Middlesex Sessions Rolls: 1627

1627

11 January, 2 Charles I.—Whereas the great and insufferable abuses and disorders, committed by poulterers and butchers in opening theire shopps and selling flesh and poultry wares upon the sabboth dayes both before and in tyme of divine service in the markettes kept at Cowcrosse, Smithfeildbarrs, St. Johnstreete, Feildlane, Eastsmithfeild, St. Katherins, Nortonfolgate, Wapping, Shorditch, Whitechappell and other places of this county, are evident and apparent to this Court (viz. S. P. held at Hickes Hall), And whereas Cowcrosse aforesaid, Turmilstreete, Charterhouselaine, Saffronhill, Bloomesbury, Pettycoatelane, Wapping and Ratcliffe and divers other places within this county are pestered with many immodest, lascivious and shamelesse weomen generally reputed for notorious common and professed whoares, whoe are intertayned into victualing or other houses suspected for bawdry houses and other base tenements for base and filthy lucre and gaine to the landlords and tenauntes, whoe usually both in the day and night tyme sitt at the doores of such houses, exposing and offering themselves to passengers, and by their wanton, immodest and impudent boldnes and behaviours doe incite, allure and call unto them many his Majesties subjects passing those wayes, whereby many of them have beene not robbed only of their estates, but corrupted both in life and manners, being dangerous and pernicious, in consequence tending to the great displeasure of Allmighty God, scandall of his Majesties government, disturbance of the peace, the offence and disquiett of the honest sorte of inhabitantes of the places foresaid, by reason of the many riots, routs, assaults and breaches of the peace frequently committed by such daungerous and insolent people, as haunt and frequent the companyes of such brothell prostitutes: For reformacion of all which hainous disorders and abuses, Itt is ordered and streightly commaunded by this Court, that the constables and headboroughs and other officers of the said severall places shall upon notice of this order, or a coppie thereof given them in writing, give particuler warning to each butcher and poulterer within the said several divisions, that from henceforth none of them doe presume to open theire shoppes or windowes, or sell or hang out any flesh or poultry wares upon the sabboth dayes or other dayes, to the interrupcion and offence of his Majesties subjectes in theire passage, And that all the said officers shall use all possible dilligence to discover and finde out from tyme to tyme all landlords, tenauntes or victuallers whoe for any the respects aforesaid entertaine, harbour or suffer to abide in their house or houses any such kinde of lewd, suspected, dissolute and defamed weomen, and present their names together with the names of all such victuallers, landlordes or tenauntes, with their professions and places of abode to the next Justices of Peace of this county, to the end that all the delinquents in the cases aforesaid may be attached and proceeded withall as to Justice may appertaine, as the said officers and everyone of them will answeare to the contrary at their uttermost perills; And for prevencion of connivency and partiality in this behalfe, Itt is further ordered that all victuallers, being att this present constables or headboroughes in any of the severall places of Cowcrosse, Turmilstreete, Charterhouselaine, Saffronhill, Bloomesbury, Petticoatelane, Wapping and Ratcliffe, by or through whome the said offences and disorders most frequently growe and arise bee from this tyme suppressed from keeping victualing during so long tyme as they shall keepe or exercise the place of a constable or headborough by themselves or theire deputyes; And itt is required by this Court that the inhabitantes of the said mencioned places be overseers of all the said officers for the tyme being, and not only incite and stirr them up to be vigillant and careful in the due execucion and performance of this service, but alsoe from tyme to tyme as occasion shall serve bee ayding, assisting, counselling and directing to the said officers in the same to informe this Court or some of his Majesties Justices of peace of this county, of all or any disorder, abuse, neglecte, connivence or corrupcion, committed or suffered by the said officers or any others from tyme to tyme, as they tender his Majesties service, the good government of this country, and their owne good, tranquillity and peace. S. P. Reg.

20 February, 2 Charles I.—True Bill that, at St. Giles's-in-theFields co. Midd. on the said day, Evans Flood late of the said parish yeoman, assaulted one Edward Evans, and robbed him of a cloake worth sixteen shillings, a sworde worth ten shillings, a hat worth six shillings "et duodenas chordulas anglice one dozen of band-strings" worth four-pence. Found 'Not Guilty' Evans Flood was acquitted. G. D. R., . . . ., 2 Charles I.

6 Mav, 3 Charles I.—True Bill that, at St. Margaret's Westminster co. Midd. on the said day, Thomas Lee late of the said parish broke into the house of the Most Noble Henry Earl of Manchester, and stole therefrom a silver bason worth twelve pounds, a silver candlesticke worth fourteen pounds, and a silver sugar-box worth six pounds. A minute at the bill's head shows that, after putting himself 'Not Guilty' Thomas Lee was reprieved (or, as we now-a-days say remanded) to the next Gaol Delivery. G. D. R., 20 June, 3 Charles I

