PETITION TO ABOLISH EPISCOPACY - A PURITAN MANIFESTO [CHESHIRE]

Contemporary Unsigned Copy of the Petition of divers the Inhabitants of the County Palatine of Chester to "the honourable the Knights Citizens & Burgesses now assembled in Parliament", the Long Parliament of 3rd November 1640, with transcription, shewing "That your petitioners having a long time groaned under the perpetual Yoke and vassalage of the Prelates, their Officers, Courts, visitations, ceremonies, impositions, and innovations, to the wounding of their consciences, the great grief and peril of their Souls, and the utter loss both of their Christian, and Civil Liberties; their persons and estates, as well as their Consciences being exposed to the Prelates' encroaching power and usurpation",.and asking "this honourable Assembly, to take some speedy Course for their Release", under seven heads, "First, to remove Lordly Prelates with all their ... Ecclesiastical Courts, especially the High Commission, serving for the most part to oppress his Majesty's Loyal Subjects & to trample their Liberty under Foot.
Secondly to abolish all Ecclesiastical Canon, visitation, oaths, Articles, Injunctions, and Ceremonies of human Institution", which have bereaved "us of the most of our best qualified men for the work of the Ministry, and ... brought a spiritual famine of the word amongst us", leaving them and "our posterities ... in danger to live in darkness error and Superstition.
Thirdly to take away all Images and Pictures of God, Christ, the Virgin Mary, and of Saints ... the occasion of Idolatry to some, & offence to others.
Fourthly To reform the manifold abuses of excommunications, and to erect an ecclesiastical discipline to the rule of God's word for the due punishing of Crimes ...
Fifthly to remove all Scandalous and non-preaching Ministers, and to set up a powerful preaching Ministry in every parish, and ... provide that those which have no such preaching in their own parishes may securely resort to others ...
Sixthly to provide that the Lord's day may be strictly ... Sanctified & not profaned with drunkenness, May-games, Wakes, Plays, Dancing, Carding, Dicing or any other such like Pastimes, with unnecessary Labouring or travelling therein.
Seventhly, seeing Saints' holidays, are as strictly (if not more) pressed to be observed, than the Lord's day, and those that work therein are more soundly punished than those that Profane the Sabbath", and that such days are "the occasion of Superstition, and many other great Disasters;
Therefore we desire that they may be taken away", while they, as petitioners for the "directions" of "this honourable Assembly", continue "to be daily Orators to the Throne of Grace". 2 sides folio, short title on side 2 dated January 1640, modern reckoning (Transcription of 55797)
To the honourable the Knights Citizens & Burgesses now assembled in Parliament
The humble Petition of divers the Inhabitants of the County Palatine of Chester, who have subscribed their Names to a Schedule herewith sent in the behalf of themselves and many more.
Shewing
That your petitioners having a long time groaned under the perpetual Yoke and vassalage of the Prelates, their Officers, Courts, visitations, ceremonies, impositions, and innovations, to the wounding of their consciences, the great grief and peril of their Souls, and the utter loss both of their Christian, and Civil Liberties; their persons and estates, as well as their Consciences being exposed to the Prelates' encroaching power and usurpation. For redress whereof, they with one unanimous consent in the behalf of themselves, and many thousands more, become petitioners to this honourable Assembly, to take some speedy Course for their Release, from their intolerable Bondage, under which they have long Languished, and can now no longer undergo it, To which end they are all earnest Supplicants to this honourable house.
First to remove Lordly Prelates with all their subordinate Officers & Ecclesiastical Courts, especially the High Commission, serving for the most part to oppress his Majesty's Loyal Subjects & to trample their Liberty under Foot.
Secondly to abolish all Ecclesiastical Canon, visitation, oaths, Articles, Injunctions, and Ceremonies of human Institution, which have not only been a means to bereave us of the most of our best qualified men for the work of the Ministry, and by that means brought a spiritual famine of the word amongst us, but also do still prevent any Supply, to such men whom God hath excellently qualified with holiness, gifts, and learning for that purpose, unless they subscribe to what form is imposed upon them by the Prelates or their Substitutes, so that not only we, but our posterities are in danger to live in darkness error and Superstition.
Thirdly to take away all Images and Pictures of God, Christ, the Virgin Mary, and of Saints, which are, or have been, the occasion of Idolatry to some, & offence to others.
Fourthly To reform the manifold abuses of excommunications, and to erect an ecclesiastical discipline to the rule of God's word for the due punishing of Crimes, and the Advancement of true religion.
Fifthly to remove all Scandalous and non-preaching Ministers, and to set up a powerful preaching Ministry in every parish, and in the mean time to provide that those which have no such preaching in their own parishes may securely resort to others, where sound and profitable preaching is, and not be molested.
Sixthly to provide that the Lord's day may be strictly & entirely Sanctified & not profaned with drunkenness, May-games, Wakes, Plays, Dancing, Carding, Dicing or any other such like Pastimes, with unnecessary Labouring or travelling therein.
[Side 2]
Seventhly, seeing Saints' holidays, are as strictly (if not more) pressed to be observed, than the Lord's day, and those that work therein are more soundly punished than those that Profane the Sabbath. And seeing that they are the occasion of Superstition, and many other great Disasters; Therefore we desire that they may be taken away. All which particulars, they in all humility Submit to the pious Consideration of this honourable Assembly, for whose directions herein, they continue to be daily Orators to the Throne of Grace.

The High Commission was set up Henry VIII as the highest Ecclesiatical Court in England. It was a Prerogative Court (not just a Court of Appeal) and had become notorious for imprisoning Puritan ministers in the 1630s, often without charge or defence, and leaving them to languish. It insisted on the Prayer Book, whereas alternative forms of worship had been spreading and the public, especially in London, could hear refugees from foreign Reformed Churches. Ironically, within a short while, the Parliament's Commission for supplying ministers was turning out established clergy, about 1500 hundred in all.
Many Puritans, looking to Scotland, relished the thought of an establishment, no less authoritarian in some ways, on the Presbyterian model, which allowed more local representation and freedom of forms, perhaps under general guidelines, such as the later Directory for Public Worship.
But their opponents saw value in the institution of Bishops, as of divine or at least of apostolic origin, or as having a pastoral role towards the clergy of their diocese. Others preferred to leave the office alone but to correct the errors of its holders. Others again wished to confine their courts to spiritual matters.
With such a range of opinion, the Commons were slow to act other than against a few individuals - Archbishop Laud was charged with High Treason on 18th December 1640. In February 1641 the Commons referred the issue to a Committee. A 'Root and Branch' bill, drawn up by Oliver St John and introduced in May by Henry Vane the younger and Oliver Cromwell, was rejected in August 1641. The final Ordinance for abolishing bishops in England and Wales was only made in 1646.
Provenance: From a small group of papers, 1640-1641, this one marked "brought these papers from Woodhey 1741". Woodhey Hall, near Nantwich, was in 1741 among the Cheshire properties of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart. His grandmother Grace was the daughter of Sir Thomas Wilbraham, (1630-1692, 3rd and last Baronet of Woodhey). Sir Thomas, a Royalist, in 1651 married heiress Elizabeth Mytton (1632-1705, the architect). Elizabeth was also stepdaughter to Sir William Brereton (1604-1661, 1st Baronet of Handforth, near Stockport) who had led the campaign in Cheshire to abolish bishops.

Item Date:  1641

Stock No:  55797      £1275

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