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To Carlell (sic) and Mathewe Carlell, his two sonnes, ether of them, xxvjs. viijd. To Wylliam Watson wyfe, my suster doughter, xiijs. iiijd. The residewe to Sir Thomas Watson, clarke, and to Robert Carlell, whome I make and ordayne to be my true and lawfull executors of this my last wyll, to distribute my goodes for the healthe of my soull at ther discretyon. And I wyll desyre mayster George Conyers of Whytbye to be the supervisor of this my last wyll, and to have xls. for his paynes. Thes wytnesses, George Conyers, John Kyldaill, curat of Whytby, Peter Thompson, clarke, and John Sneton of Whitbye.

Thes thinges followinge was spoken by the said Mr. Hexham in the presence of John Kyldaill and certayn other afterwarde. I gyue1 to Sir Thomas Billingham vjs. viijd. To the churche of Fylinge vjs. viijd. To Sir Peter Lythe vjs. viijd. To the chappell of Hawskarthe xxd. To the churche of Hacknes xs.

Proved Oct. 1, 1557, by John Kildall, curate of Whitby, and administration granted to Thomas Watson and Robert Carlell.2

1 Only some of these bequests are printed.

2 Two other instances of testamentary burials at Middlesbrough. Oct. 4, 1564. Henry Blackebourne of Mydelsbrugh desired to be buried in the church of Mydelsbrugh (Reg. Test., xvii, 489). June 19, 1575. John Hudsone of

Aersum and of the parish of Mydlisbrough. I comende my soul to God, my makear and redemer, and all the holie and blessed compenie of heauen, and my bodie to be buried in the churche yearde of Mydlesbroughe. Το Thomas Hudson, my son, my two hawked (ie. whitefaced) oxen (Ibid., xx, 91d).

THE RISING IN THE NORTH:

A NEW LIGHT UPON ONE ASPECT OF IT.

By H. B. McCALL.

THE accidental discovery of the letters and diaries of Sir George Bowes in the year 1833 directed the attention of Sir Cuthbert Sharpe to the insurrection of the northern earls in 1569, usually referred to as the Rising in the North-a portion of British history which up to that time had been veiled in considerable obscurity. To remove that veil was the object of his publication, Memorials of the Rebellion, a work concerning which it is impossible to speak too highly. We have here presented to us the actual language of contemporary letters and documents; we read the story of the Rebellion -its rise and progress almost from day to day-as it is reflected in actual manuscripts written at the time and which still exist. Since the days of Sharpe we have had the same history dressed up in slightly different language; we have had plenty of reveries-plenty of ingenious inference and speculation; but in point of solid, unexceptionable fact we are not aware that much has ever been added to the information contained in this very excellent work.

There is, however, one aspect of the case which Sharpe has not dealt with so exhaustively as he might have done, and his omission in this respect has certainly deprived us of much that is of interest when viewed from the local standpoint, and has also apparently led to a serious misapprehension as to the extent of the execution which was done upon the inhabitants of the northern counties in revenge for this ill-planned Rebellion.

On the day after the capitulation of Barnard Castle, namely on the 12th of December, 1569, Sir George Bowes, a zealous and most effective supporter of the Queen's interests in the county of Durham, was appointed provost marshall of the army under the command of Lord Sussex. (Bowes MSS., ii, 17.) His journals and correspondence, which formed the groundwork of Sharpe's Memorials, are still in part preserved at Streatlam Castle, and extend to many volumes. Amongst other matters, they contain various lists of those who in every place were known to have acceded to the Rebellion; lists of those executed; lists of such as passed over the walls of Barnard Castle during the

