Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

That during the enemy’s command in these parts he was chaplain to Colonel Fitzherbert of Norbury, a noted malignant, and in actual service against the cause of King and Parliament, and both before and after was a frequenter of the enemy’s garrisons… That during all the time of his being here, which is nearhand three years, he hath preached, though sometimes twice a day, yet either altogether or, for the most part, other men’s works; and one thing four or five times, or oftener, repeated, on so many several days, without any progress at all, only tiring the time with tautologies and vain iterations, to the wearying of the hearers and dishonour of the Great God… That he is a common frequenter of alehouses and of idle company, and hath been several times drunk since his coming to Penistone; and before his coming thither, and after his entrance into the ministry, he kept a common tippling house… That about November last, having publicly in the parish church of Penistone given notice of a solemn thanksgiving to be celebrated the week following, with promise to officiate himself, the next day save one he went on foot to Barnsley, a market town five miles distant, and there spent the said day of solemnity, and two days more, in tippling and drinking amongst base lewd company, and when he was half drunk, for want of money, sold his gloves… That in January 1645, he was drunk on the fast-day, and not able to keep it, whereupon we were forced to provide one Mr George Didsbury to perform the office of that day… That about [?] being half drunk, he fought with and abused the schoolmaster and sexton … without any occasion given by them; and that he hath had sundry quarrels with other men of worse esteem…

Comment

Comment

Perhaps his refusal to accept a contract to bugger off – see the original – is more interesting.

Only twice drunk in three years at Penistone is surely a great achievement.

Continuing troubles between Puritans and the established church at Penistone eventually gave rise to Bullhouse chapel, said to be the oldest independent non-conformist chapel with continuous worship in the country.

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Original

To the right hoñoble the Committee for Plundred Ministers at West Riding.
In all humility, wee whose names are here under writen certify to your honors that Christopher Dickinson, pretended minister of the parish church of Peniston, whereof wee all parishoners, is a man of scandalous life and conversation in these ensueing particulars.

1. Firstly, that during the enemye’s command in these parts he was chaplain to Collonell Fitzherbert, of Norbury, a noted malignant, and in actual service against the cause of King and Parliament, and both before and after was a frequenter of the enemye’s garrisons.
2. Secondly, That upon removall of Sir Francia Wortley’s garrison from Peniston, and during the tymes of trouble, hee intruded himselfe into the ministery at Peniston aforesaid, under pretence of a tytle from one Mr. Copley, who very honestly, in discharge of his conscience, gave liberty to us to chose for ourselves a minister; but in regard of the then distraccions wee were forced to admitt of the said Dickinson, albeit wee then certifyed him that (if) it should please God to mend the tymes, wee purposed not to content ourselves with him. Neither yet hath hee ever had any lawfull calling to, or settlement in, the said vicarage, further than as afforesaid, to any of our knowledges. Neverthelesse we have hitherto had noe means to remove him, albeit wee had made choise of one Mr. Walker, a godly and paynfall minister, of whom, by reason of his being there, wee were disappointed.
3. Thirdly, that during all the tyme of his being here, which is nere hand 3 years, hee hath preached, though sometymes twice a day, yet either alltogether or, for the most part, other men’s works; and one thing 4 or 5 tymes, or oftener, repeated, on so many several dayes, without any progresse at all, only tyreing the tyme with tautologyes and vaine iteracions, to the wearying of the hearers and dishonor of the Great God, Whose name ought not to be taken in vayne.
4. Fourthly, that hee is a common frequenter of alehouses, and of idle company, and hath beene several tymes drunk since his coming to Peniston; and that before his coming thither, and after his entrance into the ministery, he kept a common tipling house.
5. Fiftly. That about November last, having publi [cly?] in the parish church of Peniston, given notice of a sollemne thanksgiving, to be celebrated the week following, with promise to officiate himselfe, the next day save one hee went on foote to Barnsley, a market towne, 5 myles distant, and there spent the said day of sollemnity, and 2 days more, in tipling and drinking, amongst base lewd company, and when hee was halfe drunk, for want of money, sold his gloves.
6. Sixthly. That in January 1645, hee was drunk on the fast-day, and not able to keepe it, whereupon wee were forced to provide one Mr. George Didsbury to performe the office of that day.
7. Seventhly. That about … being halfe drunke, hee fought with and abused the schoolmaster and sexton of the said towne of Peniston, without any occasion given by them; and that hee hath had sundry quarrells with other men of worse esteeme.
8. Eightly. That upon these and other, the like miscarryages, we being desyrous to remove such a scandall out of the church, some of us, whose names are here subscribed, about November last, covenanted with him under our hands, to avoyd further trouble, to allow him 40l., and the benefitt of the vicarage, till the first day of May next; and hee to take the first opportunity to remove; but suspecting the moneyes would not come so soone as he expected, and being hopelesse of any other place, hee gave out in words that he would not goe away; whereupon sundry of us, whose names are subscribed, met again at Peniston, the 27th of February last; where, after some conference of the matters aforesaid had with the said Mr, Dickinson, we covenanted with him to pay him the 40l. above specified the 18th of March then next following; whereupon hee promised to performe any covenant we should tender him for his removall, so it were not to repay the money again; in pursuance whereof, this instant day, being the 18th of March, we have tendered him the money according to our agreement, which, notwithstanding, he hath refused to accept of.
   That to uphold himselfe in these his wicked courses hee hath endeavoured to gett the hands of his neighbors to certaine certificates of his good abearance in his place since his coming to Peniston; which, as wee are informed, hee hath done from divers malignant spirits, both in this parish and other places adjacent, to the present state of reformation, and allso from sundry other illiterate men, some of whoae names are here subscribed, whom he hath deceived by counterfeiting some of our hands that made ye agreement with him and here subscribed allso, as in other cases formerly hath done, without either consent or notice of to the partyes: all which wee humbly present to your honors’ consideration, as mere naked truthes, every of which particulars will be justifyed, if need should require by the othes of divers evidible witnesses.