8. May, 3 Charles I.—True Bill that, at Wapping co. Midd. on the said day, Martin Russell late of the said parish yoman, being a soldier and not a captain, and being retained to serve the king on land beyond sea, and having taken of the same king "arram anglice prest, feloniously withdrew himself from the said king's service, without the permission of his captain Sir Archibald Duglas (sic) knt. —Also, similar True Bill against John Longe, soldier and not captain, retained to serve the king on land beyond sea, for withdrawing himself from the king's service, at Hammersmith on 28 May, 3 Charles I., without the permission of his captain Thomas Abraham, after receiving on the previous day the king's "arram anglice prest."—Also, True Bill, that after receiving the king's "arram anglice prest" on 1 May, 3 Charles I., Thomas Mason late of Wapping co. Midd., a soldier and not captain, retained to serve the King on land beyond sea, withdrew from the king's service at Wapping on the 9th of the same month without the permission of his captain. Sir Archibould Dowglas (sic).—Similar True Bill against Henry Bell late of Wapping yoman, a soldier (not captain) retained to serve the king on land beyond sea, for withdrawing on 9 May, 3 Charles I., from the king's service at Wapping, after receiving the same king's "arram anglice prest" on the first day of the same month.—Notes on these four bills show that each of these deserters was found 'Guilty,' and was sentenced to be hung.—The reader will not fail to observe the signification which the word "arra" = a customary gift, payment, or earnest money attaches to the word 'prest,' derived from the corrupt Latin 'prestatio,' a customary payment or token, which survives to general readers in the familiar though usually misapprehended term "pressgang." G. D. R., 20 June, 3 Charles I.

4 October, 3 Charles I.—Order, made at G. S. P. Westminster, That all the alehousekeepers dwelling neere the winde-mills in More Feildes shalbe from henceforth suppressed for keeping any alehouses there, as well in respect of their inconvenient scituacion being in a feild att the end of the towne, as alsoe in regard that the houses were att the first erected for the habitacion of windmill-keepers there, and have been since converted to alehouses, at the instances and for the proffettes of the owners of the mills, as appeared to the Court on examinacion. S. P. Reg.

5 October, 3 Charles I.—Order, made at G. S. P. Westminster, that the Lord Keeper be certified of the great losses sustained at sea in three several voyages made in September 1622, November 1624 and November 1625, "to the end his Lordship might take such further order therein for the releife of the said William Bunne as to his Lordship's grave wisdome shall seeme most consonant to equity and good conscience"; the said order being made on the testimony of Euseby Andrewes esq. J.P. and Thomas Ravenscroft esq. J.P., specially appointed to enquire into the matter, and also on the certificates of Sir Allen Apsley knt. Lieutenant of the Tower J.P., George Gouldman D.D., Thomas Saunderson J.P., and Raphe Hastinges J.P., and the Wardens and Assistants of the Trinitie House, showing that the losses sustained by William Bunne in the said voyages amounted to 900£.—Also, a similar Order for certifying the Lord Keeper respecting the loss sustained from a sudden fire on 2 September 1625 by Abraham Ivery of London citizen, who "having a household of eight percons did in the time of the late great sicknes (to avoid the danger of infeccion) remove all his household stuffe and goodes from London unto Finchley, Wherby a sodaine and fearfull fire hapning in the nighte time his dwelling-house and all his goodes therein were burnt and consumed, and his mother and sister through the suddenes and terror of the said fier dyed the next day," the value of the goods so destroyed being 100£. S. P. Reg.

12 November, 3 Charles I.—True Bill that, at Wapping co. Midd. on the said day, Nicholas Paine not being a wharfinger or bargeman bought of Anthony Taylor for gain and profit eighty-five and a half chaldrons of sea-coals at the rate and price of thirty shillings for each chaldron, and did not burn or consume the coals, or sell them to those who for their own convenience would have burnt them, but afterwards on the same 12th of Nov., 3 Charles I., sold them at a much higher price to divers persons, who have neither burnt the same coals, nor any parcel of them for their own use.— Also, similar bills for buying coals and reselling them at a profit on the same day to persons who did not buy them for their own use, against Henry Allen, William Williams and Ralph Hunt, all late of Wapping aforesaid. G. D. R., 5 Dec., 3 Charles I.

1 December, 3 Charles I.—True Bill for not going to church &c. during one month, beginning on the said day, against thirty-six persons, late resident in St. Andrew's Holborn, St. James's Clerkenwell, or New Brainford, all of whose names appear in the notes of this volume touching other bills of indictment for recusancy. . . . . 3 Charles I.

20 December, 3 Charles I.—True Bill that, in their dwelling-house in Queenes Street in the parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields co. Midd. on the said day, Henry Good gentleman and his wife Anne Good, both and each of them voluntarily heard a masse said and sung by a certain Roman priest to the jurors unknown ("voluntarie audiverunt et uterque eorum voluntarie audivit missam anglice did willingly hear masse adtunc et ibidem dictam et decantatam per quendam presbyterum Romanum juratoribus predictis ignotum"). Putting themselves 'Not Guilty,' Henry and Anne Good were found 'Not Guilty' and acquitted. G. D. R., . . . ., 4 Charles I.

30 December, 3 Charles I.—True Bill that, at St. James's Clerkenwell on the said day, Thomas Fletcher late of the said parish laborer, being a soldier and not a captain, retained to serve the King on land beyond sea, "recepit de dicto domino Rege arram anglice prest," and afterwards on the same day, without the permission of his captain Sir Alexander Brett knt., withdrew from the said king's service. G. D. R., 21 March, 3 Charles I.