CHAP. the Council. LIII. This officious man had been a month or two before upon the scaffold with the Duke of Suffolk, being Anno 1557. appointed, as he pretended, by the Queen, to be ghostly father to him, though the Duke thrust him down once or twice as he was going up the stairs of the scaffold along with him: and when the Duke had prayed all men to forgive him, as he said the Queen had, Weston cried with a loud voice to the people, that her Majesty had forgiven him; whereupon several of the standers by said, "Such forgiveness God send thee." 66 Earl of commis- The fears of the Spaniards. CHAP. LIV. Apprehensions of Spain. Stafford's rebellion. Matters in the north. THE Earl of Pembroke had like commission granted him now, as he had the last year; which was, to be lieutenant and captain general of the Queen's army beyond sea, for the defence of Calais. The government by this time became very uneasy, not only in respect of the bloodshed for religion, and the rigorous inquisitions made every where, but for the domineering of the Spaniards, which was intolerable. The English were very much disregarded, and the Spaniards ruled all; the Queen, half Spanish by birth, and still more so by marriage, shewing them all favour; hating the English, and enriching the Spaniard, and sending over her treasures to Spaniards. King Philip also had required twelve of the strongest castles here in England; which were to be put into the hands of twelve thousand of the Spanish soldiers, to be sent over against the time of his coronation, as was found by certain letters taken with Spaniards at Diep. This raised a great apprehension in the nation, that he intended to get this realm to himself by a conquest, and to reduce it under a tyranny. That nation also had carried themselves here very disobligingly to the English, and would say, that they would rather dwell among Moors and Turks than with Englishmen; who sometimes would not bear their insolencies CHAP. and oppressions without resistance. LIV. A rebellion This, together with a hope of restoring himself to the Anno 1557. dukedom of Buckingham, made Thomas Stafford, of that in the blood, in April arrive in England out of France with forces, north. and possess himself of Scarborough castle; giving out himself to be governor and protector of the realms; intending to depose Queen Mary, whom he called, the unrightful and 417 unworthy Queen of England, as forfeiting her crown by marriage with a stranger, and for favouring and maintaining Spaniards, and putting castles into their hands, to the destruction of the English nation. Stafford, with his party, (who were the remainders of those who made the insurrection the last year,) put forth his proclamation. But the King and Queen, being greatly surprised herewith, April 30, sent out a proclamation against him and the other traitors with him; and they were soon quelled by the Earl of Westmorland and others in those parts. Stafford and four were taken in Scarborough castle, April 28, and brought up to the Tower: and twenty-seven more, that assisted in that exploit, were prisoners in York. May 28, Stafford was beheaded on Tower-hill; and the next day three of the accomplices were executed at Tyburn, viz. Stretchley, alias Strelly, alias Stowel, Proctor, and Bradford; that Bradford, I suppose, who wrote a large and notable letter, mentioned before, against the Spaniards. The proclamation against Stafford, together with Stafford's declaration, and the names of the prisoners, may be found in the Catalogue. No. LXX. into the Those that were in Stafford's treason were, according to LXXII. letters from the King and Queen to the Council in the Orders sent north, indicted of their treasonable fact, and condemned north about there at York, at a session of oyer and terminer and gaol the traitors. delivery, that began May the 17th. And the Council appointed their execution in such convenient and requisite places, as well along the sea-coast as otherwise, as the Lord President was commanded by those letters: a schedule whereof he sent to the Lords of the Council, shewing the CHAP. places where they had appointed execution to be done, and LIV. the disposition of the twenty-seven persons to die the death Anno 1557. of traitors at those places, being all in Yorkshire; viz. Executions of twentyseven in Yorkshire. Stafford and some others sent up. At York, John Wilborne, Clement Tylled, John Cawsewel, alias Creswel, and Robert Hunter. At Scarborough, Tho. Spencer, John Adams, John Watson a Scot, John Lewis. At Hull, John Brown, Owen Jones. At Beverly, Hary Gardiner, John Thomas. At Whitby, Thomas Warren or Warden, and John Donning, Scot. At Maldon, William Palmer, John Montfurth, Scot. At Byrlyngton, John Wallys. At Audborow, Anthony Perrival. At Hornesey, William Williamson. At Paul in Holderness, Roger Thomas. At Hallyfax, Lawrence Alsop. At Doncaster, Thomas Jordan. At Howden, John Grey, Scot. At Wakefield, Robert Hawgate, Scot. All these executed for entering into Scarborow castle. The chief of these traitors, who were Stafford, John Proctor, alias Williamson, Stowel, Saunders, and Grissel, a