Harris,' there, or in any other allowed place.' This was May 9, 1672; also a license for that house to be a Presbyterian meeting place.' On the same day he also took out a license for 'his own house,' at Little Waltham, to be a Presbyterian

meeting house.' †

He was
He was a native of

LITTLE BADDOW-Thomas Gilson. Sudbury, and was educated first, in the Free School at Dedham, and afterwards at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, whence he removed to Oxford. At Oxford he became fellow of Corpus Chrifti. He must have come to Baddow after 1650, as the return in that year is, 'No minifter there, but the parishioners can get some of the neighbouring ministers.' In the minutes of the Archidiaconal Visitation of 1662, there is this entry: 'Gilson, vicar; vacat. rat. stat.' In 1664 a measure was enacted, entituled 'An Act to prevent and suppress Seditious Conventicles,' which provided, that if any person, above the age of sixteen years, shall be present at any assembly . . . . under colour of any exercise of religion, in any other manner than is allowed by the liturgy and practice of the Church of England, there being five or more persons than the household; then it shall be lawful for any two Juftices of the Peace.

either by the confession of the party, or the oath of witness, or notorious evidence of the fact, to make record of such offence, . . . . which record shall . . . . be taken in law to be a full and perfect conviction. Thereupon, the Justices shall commit any such offender. . . . to jail, there to remain for a space of time not exceeding three months, or pay a sum of money not exceeding five pounds; for the second offence, he shall be imprisoned six months, or pay ten pounds; and for the third offence, every such offender shall be transported to any of His Majesty's plantations for seven years.' And in 1670 this was followed by a still severer measure, bearing the same title. Preparatory to the enforcement of this last measure, in the course of the year 1669, returns of preachers and con

Cal. Acc.; Entry Book, S. P. O.; Baker, MSS. Add. to Cal.; Declaration of Indulgence, p. 340.

venticles' were obtained by Archbishop Sheldon from all the bishops of his province. It appears from the correspondence on the subject, a part of which is preserved among the Sheldon letters in the British Museum, that the bishops were at first somewhat reluctant. Sheldon had to write to them, saying: 'I thought your lordshipp would, at first sight, have conceived it a business of that importance, that without the least delay you would have gone through with it. . . . but having received (no reply) or not a full and satisfactory one, I send this to quicken you, desiring and expecting from your lordship, as soon as is possible after the receipt of this, as full and exact an account. . . . as by the best of your diligence. . . . you can make.' The returns which were thus secured, are evidently anything but complete; but such as they were are now preserved among the Lambeth MSS. 639.* In these returns, Gilson is reported as having a conventicle at Brentwood, in connection with Willis.' +

There are three entries relating to Gilson in the License Book of 1672: two under date of May 2, the one of which records a license granted to his house in Brentwood to be a 'Presbyterian meeting house,' and the other to himself to be a

....

Harleian MSS. 1377. Plut. H. lxiv. Four years before this, Sheldon had issued ' orders and instructions' to 'all ye bishops of his province,' that every of them particularly certifie the names, surnames, and degrees of all Nonconformist ministers .... that have been ejected. . . . and when, and how, and in what profession of life they do now live, and how they behave themselves. July 7, 1665.' Lands. MSS. 846, No. 4. The returns thus obtained were also among the MSS. in Lambeth Library. Calamy, Baxter's Life and Times, 313. I have not, however, been able to find them there. There is another characteristic letter of Sheldon's among the Harl. MSS. 1377, written by him Aug. 16, 1669: For my worthy friend, James Gresham, Esq., at his house

at Haslemere, in Surrey,' in which he says, . . . . . little good there is to be done by juryes and ye troublesome way of inditement. . . . . So that unlesse the Parliament when they meet will give us better remedyes, we muste, I think, give up the cudgell, for who, upon such uncertaintyes as we are put, will goe about to trouble themselves in the matter. In the mean time, we must doe what we can to redress ourselves sagely, and what we cannot help we must bear with patience and hope better.'

See John Willis, Ingatestone, and John Oakes, Boreham. Infra, Cal Acc. 305; Cant. 471; 16 Car. ii. c. 14; 22 Car. ii. c. I. Daniel Gilson, of Colchefter, was the son of Thomas. License Book, 1672, p. 340.

'Presbyterian teacher in his own house;' and a third, under date of 16th July, of a license granted him to be a 'general Presbyterian teacher in any allowed place.' He left Brentwood to become paftor of a congregation assembling in Radcliff, London. Gilson died in 1680, at the age of 50. His funeral sermon was preached by Samuel Slater, of Crosby Square, Bishopsgate Street, on the 6th May in that year. The sermon was afterwards published. Slater says of Gilson: 'Your deceased paftor said, on his death bed, when others live to sixty or seventy years before they have done what they are called to do, if I can despatch mine in fifty, I have no cause to complain. After five and thirty years knowledge of him, I dare say, he was an Israelite indeed. He was excellently furnished for the miniftry, having choice natural parts, and great acquired abilities. God had given him the head and tongue of the learned. Wheresoever he came and laboured, solid and judicious Christians rejoiced in his light.'

