A History of Horncastle, from the earliest period to the present timeWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
A History of Horncastle, from the earliest period to the present time
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Horncastle (England) -- History
About 100 persons marched to Scrivelsby, and threatened to drag out
Edward Dymoke, the sheriff, and other gentlemen. The sheriff, Thomas
Dymoke, Robert Dighton, and one Saundon, afterwards went into the field,
and conversed with Leche, who said the Rising was because the Visitors
would take the church goods. The mob took the old gentleman, Sir William
Saundon, and “harried him forth by the arms towards Horncastell, till
from hete and weryness he was almost overcum.” A horse was brought for
him by one Salman of Baumbrough, but one of the rebels strake the horse
on the head, so that both horse and rider fell to the ground, and they
then said he must “go afote as they did.” He was afterwards confined in
the “Moot Hall,” at Horncastle, and “they sware him, whether he woll, or
no.” Many witnesses testified to the activity of Leche, in going to
private houses and inducing the men to join, and that the gentlemen only
joined from fear of violence. Richard Mekylwhite of Horncastle was
accused by Thomas Lytellbury, that he was “a great procurer” (of men),
and was “one of the causers of George Wolsey’s death,” (a servant of the
late Cardinal Wolsey).
William Leche, with a great company, went to Bolingbroke, to take the
Bishop’s Chancellor, Dr. John Rayne, who was lying there, sick; he was
brought on horseback to Horncastle amid cries of “kill him! kill him!”
He begged Philip Trotter to save him, who said he would do what he could;
the Chancellor gave him xxs., but he in effect did the reverse of helping
him. On reaching the outskirts of the town, “many parsons and vicars
among” the rebels cried “kill him!” whereat William Hutchinson and
William Balderstone, of Horncastle, “pulled him viantly of his horse,
kneling upon him, and with their staves slew him.” The Vicar of Thornton
gave xvs. to the rebels. The Vicar of Horncastle, at that time John
Haveringham, seems to have avoided being mixed up with this movement, as
many of his brethren were. The whole affair barely lasted a week, and it
does not appear that the church plate suffered. The King issued a
proclamation from Richmond, 2 December following, that he pardoned all
except the wretches in ward at Lincoln, T. Kendal the Vicar of Louth, and
William Leche of Horncastle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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