EXTRACTS FROM STATE PAPERS [JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT, No. II] EXTRACTS FROM STATE PAPERS RELATING TO FRIENDS FOURTH SERIES, 1669 to J672 Published for the FRIENDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY London HEAOLEY BROTHERS, 140, Bishopsgate, E.C. Philadelphia HERMAN NEWMAN, 1010 Arch Street New York DAVID S. TABER, 144 East 20th Street 1913 (principal PAGE Petition of Francis Howgill ------ 295 Ambrose Rigge -------- 295 Quakers Increase in Deal ------ 296 Thieves, Murderers, and Quakers ----- 296 A Quaker Vessel of Eight Guns ----- 297 The Bishop's Informer ------- 297 Bristol Friends Ignore the Conventicle Act - 298 George Fox and the Lord Mayor ----- 298 " Queries upon the late Act" - - - - - 299 Quakers at Whitby ------- 302 Devonshire House ------- 306 Edward Byllinge -------- 307 Westmorland -------- 308 Captain Meade -------- 308 Chester --------- 310 Meeting Places in Southwark ----- 311 No Preaching last Sunday ------ 312 A Treasonable Prophecy ------ 312 Falmouth --------- 313 Anglican Service in a Friends' Meeting House - - 314 Meetings on Rocks and Sands ----- 314 Woman Trapped and Sold ------ 315 vi. PRINCIPAL SECTIONS. PAGE Meetings in Spitalfields and Southwark - - - - 315 Capture of a Register of Yorkshire Friends - 316 Wiltshire --------- 317 Sir John Robinson's Threat ------ 318 West Riding of Yorkshire ------ 319 Friends Break Open their Meeting House in Bristol - - 320 The Jury in the Penn-Meade Trial ----- 322 George Keith and the Viscountess Conway - - - 323 William Penn to the Navy Commissioners - 324 Walter Clement, of Gloucestershire - 325 Margaret Fox and the Swarthmoor Estate ... 329 Elizabeth Bodely to the King - - - - - 33° George Watkinson's Legacy ------ 330 Carting Quakers to Prison ------ 332 Notes by Secretary Williamson ----- 333 The Quaker's Dinner Party ------ 334 William Penn, " The Great Opinionist " - - - 335 Ambrose Rigge to the King ------ 335 Rich Quakers and the Statute of Premunire - - - 337 Sunday Trading -------- 337 An Appeal from Nottinghamshire ----- 338 The General Pardon of 1672 ------ 342 A Fire in St. Katherine's ------ 349 Long-time Prisoners - 35o A Counterfeit Quaker ------- 354 Dover ---------- 355 " The Wilde of Kent " ------- 356 Index --------- 357 Notes signed .4. G. are written by Alexander Gordon, M.A. Camb. Jnl.=The Journal of George Fox, published by the Cambridge University Press, 1911. D.N.B. = The Dictionary of National Biography. c, 9=a soft c, as peticon=petition. p=p succeeded by a vowel and r, as psons=persons. ]3=p succeeded by r and a vowel, as $ vent=prevent. front FOURTH SERIES. of ir<mci0 [Endorsed] Fr Howgills Case To the King. A true Representation of the case of Francis Howgill now a Prisoner in Appleby in ye County of Westmorland. The said Francis Howgill, a Servant of the Lord & one of those who are commonly called Quakers, being about five yeares Since [1663] employ'd in his outward occasions, on a Markett day at Kendall Some of the Justices of the Peace of the said County who were then keeping a Session there, sent for him & tendered him the Oath of Allegiance, and because he could not sweare (and for noe other reason) he was by them committed to Appleby Goale and at yc next Assizes for the said County he had the Sentence of a Premunire past upon him, and hath remained in Prison ever since. May it now therefore please the King of his Clemency to take such Order that this poor man may be delivered from his Bonds he haveing suffered five yeares imprisonment for noe other reason but because he cannot sweare.1 [Endorsed] Thomas Moore's busines Whereas humble suite hath been made to vs on the behalfe of Ambrosse Rigge and William Welch prisoners in Horsham Goale in the Countie of Sussex & convict of a Premunire that wee would be gratiously pleased to grant them their libertie Our will and pleasure is that forthwith vpon sight hereof you release 1 S.P.Dom. Car. II. 270. 37. Cal. 1668-9, P- 644, under date " 1669 ? " Howgill died in January, 1668/9. 295 1 296 EXTRACTS FROM STATE PAPERS. and sett at libertie, or giue efectuall Order for the discharge of them the said Ambrosse Rigge and William Welch, and for soe doeing this shall be your Warrant. Given at our Court at Whitehall the twelfth day of May in the one and twentyeth yeare of our Reign. To the Keeper of or Goale at Horsham in the County of Sussex his depputy or Deputyes, and all others whom it may concerne.1 Jncreaee in ©eaf. RICHARD WATTS to Sec. Williamson. Deale August 15 1669. Mr Secretary. The Quaker increases, most side with them, & few speak against them. Sr I am yor obed serv' Ri. WATTS.' £§iet>ee, QHutr&erere, an5 Quaftere. NICHOLAS WOOD to Williamson. Honrd Sr This weeke wee haue had but smale doeing but we hope we shall haue better this next for the assisses doth begin the Judges doth Come in on wednsday next ; And it is thought that the[re] will be great sisses for here is many theeues and two Three mur- therers and aboue thirty quakers in the Castle. Yor worpp5 most faithfull and obedient seruant, NICH: WOOD. Nor[wichj. the 6 of Septr I66Q.3 1 S.P.Dom. Car. II. 260. 