The Lord Chancellor being informed thereof, told Mr. Reading, His only way was to Petition the Lords in Parliament. He thereupon Petition'd their Lordships, setting forth the Particulars aforesaid: And their Lordships order'd such of the Commissioners as were in Town, to answer presently. Toby Humphry Esq.; in his Answer, confessed, That in October 73, they did adjudge so much Money was due to him; and that they did agree to give him the Arrears, and that a Decree was made for the same, and that the Orders which had been made for paying him Money, had been Repealed, and refer'd to the Records, which would shew who had made the contradicting Orders complain'd of. That he had not in his Custody any Copies of those Proceedings, save only of the Report to His Majesty of the 19th of October 1660, which he, with others, signed: And he annexed. that, and Prayed that it might be accepted, as part of his answer. John Millington Esq.; answered likewise, and annexed the Report to His Majesty of the 5th of April 75, and Pray'd That might be accepted as part of his answer. Sir George Cooke and Mr. Westby answer'd also, and their Lordships order'd to hear Council the second of July; and the Commissioners not attending, their Lordships order'd them to pay Mr. Reading three pounds Costs. U 13 July their Lordships made the Order following, &c. Pon hearing Councel this day at the Bar on the behalf of Nathaniel Reading Esq.; touching the several matters in his Petition complain'd of, and of the Orders which have been made at private Courts of Sewers for the Level of Hatfield Chace, by Sir George Cooke, John Boynton, George Westby, and others, in the time of Adjournment, in contradiction to what had been publickly settled at General Courts of the said Commission, and of other Oppressive and Illegal Proceedings had against him by Mr. John Bradborne, opposing with force the Execution of a Decree of Sewers, made in pursuance of an Agreement made between the Petitioner and the Commisioners of Sewers for the said Level, for satisfaction of Moneys long since expended by him, and due to him for his Service as their Officer; and also of several Suits brought against him and his Servants in His Majesties Courts at Westminster, and elsewhere, by the said John Bradborne and others: As also upon the several Answers of Sir George Cooke, John Millington, Toby Humphry, and George Westby Esquires; After due consideration had of what was offer'd at the Bar, It is Ordered by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled that the said Commissioners, as also the said John Bradborne and the other Participants of and in the said Level of Hatfield Chace, VOL. XVIII. M 1678. 18 Jun. 11 Sept. 1680. 20 Dec. shall have notice given them of the Petition, and the Complaints of the Both the Commissioners and Participants were duly Served with this Order. Sir John Boynton (for the Captain had got to be made a Knight) and twenty two other Commissioners held a Court, and there unanimously declared, and ordered that the Agreement made with Mr. Reading for giving him the Arrears, should be made good; and that he should have the full Benefit thereof, according to what the Court formerly Ordered and Decreed in that behalf. And that Mr. Reading having thereupon declared that he would not Prosecute them to their Appearing and Answering: They Ordered him to subscribe his Name to their Journal, in Testimony of his resting satisfied with their confirmation of the said Agreement that day made. And they declared that they were pleas'd therewith, and desired him to acquaint their Lordships therewith, to the end they might not in any sort incur their Lordships displeasure, by standing in Contempt, and they desired their Lordships that they would please to confirm the same likewise. And they then Ordered that the Bill of the Sollicitors for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Commissioners about their Demurring to Mr. Reading's Bill, amounting to 60l. 10s. Sd. and 10l. for his Pains therein, should be payed out of the Moneys rais'd for the Repairing of the Banks, and that the Charges of the Yorkshire Commissioners therein should be payed in like manner also. Mr. Reading Petitioned the House of Lords, setting forth the same; and thereupon their Lordships Ordered that the said Agreement, as it stands Particulariz'd and express'd in the Decree made by the said Commissioners comprizing the same: Whereunto the Royal Assent is given, and which stands Filed among the Records in Chancery, is hereby confirmed, so that he may be enabled to put the said Agreement in Execution; unless any cause shall be shew'd to their House to the contrary within one Month next after the Date of their Order. And the said Commissioners for the time being were Ordered to give him their Assistance therein: And to examine what Charges he hath been put to by their not performing the said Agreement, and to pay the same to him in such manner as they had payed their own. The Clause of (unless Cause was) inserted upon the motion of the Earl of Alisbury, supposing that the Earl of Devonshire, (who was not in Town) might be concern'd