These whose names are here subscribed made the last Agreement with him the 27th of Feb, and also tendred him the money this 18th of March, 1646.

Wm. Rich [Bullhouse]
Wm. Rich [Hornthwaite]
Ra. Wordsworth [Waterhall]
Jo. Cooke
Wm. Coldwell
Jo. Wordsworth [Rodmore]
Adam Eyre [Hazlehead]
Franc. West [Denby]
Rich. Hawksworth [Denby]
Reg. Appleyard [Eclans or Eclands]
Edw. Mitchell [Hazlehead]
John Coldwell
Franc. Coldwell

In the presence of:
George Didsbury, clerk, schoolmaster
Mich. Wordsworth, sexton, and others.

These whose names are here subscribed joyne with the others in the rest of the certificate:

Tho. Burdet
Ra. Ward
Jo. Blakey
Jo. Robuck
Geo. Burdett
Ra. Swift
Uxor Greaves
Jo. Morley
Tho. Haigh
Jo. Haigh
Jos. Hinchliffe
Jo. Broksbank
Ger. Kay
Hen. Haigh
Jo. Lynley
Jo. Haigh
Robt. Pymond
Jo. Poplewell
Thos. Haigh
Tho. Wainwright
Edw. Coldwell
Edw. Smith
Jo. Priest
Nath. Greaves
Wm. Marsden
Wm. Appleyard
Jo. Hadfield
Anth. Broksbank
Jo. Dickinson
Rich. Marshall
Tho. Marshall
Geo. Tinker
Humph. Street
Tho. Morehouse
Thos. Downing
God. Booth
Jo. Hawksworth
Nich. Greaves [Shephouse]
Rich. Street [Langsett]
Thos. Ramsden
Jo. Micklethwayte [Birchworth]
Tho. Gaver
Dan. Rich
Hen. Dickinson
Tho. Burgesse
Rich. Vyner
Ro. Blackrurne
Jos. Hobson
Jo. Shaw
Jo. Hoops
Js. Coldwell
Jo. Shaw
Rich. Wainwright [Shore Hall]
Thos. Walker
Wm. Firth
Isaac Wordsworth
Wm. Haigh
Wm. Gleadell
Jo. Mitchell
Jo. Swift
Fr. Haigh
Wm. Wordsworth
And divers others.

1202 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Alcohol intoxication (27) ·
• 📌Barnsley (23) ·
• Charles I (1600-49) (23), King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649 ·
• Committee for Plundered Ministers (1) ·
• Derbyshire (11) ·
• English Civil War (1642-1651) (27), a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedom ·
• First English Civil War (18), August 1642-June 1646 ·
• Long Parliament (1640-60) (4), summoned by Charles I and, following the Rump Parliament and other de facto quasi-official interruptions, finally dissolved by its members just before the Restoration ·
• Nonconformism (47) ·
• Norbury, Derbyshire (1) ·
• 📌Penistone (8), market town and parish in South Yorkshire/the West Riding west of Barnsley ·
• Presbyterianism (20) ·
• Puritans (15) ·
• Walking (18) ·
• West Riding of Yorkshire (147) ·

All tags.

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