and Robert Mawdesley, clerk of the court of pleas, came to him to ask his permission for one of his (the bishop's) own servants, Edward Russell, to sue another of them, namely, William Brown, at the (town's) court of pleas in the Moot hall. The cause of the dispute was a wager made between them, in which Brown had taken 5s. from Russell upon promise to pay him £10 if ever he (Russell) married the widow of Hugh Ford, late alderman of Wigan; which marriage had since taken place. The bishop records that he refused to allow the suit to be prosecuted there until he had first consulted his counsel, because he doubted whether it might not prejudice the privilege of his church, which, by the constant confession of the town burgesses, hath hitherto been that none of the parson's family may be arrested by the town officers, nor any other person within the parson's house or demaynes.[1]
In the following year, 1st September, 1628, one James Ascroft, of Skelmersdale, having sold up all his goods and estate, and being ready to fly the country, came into Wigan, knowing that on Monday's market there is no arrest for debt; but at the instance of Mr. Wm. Lewis, minister of Holland, to whom the said Ascroft owed £11, the bishop gave his consent that he should be arrested.[2]
On 26th November, 1627, the bishop acknowledges the receipt from Roger Holland of Holland, bailiff to John Sherington of London, merchant, of £2 18s. 8d. (being two years' rent) for the relief due upon the death of his father, John Sherington of London, merchant, for lands which he holds in Wigan of the parson there, besides the year's rent[3] (which was afterwards paid), this being the general custom of the manor of Wigan.
The following is a full account of the yearly profits of the parsonage of Wigan, at this period:[4]