therein. And Mr. Reading fearing lest it should make the Order less absolute, immediately gave the Earl of Alisbury satisfaction. And thereupon his Lordship with great Honour offer'd to move to have it left out, but the House being entred upon great business, and several of the Lords, assuring Mr. Reading that they would not fail of remembring both why his Lordship moved it, and how he would afterward have had it left out. And that it was against Sense to fear that the Commissioners who had desired their Lordships to confirm their Agreement, should pretend from thence to shew any Cause against it, the House was not moved therein. Mr. Reading looking upon himself to be sufficiently well Authoriz'd; demanded with all Fairness some part of satisfaction for Mrs. Bradborne's Arrears; and being refus'd it, he Distrained some Cattle of Henry Moor her Tenant; but the said Moor being Encouraged by Sir John Boynton said, He cared not a - for their Lordships Order, rais'd men with Arms, Threatned to kill Mr. Reading, abus'd the Constable who charged them to keep Peace, and carried away the Cattle by force. 1681. Upon opening the Parliament at Oxford, Mr. Reading by Petition. informed their Lordships thereof, and their Lordships confirmed 25 Mar. their former Order. And a Serjeant at Arms was moved for, and Articles of High-misdemeanor were ready to be preferr'd against Sir John Boynton and Captain Hatfield, but that Parliament in a happy hour was Dissolv'd. Mr. Reading being afterwards informed that Sir John Boynton and Capt. Hatfield had sent Richard Marryot Esq. to appear before their Lordships at Oxford, with Instructions to shew cause against their Lordships Order, with promise to bear his Charges, and reward him Nobly for his Pains out of the publick Moneys. He Petition'd the Court of Sewers that they would no longer oppress him, and that he might once more give them satisfaction out of their own Records to any point which they would have had offer'd before their Lordships, and that they would examine the Charges they had put him to, by not performing their Agreement, amounting to above 3000l. and pay the same as their Lordships Order'd: And he then proposed likewise to bring the 7400 Acres again into Obedience to their Decrees, and thereby preserve the Level once more, which otherwise would be totally lost. But they rejected all. Mr. Reading however procured a Writ of assistance out of the Exchequer for quieting the Possession of the said 7400 Acres, and at great Charges hath effected the same, and offered to put each Participant into the quiet Possession of their respective proportion thereof: But notwithstanding all, the said Sir John Boynton not regarding the Oaths he is under, nor their Lordships Orders, pursues him with all Severities of Oppression, and Reproaches him for what he hath suffered through the Perjuries of Oates and Bedloe, and for the having discovered to His Majesty the quantities of Arms which the Lord Gray of Wark had in his House, and encouraged the pulling down of Mr. Readings house over his, and his Wife and children's heads. Mr. Reading in all humility beseecheth their Lordships to assert their own Orders, and to grant him such further Relief, as to their great Justice and Prudence seems fit. SOME ELIZABETHAN VISITATIONS OF THE CHURCHES BELONGING TO THE PECULIAR OF THE DEAN OF YORK. By T. M. FALLOW, M.A., F.S.A. THERE is preserved among the Register books of the parish of Pickering, an unbound book of 77 leaves of pot-sized paper, on 108 pages of which are entered contemporary Elizabethan records of the visitations of the churches and chapels formerly subject to the jurisdiction of the Peculiar of the Dean of York. The visitations thus recorded are those of the years 1568, 1570, and again 1590 to 1602. The latter, omitting 1597, are consecutive, and include both the years named. The entries of the visitations are not, however, continuously entered in the book. Some of the intervening pages are blank, and others contain rough memoranda concerning judgments of the Spiritual Court of the Peculiar for the years 1623 to 1626 inclusive. A list of the different visitations, with the dates and places when and where held, may be conveniently given here. The order is that in the manuscript. 1568 (10 July) Pocklington, (4 Aug.) Pickering, (16 Aug.) Kilham. 1570 (6 Aug.) Pickering, (27 Aug.) Pocklington, (ult. Aug.) Kilham. [A break of twenty years.] 1590 (18 Dec.) Pickering, (20 Jan.) Pocklington. 1591 (6 Sept.) Pickering, (blank) Pocklington. 1592 (20 June) Pickering, (12 Jan.) Kilham, (4 Jan.) Pocklington. 1593 (8 Oct.) Pickering. 1594 (15 May) Pocklington, (24 Feb.) Kilham, (4 Nov.) Pickering. 1595 (blank) Pocklington, (25 Aug.) Pickering. 1596 (16 Aug.) Pocklington, (15 Aug.) Pickering. 1597 [No visitations recorded.] 1598 (23 April) Pocklington, (20 April) Pickering, (7 Sept.) Kilham. 1599 (24 Aug.) Pocklington, (20 Aug.) Pickering, (22 Aug.) Kilham. 1600 (5 Sept.) Pocklington, (1 Sept.) Pickering), (3 Sept.) Kilham. 1601 (26 Aug.) Pocklington, (ult. Aug.) Pickering, (2 Sept.) Kilham. 1602 (14 Aug.) Pocklington, (10 Aug.) Pickering, (14 Aug.) Kilham. |