BARNSTON-John Beadle. He was of the University of Cambridge, where he matriculated July 8, 1613. He was first rector of Little Leighs, in which 'capacity he signed a petition to Laud in favour of Thomas Hooker. He succeeded to the rectory of Barnston in May, 1632, on the resignation of William Wright. The following letter, relating to his appointment, is not without intereft. It is addressed to Laud, then Bishop of London: My good lord, I am come with a kinsman of mine to your lordship, whom I humbly desire may be admitted into the rectory of Barndfton, which my lord (Robert, Earl of Warwick) offered me. But I defire your honour, when we come before you, to let him know that you expect from me some account upon what terms I am settled at Brayntree. I also humbly pray your lordship to give me charge, in his presence, to prevent and suppress to the utmost of my power all conventicles of both sexes in my parish, and to be careful to keep all my people, of what quality soever, to conformity in receiving the sacrament. And withall, to intimate that your lordship hath so watchful an eye over us in Brayntree, as that few things can be spoken of or done but they come to your

lordship's eare. These things spoken at this present, will both settle this young man in the conformable way wherein he now is, and may procure me much peace. -SAMUEL COLLINS.' Collins' expectations of the effect of the Episcopal admonition were doomed to disappointment, however, as in Laud's account for his province for 1633, there is the following entry: 'I did likewise convent Mr. John Beedle, rector of Barnstone, in Effex, for omitting some part of the divine service and refusing conformity. But upon his submiffion and promise of reformation, I dismissed him with a canonical admonition.' It is poffible also, that the following entry in Laud's account of his province for 1638, refers to Beadle: There was one B., a minister of Essex, came into this diocese (Canterbury), and at Harbledown, near Canterbury, the curate then being dead, preached very disorderly three hours together at a time, and got himself many ignorant followers. But so soon as he was enquired of by my officers, he fled the country, and I purpose, God willing, to speak with the Chancellor of London concerning him.' There is also another contemporaneous reference to Beadle. In Arthur Wilson's Autobiography, which is published in Peck's Defiderata Curiosa,' there is this entry, under date July 21, 1644: Mr. Beedle, of Barnstone, preached at Leez. His text was Numb. xxiii. 1-insifting upon this, that every Christian ought to keep a record of his own actions and ways. This made me run back to the beginning of my life, affifted by my memories and some small notes, wherein I have given a true, though a meare delineation of eight and forty years progress in the world.' Beadle was one of the Classis for the county. He also signed the 'Effex Testimony.' In 1650, he is returned as an able preacher.' He published The Journal or Diary of a Thankful Chriftian.' Lond. 1656. It was dedicated to Robert, Earl of Warwick, and Eleanor, his moft pious and virtuous consort.' He speaks of the earl as his most noble patron, qui curat oves oviumque magiftros, a true friend to the church of God and the ministers of it,' and of the countess as his 'most bountifull benefactor.' John Fuller, afterwards ejected from Ironmonger Lane, wrote

a commendatory preface to this little book, in which he says, concerning the author, my knowledge hath been above twenty years' standing. We were of an intimate society and vicinity for many years, we took sweet counsel together, and walked into the house of God in company. He was my guide and my acquaintance .. We oft breathed and poured out our

souls together in prayer, fasting, and conferences. ... at which time he had the happinesse

droppings of that great Elijah..

to be watered by the Reverend Mr. Thomas

Hooker, and hath ever since the blessing and favour of much of his spirit refting on him.

As for this author's painfulnesse and faithfulnesse, it's well known to all that knew him how greatly they showed forth in him whilst in a very small place (Leighs ?), and how, since advanced by the bounty of his truly noble and honorable patron to a higher, and but necessary subsistence, they had continued and increased. In catechizing, preaching on the Lord's dayes and working dayes, holding up the use of those soul feasting sacraments even unto these our dayes, wherein these wels have been either stopt up, or lesse drawn at; these choice dishes, either set off the table quite, or seldom fed on, to the leannesse of many souls.'*

BELCHAMP OTEN.-Edward Thomas. The rectory had been sequestered from Joseph Bird, who was admitted May 21, 1633. Articles were exhibited against him May 10, 1644, when one witness deposed on oath, that having been Mr. Bird's servant at two several times, a year, and three

P. 154.

Collins, p. 150. Baker's MSS. Notes on Calamy, Cal. Acc. 301; N. ii. 388, 38; MSS. S.P.O., Lands. Tryals and Troubles; Peck ii. 465, 483; Lands. MSS 459. Wilson was a native of Norfolk, and born 1599. He was a Gent. Com. of Trinity Hall, Oxford, in 1631. He entered the service of Robert, Earl of Essex, with whom he travelled in Germany, France, and Spain. He subsequently became steward to Robert,

Earl of Warwick. He died at Felsted in Oct., 1652, and was buried in the chancel of the church there. Peck says that he left £5 with which to distribute bread to the poor of Felsted for ever. He was the author of, (1) Some Comedies; (2) The History of Great Britain, being the Life and Reign of James I. Lond., 1653, fol. Wood, Ath. ii. 155. This is reprinted in Bishop Kennet's complete History of England.