to hold their first exercise at Preston on the 4th Thursday in the month of February.[1]
In January, 1586, Fleetwood was one of those ordered to provide one horse with furniture, or else £25 to enable such horse and furniture to be purchased on the Continent, for the expedition to assist the Hollanders in the Low Countries against the King of Spain.[2] In the same year he was one of the Lancashire Magistrates who signed the injunctions sent to churchwardens and constables to suppress the violation of the Lord's Day occasioned by wakes, fairs, bull-baitings, pipings and huntings in time of Divine Service, and ordered that not more than a penny should be charged for a quart of ale.[3]
At this time men's minds were much exercised by the thought of a threatened Spanish invasion, and the seminary priests were very active in stirring up popular feeling in favour of the Spanish King. The popish recusants, therefore, and all who were believed to harbour the seminary priests, were closely watched, and Fleetwood made himself particularly busy in this matter.
It was deemed essential by those in authority, at this critical period, that the county magistracy should be sound and well affected towards the government; and although the Earl of Derby did not conceive any material change to be necessary, the lord treasurer, on the suggestion of Edward Fleetwood, rector of Wigan, and others, caused a new commission to be issued, in which the names of several fresh magistrates were introduced,
- ↑ Strype's Annals vol iv. pp. 547, 548. The clergy who failed to attend these exercises, which were intended for "the furtherance of the good proceeding and course of religion," were to be fined heavily, according to their degree. They were all to meet at 8 o'clock in the morning, and so continue till 10. From 10 to 11 a sermon was to be made by one of the moderators, on the same text of Scripture which had been handled and treated of before by the speakers and writers. From 11 to 12 they were to take their repasts and refreshing. They were to meet again before 1 and so continue till 3, in March, April, May, June, July and August; and till 2 in the months of September, October and February. All the people and the whole congregation were to resort to the sermon, but none to the other exercise but the clergy.
- ↑ Baines' Lanc. vol. i. p. 541.
- ↑ Ibid. vol. i. p. 550; vol iii. p. 543.
