disturbance of the congregation?' and soon after went [he] out of the church." Smallshaw appeared to answer the charge, and "for that he confesseth hee gave the lyke words the Judge hath injoined hym to confes his falte in Holland Churche and to ask forgiveness of Robert . . . . . curate who hee called Red-headed fellowe at service time,—sub pœna excom. Ludovic Asmall is likewise charged with "being out of the church at service tyme, and being required to come in [he] answered he had been at service and would come no more except he [the curate] wore the surples." He too appeared before the chancellor, who enjoined him "that he give the curate no such words hereafter, sub pœna excom."
The curate of the parish church at Wigan, [Robert] Thompson was at the same time charged that he "did reade service divers times, and doth usuallie, contrarie to the Book of Comon prayer, [and] doth not saie service neither Wednesdaie nor Frydaie."[1]
As to parson Fleetwood, however we may deprecate his intolerance of the conscientious opinions of others and his officious pertinacity in hunting out and denouncing those who would not conform to the reformed religion, we must acknowledge that he had the courage of his opinions, whether in matters of religion or civil policy, and he certainly stood up manfully for the temporal rights of his church against powerful opponents. He was a very active magistrate, and one of the most influential of the political clergy of his day. Moreover he was an able preacher, and appears to have been respected as a divine by his bishop and by the laity of the reformed church. We find him to have been a frequent visitor at the house of the Earl of Derby, who always speaks of him with respect, and he seems to have occupied a good position in the county.
He was a married man; and probably the first married rector of Wigan, unless we except the volatile Standish, who may perhaps have been a married man during the few months he was rector of that parish. Mr. Earwaker, who has made large
- ↑ Canon Raines' MSS., vol. xxii. p. 184; from the records of proceedings in the Ecclesiastical Court Chester.
