Now! Then! John Sugden causes panic in Bradford and Pudsey with news of the imminent advent of genocidal Irish Catholics

12 December 1641: John Sugden causes panic in Bradford and Pudsey with news of the imminent advent of genocidal Irish Catholics

A Wenceslaus Hollar etching showing Irish massacres of Protestants: “Companies of the rebels meeting with the English flying for their lives falling down before them crying for mercy thrust their [pitchforks] into their children’s bellies and threw them into the water” (Hollar 1642).

Joseph Lister. 1842. The Autobiography of Joseph Lister, of Bradford in Yorkshire. Ed. Thomas Wright. London: John Russell Smith. Get it:

Excerpt

“Friends,” said he, “we are all as good as dead men, for the Irish rebels are coming; they are come as far as Rochdale, and Littleborough, and the Baitings, and will be at Halifax and Bradford shortly.” He came, he said, out of pity and goodwill, to give us this notice. And having given this alarm, away he ran towards Bradford again, where the same report was spread about. Upon which the congregation was all in confusion: some ran out, others wept, others fell to talking to friends, and the Irish massacre being but lately acted, and all circumstances put together, the people’s hearts failed them with fear. So that the Rev Mr Wales desired the congregation to compose themselves as well as they could, while he put himself and them into the hands of Almighty God by prayer, and so he did, and so dismissed us. But oh! what a sad and sorrowful going home had we that evening, for we must needs go to Bradford, and knew not but incarnate devils and death would be there before us, and meet us there.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Re my suggested date: sensational, bloody news of the Irish rebellion circulated widely in November 1641, the King decreed a fast day for December 8th, and this is the following Sunday.

The only thing I have read by Curate Wales, his Mount Ebal levell’d, deals with “the three main pillars, or principles of Christian religion, viz. man’s misery by the fall, his recovery by Christ, and his duty, arising thereupon” and is dedicated to Fairfax (Wales 1658). I wonder if his earlier sermons were more polemical.

Keith Lindley is very good on the effects of the rebellion on this island (Lindley 1972).

The British Museum out of the goodness of its heart has made available a low res copy of all of Hollar’s images for The Teares of Ireland. EEBO has the text.

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Original

About this time (in the year 1641) did the Rebellion in Ireland break out, and many thousand protestants of all ages, sexes, and degrees, were put to death, with great inhumanity and cruelty; and great fear came upon the protestants in England, these villains giving it out, that what they had done there was by the king’s commission, and that in a little time the English protestants (or heretics as they called them) should drink of the same cup; and it was verily believed by many, it would be so, if God should suffer it; and ( what fears and tears, cries and prayers, night and day, was there then in many places, and in my dear mother’s house, in particular! I was then about twelve or thirteen years of age, and tho’ I was afraid to be killed, yet was I weary of so much fasting and praying, and longed to see those nights and days

I remember one public fast day (for godly ministers appointed many, and kept them in their respective places;) Mr. [Elkanah] Wales kept many at Pudsey, it was two miles from Bradford, and thither my pious mother and all the family went constantly upon these days; I have known that holy Mr. Wales spend six or seven hours in praying and preaching, and rarely go out of the pulpit; but sometimes he would intermit for one quarter of an hour, while a few verses of a psalm were sung, and then pray and preach again; and O what confession of sin did he make! what prayers, tears, and wrestling with God was in that place on these days! what tears and groans were to be seen and heard in that chapel! I am sure it was a place of weepers; but that day I say, which I am speaking of, I think about three o’clock in the afternoon, a certain man that I remember well,—(his name was John Sugden)–came and stood up in the chapel door, and cried out with a lamentable voice, “Friends” said he, “we are all as good as dead men, for the Irish Rebels are coming; they are come as far as Rochdale, and Littlebrough, and the Batings, and will be at Halifax and Bradford shortly;” he came, he said, out of pity and good will, to give us this notice. And having given this alarm, away he ran towards Bradford again, where the same report was spread about. Upon which the congregation was all in confusion, some ran out, others wept, others fell to talking to friends, and the Irish Massacre being but lately acted, and all circumstances put together, the people’s hearts failed them with fear; so that the Rev. Mr. Wales desired the congregation to compose themselves as well as they could, while he put himself and them into the hands of Almighty God by prayer, and so he did, and so dismissed us. But o what a sad and sorrowful going home had we that evening, for we must needs go to Bradford, and knew not but Incarnate Devils and Death would be there before us, and meet us there. What sad and strange conjectures, or rather conclusions, will surprise and fear make! Methinks I shall never forget this time.

Well we got home, and found friends and neighbours in our case, and expecting the Cut-throats coming. But at last some few horsemen were prevailed with to go to Halifax, to know how the case stood. They went with a great deal of fear, but found matters better when they came there, it proving only to be some protestants that were escaping out of Ireland for their lives into England; and this news we received with great joy, and spent the residue of that night in praises and thanksgivings to God. And I well remember what sad discourses I heard about this time, the Papists being desperate, bloody men; and those that were put into offices and places of trust were such as would serve the King and his design. At that time all profaneness came swelling in upon us, swearing, and sabbath-breaking, profane sports, and those even authorized by law; and the people of God not knowing what the end of these things would be, they being almost at their wit’s end, parliaments were broken up, and all things going to wreck both in church and state.

743 words.