Frenchman, were sent up by the Lord President, according to the King and Queen's commandment, together with their 418 several indictments, and the examinations also of such of the traitors as seemed material for any of them that were already sent up. They will any foreign aid. The Privy Council had sent the Council in the north not confess instructions, when they which they appointed to be arraigned there were tried, that they should diligently examine them, what foreign or English aids or succours were to have assisted or joined with them. But none such they would acknowledge or be known of, but said, "that if any "such were, Stafford, and the rest carried up to London, "each knew thereof." In fine, here was a round execu LIV. tion: for of thirty-five persons concerned in this plot, but CHAP. two obtained pardon, viz. Saunders and a Frenchman; all the rest died the death of traitors. Anno 1557. Things now looked very gloomy upon England, and Things look gloomy in especially in the north parts, where this plot was executed, the north. and where continual disturbances were, partly between Scots and English, and partly between English and English: so that in all haste musters were commanded there to be taken, and soldiers to be raised. north. For (to come to particulars) there were terrible feuds Feuds in the between family and family in the parts bordering upon Scotland: insomuch that people went abroad in danger of their lives, and were fain to go armed, and in considerable parties together. Such feuds were between the Carrs, of the Scotch race, and the Herons, and other English. And when these parties met, they fought sometimes most desperately together. So it happened in the beginning of April at Ford; where, upon an affray, Robert Barrow, mayor of Barwick, and Giles Heron, treasurer of Barwick, were cruelly slain. The mayor had such mortal wounds, that he never spake more. The treasurer had fifteen bloody wounds given him. Some of the offenders were in Scotland, at one Robert Carr's house, lord of Graydon; and had with them the treasurer's head and his dagger: which occasioned, that at the sessions in April at Morpeth, before the adjournment of the same, came in presence Sir John Forster, knt. George Heron of Chipches, and Nicolas Darmington of Wharnely, esquires, with a band of men to the number of two hundred and fifty, in forcible and warlike array of armour and weapon, contrary to the provision and order of sundry statutes and ancient laws of the realm against such behaviour expressly provided and established. In excuse whereof, the said gentlemen openly acknowledged their said apparel and armour was not to offend the laws, and that the same notwithstanding, they durst not otherwise come to the said sessions, for fear of bodily hurt and danger of such enemies, as they alleged it was not unknown they had. This the justices of the peace certified LIV. CHAP. to the Lord Warden, Sir Robert Ellerker, high sheriff, and some others: signifying withal, that they had suspended the Anno 1557. consideration of that matter till the time of the said sessions appointed at Newcastle; and had made proclamation, that all obedient subjects should forbear the like misbehaviour; and from thenceforth in that point observe the laws and statutes according to their duties. But the parties whom these gentlemen took to be their enemies, (as the Carrs,) or any for them, were not then seen nor heard of. Their ma lice. Another way these feud-men shewed their malice to one another, which, though not so mortal, yet vexatious enough; 419 when by interest with some of the Council in York, and by false surmises, they would procure them to be sent for up thither; a great journey from their dwellings, to put them to expense and trouble, and perhaps to do them or theirs mischief in their absence from home. This, the Lord Dacre, warden of the west marches, advised the Lord President of that Council of, in July the last year, and told him, how that there were divers in that county of Cumberland, that procured letters missive against their neighbours for displeasure and malice, rather than for any just cause; and prayed him, for the ease of poor men, that they might be discharged of the same. Wherein he also offered himself to see them ordered as to justice appertained. Matters in ill terms be land and Scotland. The Scots also and English stood but in doubtful state tween Eng- at this time to each other: and to make themselves look the more formidable to the English, they extolled much the French King's power and forces abroad in Picardy with himself, and with the Duke of Guise in Piemont; and his aiding the Pope in Naples. And that the Great Turk had mighty armies ready. All which the Scots spake for the French King's glory. But in truth, notwithstanding these boasts, the French King had received now a great discomfit in Italy, as it was written to the Lord Wharton out of Scotland; wherein the Duke of Nemours, a young man, but as towardly as was in all France, was slain, with four-andtwenty gentlemen and nobles of France, and 4000 horse and foot according to some, 5000 according to others, de |