two lions' faces); but unfortunately the mason has cut a bend sinister instead of a bend dexter. The next is probably Banastre of the Bank. The third is the one that fixes the date of the tower, if it be what it seems, the arms of William Smith, bishop of the diocese (1493-5), the munificent founder of Brazenose College.

In the chancel wall the old priest's door, dating from the 13th century, still remains.

In the chancel is an interesting tomb to the memory of John Van Zoelen, late of Bristol, who was buried here in 1689. He was probably one of the officers under Marshal Schomberg, who, on the 12th August in that year, embarked at Hoylake for Ireland, with an army, to re-conquer Ulster.

In a rare old book (Leigh's Natural History of Lancashire and Cheshire, printed in 1700), the writer mentions that Marshal Schomberg's army was encamped for some time on the flat sands by the sea, "called the Mels" (probably what is now the golf links), and that they obtained abundant water by digging in the sand, "which shows," says Leigh, "that the salt water is filtered by coming through "the sand."

And so our journey ends, perhaps not inappropriately on the sands by the sea shore, with the wondrous past behind us, and the future limitless as the sea before; and our time has not been wasted if we have realized a little more than we are in the habit of doing, how much we owe to that splendid past which is the heritage of every Englishman. And as our lives are but links in a chain, may it be given us so to forge our link that those who come after us may remember us with honour and not with shame.

CHESHIRE IN THE GREAT CIVIL WAR.

By A. M. Robinson, F.R.G.S.

Read 7th November, 1895.

HESHIRE took a prominent part in the great struggle between King and Parliament, and Cheshire men influenced the course of English history more than would be anticipated from the geographical position of the county, or its size or its population. Whilst the King was at York, at the end of May, 1642, with thirty-two peers against forty-two who remained at Westminster, the Houses passed an ordinance for settling the Militia in such hands as they could confide in. The King, however, charged this to be against law, and required none should yield obedience thereto. He issued his Commissions of Array to the respective counties, appointing several persons of quality to array, train, and muster the people. This commission the Houses declared to be unlawful. As Rushworth says, the persons in the counties, acting by these opposite authorities, had many bickerings one with another. The King's proclamation given at York, 20th June, 1642, informed "all our loving subjects "of the lawfulness of our Commissions of Array, "issued into the several counties of our realm of England and dominion of Wales, and com"manding them to obey our commissions therein

"named." Both Houses of Parliament issued, on the 1st July, 1642, a long "declaration" to prove the illegality of the King's action. And according to Hallam, the King's Commission of Array, although not strictly conformable to law, was "justi"fiable, as the means of opposing the Parlia"ment's ordinance for the militia, at least equally illegal." It appears that during June, July, and August of that year, "petitions" against the impending resort to arms were addressed to the King by the county palatine of Lancaster, and by other counties, and were all duly and separately acknowledged by his Majesty's order. Cheshire did not volunteer any such petition, but waited the course of events.

On Monday, August 22nd, 1642, his Majesty left his forces before Coventry and, with some lords and others in company, rode to Leicester, where he dined at the Abbey, the Countess of Devonshire's house. After dinner, again took horse and rode to Nottingham, where was great preparation for setting up his standard that day. The standard was taken out of the castle and carried into the field, a little on the back side of the castle wall. The likeness of the standard was much of the fashion of the city streamers used at the Lord Mayor's Show, having about twenty supporters: on the top of it hangs a flag, the King's arms quartered with a hand pointing to the crown, which stands above with this motto, "Give Cæsar his "due." But efforts by men of light and leading to circumscribe the area of war still continued.

In some counties, as in Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire, there was an endeavour to make an association of neutrality. Lord Fairfax, Mr. Bellasis, Sir William Savile, and others in Yorkshire sent the heads thereof on the 29th September, 1642, to Parliament, but in vain. Parliament, by

a formal declaration in October, ordered that no such neutrality be observed. And so the eventful struggle proceeded.

A rare and valuable collection of Civil War tracts. relating to Cheshire, which has lately been secured for the Birkenhead Free Library, throws a good deal of light on the inner working of events connected with the county. They range from 1642

to 1659.

