L s. d. 1679.--To Jos. Green for black bess penanc sheet 00 05 06 1709.--Allowed the Parish Churchwardens for goeing to Leeds with ye man and woman to doe penance 0 5 0 1725.--June 13. Paid Jno. Briggs for the Lent of 3 sheets for 3 persons to do pennance 00 01 6 1731.--Nov. 6. Paid for the loan of two white Sheets 6 1732.--Oct. 8. Pd. for the loan of 7 sheets for penances 1 9 1735.--Nov. 1. Pd. for a sheet that ---- had to do penance in 1 0 1736.--Sep. 27. Pd. for two sheets ye women did penans in 8 1736.--Oct. 10. Pd. for a sheet for Stringer to do penance in 4 1737.--June 23. Pd. for a sheet for Eliza Redhead penance 4 1750.--Dec. 26. To Priestly for a sheet & attending a woman's penance 5 0 "On February 27th, 1815," says Mr. John W. Walker, "William Hepworth, a shoemaker, did penance in the Parish Church for defaming the character of an old woman named Elizabeth Blacketer. They both lived in Cock and Swan Yard, Westgate, and the suit was carried on by one George Robinson, an attorney, out of spite to the cobbler." "On Sunday, August 25th, 1850, a penance was performed in the Parish Church, by sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court, on a person who had defamed the character of a lady in Wakefield. A recantation was repeated by the penitent after the Vicar, and then signed by the interested parties."[40]