siege; of prisoners confined in Durham Castle, etc. The lists, and especially those which relate to the executions, Sharpe does not deal with in any detail-only general summaries are given of the numbers of rebels in each wapentake or ward. It would be too much to expect that the names should be printed in full-they are several thousands in number-and as those condemned by martial law were all of what is called the 'meaner sort,' the names themselves do not offer much interest. But it would have been advantageous to know what the exact strength of the earls was in each township, and how many of their adherents were appointed to suffer death in every place; and it is a point of still greater moment that we should ascertain whether the orders given for executions were ever really carried out to the last extremity. Historians, basing their calculations upon the incomplete figures given by Sharpe, have all assumed that it was so, and have arrived at the conclusion that 'near a thousand perished.' Yet we have it on the word of the marshall himself that seven hundred and some odd was the extreme number "appointed,” but what number of them did directly suffer he could not truly say. There were sundry places, he says, where executions were ordered, but where none of the rebels appeared before him, for that they were wholly fled, and kept secret until after the period of martial law was ended. In addition to that, "there was none executed by me but such as did confess with their own mouths that they were in actual rebellion two days at least after the expiration of the first pardon." (Bowes MSS., ii, 24.)

Sir George Bowes wrote on 8th October, 1573, that his house at South Cowton had been broken into during his absence, and many of his books relating to the Rebellion had been spoiled and taken away, and that he had always supposed this act to have been the work of thieves, set on by one whom he could name. (Sharpe, pp. 183 and 184.) For this reason we are now unable to reach any exact conclusion upon the subject under consideration, but a careful examination of such of the diaries and papers as are left leads to the belief that the number of rebels who "did directly suffer" may in reality be only a small proportion of those appointed.

We shall now look a little closely into the lists of rebels, which are mostly contained in volumes xiii and xv of the manuscripts at Streatlam. The lists are many in number, some being incomplete duplicates, and having the appearance of rough drafts from which the

completed lists have been compiled. The first order for execution is dated 2nd January, 1569-70; it relates to the county of Northumberland, and contains nineteen names. Beneath is written :

"Sir George Bowes,-Ye shall see execution done upon the above written in such places within the county of Northumberland as shall be appointed by Sir John Foster, Lord Warden of the Middle Marches. Dated at Duresme, the second of January, 1569[−70].—T. Sussex.”

(Bowes MSS., xii, 34.)

On 4th January the Black Book was completed for the county of Durham, divided into its four wards. The lists are entered in tall and narrow volumes, each name occupying a separate line; the names of the rebels are arranged under the parish or township to which they belonged, and at the foot of each township Sussex has marked the number which he appoints to be executed in that place. The lists occur three several times in volumes xiii, xiv, and xv of the manuscripts, and none appears to be quite perfect; that is to say, an individual township will sometimes have the names entered in one list and be blank in the other two, but the variation is very slight. The most complete list is contained in volume xv, at page 59, etc., and is summarised as follows:

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Total in the county of Duresme over and besydes the towne of

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In reporting the matter to Cecil on the 4th of January, Sussex mentions that 188 is the number he has appointed in the county, including the borough of Darlington (State Papers); and Sharpe, in a very useful summary he gives of the several lists for the county of Durham, makes the number appointed 200 (Sharpe, pp. 250-2). The discrepancy is in any case not a serious one. If we take the mean number 194 to represent the county, we have to add 28 of the citizens of Durham, 44 constables to be executed there, 34 serving men there, and 20 of the deserters appointed to be hanged at Barnard Castle. Thus 320 is as nearly correct as possible for the entire bishopric.

On the 8th January Sir George Bowes writes to Cecil:—

"My humble duty remembered.-The executions are done or will this day and to-morrow be done through all the bishopric, according to your L. direction, saving in a part of Darneton Ward, where as yet I command; although I have both by day and night caused to search their towns, but they be wholly fled, etc." (Bowes MSS., ii, 35.)

It is only in the Darlington Ward that we have any evidence concerning the executions which actually took place in the county of Durham as distinguished from those "appointed."

A NOT OF SUCHE AS BE EXECUTED BY MARSHALL LAWE, WHOSE GOODS BE NOT INVENTORIED IN DARNETONE WARDE.

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