No. 1 is a folio broadsheet, printed in London by Edward Husbands and John Frank, and is dated 20 July, 1642, a month before Charles raised the Royal Standard at Nottingham. It is a "Declaration of the Citizens and Inhabitants of "the City of Chester whose names are subscrlbed summoned to "appear before his Majesties Commissioners for the Array at the Roodey within the liberties of the said city for their cleer "manifestation of their Allegiance to his Majesty, and duty to "his parliament," and appears to be a well-meant protest against the civil war into which the nation was drifting: pointing out that "in the Cordial Union of his Majestie and his Parliament "consists the safety glory and the happiness of the Kingdom,' &c. No names are in fact attached to the document; but it was "delivered by the Citizens of Chester to His Majesties Commis"sioners for the Writ of Array."

No. 2 is the "Advice and Direction of Both Houses "of Parliament to Sir William Brereton and to the rest of the "Deputy Lieutenants for the County of Chester with orders of "the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament for the "regulating of those Souldiers that are gon or shall goe under "the Command of His Excellency Robert Earle of Essex Lord "Generall for this Expedition," and was printed in London under date 19 August, 1642, by order of both Houses. Commencing with the argumentative preamble that the King, "Seduced by "Wicked Counsell intends to make War against the Parliament," it proceeds to give in six pages highly practical orders and instruc tions both as to the discipline of the forces, and as to the action to be taken against the "Popish Recusants in Cheshire who did "not confine themselves to their dwellings according to the "Statute in that case provided," &c., &c.

No. 3 is a brief order, printed in London, by order of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, on the 2nd September, 1642, "for the Suppressing of Publike Stage Playes 66 throughout the Kingdome during these Calamitous Times."

66

It recites in quaint language that "Whereas publike sports doe "not well agree with Publike Calamities nor Publike Stage Playes "with Seasons of Humiliation this being an exercise of Sad and "pious Solemnity and the other being Spectacles of Pleasure too commonly expressing lacivious mirth and levitie," "It is there"fore ordeined," &c., "that Stage Playes shall cease and bee "forborne," &c. "Instead of which are recommended to the "people of this land the profitable and seasonable Considerations "of Repentance, Reconciliation and peace with God," &c., &c.

No. 4 embodies two declarations of the Houses of Parliament, one concerning the release of certain Ministers in Cheshire, imprisoned for refusing to obey the illegal Commission of Array; the other for the Appropriation of Delinquents' fines; printed in London by order on the 9th September, 1642. The names of the Ministers are not given; but their discharge is ordered. Incidentally, as a postscript, the Lord General is requested to "take special care for the restraining and punishing "disorders in the Souldiers according to the custome of War"; so complaints had evidently been made by the peaceable Cheshire folk as to the want of discipline in the Parliamentary forces stationed in their midst.

No. 5.-The indecisive battle of Edge Hill-where, in fact, the moral advantage rested with the King-took place, it will be remembered, on the 23rd October, 1642, about six weeks after the issue of the above Parliamentary paper; and our next is headed "Neutrality condemned by declaring the reasons why "the Deputy Lieutenants intrusted by the Parliament for "Cheshire cannot agree to the Treaty of Pacification made by "that County. And may serve to prevent the like in other "Counties." It was printed in London for Henry Overton, and "are to be sold at his shop in Pope's Head Alley, "December 6, 1642." It is a closely-printed pamphlet of eight pages, in the style so admirably travestied by Scott in his Peveril of the Peak and in Woodstock. The argument is difficult to follow. There is a good deal of reference to the Old Testament as a matter of course, and the author was apparently proud of his acquaintance with dog Latin. A brief quotation or two will, however, no doubt, be sufficiently entertaining for this Society:-"Doe we not finde Abraham and Lot, Paul and Bar"nabas, contending and divisions 'twixt the nearest relations "occasioned even by the Prince and Gospell of peace when in "the meantime we see Simeon and Levi. Fratres in malo-the "rulers taking councell. Sanballat and Tobiah conspiring to"gether and the Jews unanimously crying out 'Crucifiye,' and all "against our Saviour and his living temples. Peace therefore in "itselfe is like riches," &c., &c. "It is observable that things of