36. Cal. 1668-9, P- 323. It looks as though this order was not executed, as in 1671, Rigge is still in jail. See later. 1 S.P.Dom. Car. II. 264. 55. Cal. 1668-9, P- 45°- Much the same is written of Friends in Deal, in a subsequent letter from Richard Watts, "The Quaker meets often, and carries away great partys " (Cal. 1670, p. 29). ^ S.P.Dom. Car. II. 265. 21. Cal. 1668-9, P- 482. THE BISHOPS INFORMER. 297 <H QuaRer Q)e00ef of &i$t <B»un0. [Endorsed] To Mr Jasper Mandit. Exon. Whitehall Aprill 12° 1670. The Turks men of war have very unhappily falne upon some of or Merchant Men ab' ye Island of Sicilia who adventured w^out Convoy from Zante the Concord carryed 21 Gunns the Mrchts deleight 26 and the other was a Vessell of 8 Gunns Comanded by a Quaker, the John & Thomas who escaped had 36 Gunns & 70 men.1 Z$t (g>i0#op'0 Jnfomer. [Address] For ye Right Hon the Lord Arlington His Matiet Principall Secretary of State At ye Court New-market w"1 care & speed. [Endorsed] 25 Apr. 1670 R. at Newmarkett by Exj3sse, Bp of Lincolne. Insolences of ye Phanaticks. My Lord My Duty to His Ma'le obliges mee to discover to yor Lop what my servant brought mee yfc last night from a Conventicle neere Moore Feilds. To which hee had recourse, (the Dores being shutt at Mr Watsons Conventicle in Fishers Folly2 where he was 1 S.P.Dom. Car. II. 274. 148. Cal. 1670, p. 160. 2 For Thomas Watson, M.A. (d. July, 1686), ejected from the rectory of St. Stephen's, Walbrook, see Calamy and D.N.B. " Fishers Folly " is, of course, Devonshire House, built by Jasper Fisher, J.P., clerk in Chancery. " Fisher's Folly congregation " is immortalised in Hudibras. The Episcopal Returns, 1669 (vide G. Lyon Turner, Orig. Records Early Nonconf. i. 87), under " Conventicles in and about London," give " Devonshire House in Bpsgate Street " ; the column for " Sects " is blank, so is the one for " Principalls & Abettors " ; that for " Numbers & Quality" reads " Much resorted to. And a Quakrs meeting adjoyning " ; under " Preach" or Teach15 " is the name " Tho : Watson." This Meeting-house was one of eight snapped up in 1671 for Anglican use. Its description at that date (as extracted in Besant's London under the Stuarts, p. 155), runs, " In Fisher's-folly, in Bishopsgate Street a convenient place, with two galleries, pews, and seats." In regard to his " sect," Watson, in his application for licence under Indulgence, describes himself as " Thomas Watson Presbyter minister in ye city of London. The place, my owne Howse in Dowgate lond." Licence was issued, 19 Apr. 1672, " to Thomas Watson to be a Presb. Teacher in his howse in Dowgate, London"; concurrently, his house was " licensed to be a Presb. Meeting place." He was not, however, a denominational bigot; in 1669 he took part in a " combination " Lecture conducted at Hackney by three Presbyterians and four Congre- gationals. D.N.B. copies an error in Wilson's Dtss. Churches of Lond. i. 332, affirming that Watson obtained a licence in 1672 for Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate. Preaching in that Hall appears to have begun in 1675, when no licences were obtainable. A.G. 298 EXTRACTS FROM STATE PAPERS. designed to be our Auditor, Having his choyce in That House either of a Presbyterian, Independent, or Quaking Conventicle.) My servant came not time enough to heare ye sermon ; but in yc Prayer after Sermon These Expressions fell from the Preacher. (Speaking of the king) Convert his Evill Counsellours O Lord, or else Destroy them. Let there be Blood, 0 Lord; let the Land be covered with Blood. Erect Thy standard, o Lord, call thy People together, & Defend them against their Enemies. My Lord, just thus ye Trumpet sounded from ye Pulpit before the late Rebellion. God blesse His Matie Yor Lops most faythfull & Affectionate serv' G. LINCOLN. I have sent for yc Teachers Name & what other witnesses can testify.1 £om>enftc£e Jo FITZHERBERT to Williamson. Sr . The quakers in this Towne haue met since the late ackt of parliament at their Assembles more Openly then formerly & retorne thence in numbers together of 6 or 10 together by the Tolsy and publique plases As If they Intended to out face the Law and Authoryty . Sr your very humble Srt Jo. FITZ HERBERT. Bristoll the 14th May [i6]7o* jfo? and ^e JSorfc Qttapor.