Contents	Page
List of Figures	vi
List of Drawings by Ray Brown	vii
Preface	viii
Location Maps	x
Chapter 1 — Witham	1
Chapter 2 — Useful Information	8
Christianity	8
Clergymen	10
Churchwardens	10
Wills and Will Preambles	12
Preambles	13
The Church Courts	14
Organisation	14
Meeting places, Colchester archdeaconry area	15
Court officers	16
Nature of court business and punishments	18
Volume of court business	20
Education, Reading and Writing	23
The purpose of education	23
Teachers	23
Literacy: reading	23
Literacy: writing and signatures	25
Chapter 3 — Henry VIII, 1509-1547	29
Background	29
Early Protestants in Essex	30
Accusations of heresy in Essex	30
Protestant will preambles in Essex	30
Christopher, Dyonise, and Joan Raven, Thomas Hills, and John and Richard Chapman, of Witham	32
Christopher Royden of Witham	35
Tradition and its Erosion in Witham	37
Clergymen	37
Tradition in Witham wills	38
Overview	41
Chapter 4 — Edward VI, 1547-1553, and Mary I, 1553-1558	42
Edward VI, 1547-1553	42
Witham church during Edward’s reign	42
Dissent during Edward’s reign	42
Will preambles in Essex and Witham during Edward’s reign	43
Mary I	44
Accusations of Protestant heresy in Essex during Mary’s reign	44
Protestant will preambles in Essex and Witham during Mary’s reign	45
‘Mixed’ Will Preambles in Witham and Essex, 1543-1560	45
Minor Witham churchmen writing mixed preambles	47
William Love, Vicar of Witham 1536-1560	48
Traditional associates of William Love	48
Overview	49
Chapter 5 — Elizabeth I (part 1), 1558-c.1583	50
Background	50
Puritanism	50
Secular Officials	50
Magistrates	50
Officers of the half-hundred	53
Parish constables	53
Clergymen	53
Edward Halys, vicar of Witham 1560-1587	53
Curates	54
Teaching	54
Will Preambles	55
Joan Raven	55
Preambles taken from William Tracy	56
Offences Taken to Court	57
Secular courts	57
Church courts	57
Overview	58
Chapter 6 — Elizabeth I (part 2), c.1583-1603	59
Economic and Social Difficulties	59
Secular Officials	59
Magistrates	59
Half-hundred and parish officers	60
Clergymen	60
John Sterne, vicar 1587-1608	60
Curates	60
Teaching	61
Will Preambles	61
The Secular Courts	61
Crime	61
Vagrants and lodgers and employment	62
The Church Courts	63
Churchwardens	63
Amount of business	64
Non-payment of rates	64
Discipline	64
Sundays, and church attendance	65
Anti-Catholicism	66
The Southcotts and Southwells	67
Other Witham Catholics of the late sixteenth century; Bayles, Ridgleys and Campions	69
Thomas Campion	70
Other possible Catholics	70
Witchcraft	70
Overview	71
Chapter 7 — James I, 1603-1625	72
Background	72
The Barnardistons	72
Secular Officials	74
Magistrates	74
Half-hundred and parish officers	75
Clergymen	75
Vicars	75
Curates and a lecturer	76
Edmund Halys	77
Teaching	78
Will Preambles	79
Discipline and the Courts, 1603-c.1611	79
The events of 1604	79
Churchwardens, 1603-c.1611	80
Discipline and the Courts, c.1611-1625	81
Churchwardens, c.1611-1625	81
Adultery and fornication	81
Alehouses and drinking	82
Drinking and disorder on Sundays and feast days	83
Sunday games	84
Sunday working	84
Absence from church	85
Church pews	85
Overview	86
Chapter 8 — Charles I — interlude — The Forced Loan of 1626, and St. Patrick’s Day 1628	87
Background	87
The Forced Loan of 1626	87
Billeting Soldiers in Essex	89
The Move to Witham	90
St. Patrick’s Day, Monday 17 March 1628	92
Aftermath	95
Overview	96
Chapter 9 — Charles I (part), 1625-1640	97
Background	97
Local Officials	98
Robert Aylett	98
Magistrates	98
Other local secular officials	99
Churchwardens	99
Dame Katherine Barnardiston and Her Friends	99
Her place in society	99
Her beliefs	100
Ministers	100
Contacts in Witham	102
Local Clergymen	103
Francis Wright, vicar of Witham 1625-1643 and 1660-1668	103
Curates and teachers	104
Thomas Weld, vicar of Terling 1625-1631	104
1625-c.1628: Witham Parishioners’ Protests, and the First Visits to Terling	104
1628-1632: Official Involvement, and More Visits to Terling	106
The high constable and Francis Wright	106
Thomas Weld in trouble	107
The consistory court at Kelveden, December 1631	108
Witham churchwardens	109
Other parishioners, 1631	110
Opposition to curate Thoams Herris	111
1632-1636: Possible Puritan Caution	111
The mystery list of names, and the ‘unlawful meeting’ of 1634	111
Other activity in Witham, 1632-1636	112
Catholics	112
Francis Wright and the Court of High Commission, 1632-1635	113
1637-1640: Puritans to the Fore Again	114
Francis Wright at the Bishop’s Commissary court	114
Irreverence	115
Communion rails	115
Overview	116
Studies of other places	116
Witham	118
Chapter 10 — The Long Parliament and the Civil War, 1640-1660	119
Background	119
Religion	120
Essex Before the War, 1640-1642	121
Local Disturbances, 1642	121
Thomas Bayles of Witham	121
Parliament’s Organisation and Support	122
The Committees	122
Magistrates	122
Half-hundred soldiers	123
Soldiers and other supporters	123
The King’s Supporters	126
Henry Nevill	126
John Southcott	127
The Ayloffes	128
Running Witham	128
Before the war, 1640-1642	128
The Parliamentarian petition of January 1642	129
The ‘Royalist’ petition of 1643	130
The sequestration of vicar Francis Wright, 1643	130
Vicars after 1643	132
The sequestrators of the vicarage	132
Local affairs, 1643-1660	133
Religious Separatism	135
Quakerism	135
Overview	137
Chapter 11 — Charles II, 1660-1685, James II, 1685-1688, and William and Mary, 1689-1702	138
Background	138
Local Officials	139
Magistrates	139
Half-hundred officers	139
Secular parish officers	140
Churchwardens	140
Vicars	141
The return of Francis Wright, 1660-1668	141
John Harper, 1668-1670, Thomas Cox, 1670-1676, Thomas Brett, 1676-1680	142
Jonas Warley, 1680-1722	143
Other clergy and teachers	143
Dissent	144
Quakerism	144
Success and expansion, 1660-c.1680	144
Quakers’ role in the town	147
The Quakers and the poor	148
Quakers and tithes	149
Change in the Quaker meeting, c.1680 onwards	149
Nonconformists	152
Travelling preachers	152
George Lisle	154
Edmund Taylor	156
Lay nonconformists	157
Catholicism	159
Overview	159
Chapter 12 — Post Script	160
Acceptance	160
Wealth and Status	160
Continuity	161
Appendices	162
Notes	171
Sources	193
Index	200

Contents