The Corporation then feasted the King at the Guildhall, probably
at mid-day, as immediately afterwards the royal party repaired to
Myerscough, where another stag was killed. The next day James I. stayed
at Hoghton, where Sir Richard had invited a great company to meet
him. Before dinner, notwithstanding the great heat of the day, they
went out hunting, and after dinner (about four p.m.) the King went to
look at the alum-mines which his host had recently opened. After an
hour thus spent, they returned to the forest, and had varied fortune
until evening, when they returned to a late supper. The following
day was spent at Hoghton; there was no hunting. The Bishop of Chester
preached before the King, and after dinner there was a rushbearing
and piping in the middle court. This form of Lancashire wakes has
often been described. This was probably a simple rush-cart, with its
accompanying morris-dancers, etc., got up to entertain the King.
In the evening there was a mask, in which many "noblemen, knights,
gentlemen, and courtiers" took part; there were also some speeches
and dancing, including "The Huckler," "Tom Bedlo and the Cowp Justice
of Peace."[131] On this day a petition of the Lancashire people was
presented to the King. In this it was represented that "they were
debarred from lawful recreations upon Sunday after evening prayers, and
upon holy days, and praying that the restriction imposed in the late
reign might be withdrawn."
In May, 1618, King James issued a proclamation, in which he refers to
his progress through Lancashire, where he had "found it necessary to
rebuke some Puritans and precise people." These people, he thought,
were Jewishly inclined, because they affected to call Sunday the
Sabbath day. And the proclamation ends by declaring that his pleasure
was that in Lancashire, after the end of Divine service, the people
were not to be let or hindered or discouraged from any lawful
recreation, such as dancing, either men or women, archery, leaping,
vaulting, May games, Whitsun ales, morris-dancers, maypoles, or other
sports. Those recusants and others who did not attend Divine service
were, however, to be debarred from the sports. The latter clause was,
no doubt, introduced to please the Bishops and the clergy, who were
highly indignant at the proclamation itself. This order led to the
issue in 1618 of "The Book of Sports." Charles I. made a somewhat
similar order as to the due observance of wakes and fêtes on the
anniversary days of the dedication of churches. From Hoghton the
King went to stay with the Earl of Derby at Lathom House, from thence
proceeding to Bewsey Hall, the seat of Thomas Ireland, Esq.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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