359. Appendix Five: Clerical parliamentarianism in Lancashire and Cheshire, 1642-1649. Spreadsheets: (a) Parliamentarian clergy in Lancashire ministering in the county in 1642. (b) Parliamentarian clergy in Lancashire who came to minister in the county after 1642. (c). Parliamentarian clergy in Cheshire ministering in the county in 1642. (d). Parliamentarian clergy in Cheshire who came to minister in the county after 1642. 397. Supplement: Parliamentarian clergy listed in unpublished financial accounts, 1642-1649. 409. Bibliography. 5 6 Abstract This thesis explores the nature of clerical politics in Lancashire and Cheshire during the reign of King Charles I (1625-1649). Beginning with an overview first chapter of the religious situation in the county since the Elizabethan church settlement in 1559, the second chapter moves on to consider clerical reactions to the ‘Laudian’ innovations implemented in the Church of England during the 1630s. It demonstrates that contrary to a frequently assumed ‘puritan’ versus ‘Laudian’ dichotomy, puritan nonconformist clergy often complied with the innovations, and even held high position in the ecclesiastical hierarchy at the time. The third chapter identifies 1637 as being a particularly defining year in the development of a negative perception of Laudianism in the region, linked innately to the visit of the religious controversialist William Prynne to Chester (as a prisoner) in the summer of 1637. After the collapse of Laudianism in 1640, there was intense provincial interaction with the various proposals for religious reform then being debated in London after the assembling in November 1640 of what would become the Long Parliament, and the fourth chapter examines clerical interactions with these debates, most notably through petitioning, but also through the contacts which some clergymen (most notably the Cheshire cleric John Ley) had with prominent London-based politicians and clergy. The fifth chapter moves on to examine clerical roles in the civil wars fought after 1642, challenging assertions which have been made about both rival royalist and parliamentarian allegiances, but also about intra- parliamentarian politics. These analyses lead to a close focus upon the attempts to formulate an acceptable religious settlement after Parliament’s military victory in the region in 1646, showing that support for presbyterianism in the region was not so much the product of promptings from the London press as the result of local religio-political dynamics. 7 8 Acknowledgements Many people have been kind enough to share references and to discuss ideas with me regarding this thesis, and I hope that where particular thanks are due, that this has been noted within the relevant footnotes. I apologise to anyone if such thanks has been omitted. Primary thanks should be given to my supervisor, Prof. Anthony Milton, who has patiently read drafts of the various parts of this thesis and its associated journal articles and conference papers, and has seen it through to submission. My second supervisor, Prof. Michael Braddick, has also made some very helpful observations at particular moments in the writing of this thesis. Additionally, Dr. Joel Halcomb has discussed many aspects of this thesis with me, and my account of congregationalism in Lancashire and Cheshire would have been much weaker without his valuable input, and Prof. John Walter has been a constant source of useful references and insights on Lancashire and Cheshire gained from his own research on the Protestation oath, and I am grateful to him for sharing these with me. I am also very grateful to Dr. Andrew Foster for guiding my early research into the surviving archival materials of the province of York, and latterly, for kindly reading drafts of the chapters about Laudianism. Any mistakes and errors which remain in this thesis are my own. I would like to take this opportunity thank: the organisers of conferences and seminars who have allowed me to share my ideas at their forums, and those who have asked the questions which have prompted me to shape and re-shape my findings; the archivists and librarians who have provided access to, and have answered queries about, what are often some of their more obscure holdings, and who have (when condition has allowed) frequently taken pity on me and produced original manuscripts so that I can take photographs and not have to traipse through reams of microfilm; and to James Pearson, to Hannah Probert, and to my girlfriend Samantha for some late help with the formatting of the spreadsheets included as appendices to this thesis. For funding this research, grateful thanks are owed to the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to the Department of History Research Fund at the University of Sheffield, and to the Friends of Cumbria Archives. Finally, special thanks should go to my parents, to Alicia and Samantha, and to my other family members and friends for their love and support whilst I have pursued this enterprise. 9 10 Abbreviations Clerical titles (in footnotes): C.: Curate. F.: Fellow. L.: Lecturer. P. C.: Perpetual curate. R.: Rector. V.: Vicar. Sources: Acts and Ordinances: Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum, 1642-1660, eds. C. H. Firth and R. S. Rait (London: H. M. S. O., 1911), accessed via British History Online, URL: www.british-history.ac.uk CCEd: The Clergy of the Church of England Database, URL: www.theclergydatabase.org.uk Due to its continuously changing nature, entries from CCEd have been cited individually, together with the date accessed. Commons Journal: The Journal of the House of Commons, accessed via British History Online, URL: www.british-history.ac.uk Lords Journal: The Journal of the House of Lords, accessed via British History Online, URL: www.british-history.ac.uk ODNB: The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, eds. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), accessed via the online edition: www.oxforddnb.com 11 12 Note on dates Dates are given in the old style, though the year has been assumed to have begun on 1 January rather than on 25 March i.e. the old style date ‘1 February 1637’ is rendered in this thesis as 1 February 1638. Note on publication It should be noted that there are some small overlaps between this thesis and my article, ‘The harassment of Isaac Allen, Puritanism, parochial politics and Prestwich’s troubles during the first English civil war’, Historical Research, published in online early view format on 12 March 2014, DOI: 10.1111/1468-2281.12056. 13 14 Map of the early modern Diocese of Chester, created 1541 Map copied from Rupert H. Morris, Diocesan Histories: Chester (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1895). 15 16 Map of the early modern Diocese of Chester, created 1541 (focused upon Lancashire and Cheshire) Map copied from Rupert H. Morris, Diocesan Histories: Chester (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1895). 17 18 Introduction This thesis will seek to investigate some of the major issues regarding the English clergy during the reign of King Charles I (1625- 1649). Previous works have tended to chronologically divide the reign