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A59061 The sad and lamentable cry of oppression and cruelty in the city of Bristol Relating to the prosecution of certain dissenting-Protestants in some passages most notorious to the grieved inhabitants of the said city. 1682 (1682) Wing S241; ESTC R219827 2,534 11

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THE Sad and Lamentable CRY OF OPPRESSION AND CRUELTY In the CITY of BRISTOL RELATING To the Prosecution of certain Dissenting-Protestants in some Passages most Notorious to the Grieved Inhabitants of the said CITY LONDON Printed for John Alexander MDCLXXXII THE Sad and Lamentable CRY OF OPPRESSION AND CRUELTY In the CITY of BRISTOL IT is remarkable that two Gentlemen for so they would be accounted viz. Sheriff Knight and John Helliar an Attorney assisted with some Inferior Officers and a rude multitude of Youth c. have been for some Months last past most vigorous in the severe prosecution of Dissenting Protestants in the said City whose Fury hath transported them beyond all bounds of Humanity Law and Justice They are not content with their own respective Offices of Sheriff and Constable for the Conservation of his Majesties Peace in Subordination to his Justices and addition of the Place of Informers but they Peremptorily assume to themselves the Authority of Justices and Rulers over the Heads of the Lawful and Chief Magistrates of that City to the great disparagment and Infamy of the Polity thereof as by the following particulars is evinced 1. John Helliar attended with other Officers and a rude multitude did in a most riotous manner deface and spoile several Houses which are Free-holds because in part thereof the Dissenters usually have met to the value of some hundreds of pounds much of which have been acted upon the Lord's Day with Iron Sledges and other Tools making a terrible noise to the great wonder and amazement of the Inhabitants of the said City and of Strangers and Tradesmen that came to the Fair At which time much of this was Transacted by occasion whereof as also by the Excessive Spoil upon some Tradesmens Goods in the Fair the Trade and Commerce was much distracted and spoiled and many with great disappointments forced to return home under sore discouragments and discontents Secondly The said persons after the aforesaid defacing and spoil made upon the Houses have taken and kept possession not suffering the Inhabitants Tenants or others to Re-enter Thirdly Many of the said Dissenters are violently pulled and forced out of their Meetings and the Doors barred against them These officious Gentlemen viz. Sheriff Knight and John Helliar with the rude Multitude attending them have constantly visited the Quakers Meetings without doors near their usual place of Meeting where in their presence the Rude Persons have offered very gross abuses by haleing Persons beating some and tearing of Womens Scarfs and other shameful Incivilities And it hath been observed that these things have been done at the abusive Example of John Helliar and notice given by him in these or such like words to wit Boyes have a care of the Womens Hoods and Scarfes c upon which they have fallen to such their abusive Work Fourthly Besides these sordid Abuses the Persons aforesaid viz. Sheriff Knight and John Helliar with their Retinue have frequently come to dissipate the said Meeting so early before any pretext of Religious Exercise performed by the Meeters and have several times sent a considerable number to Prison at their own voluntary pleasures viz. Bridewell and Newgate without convening them before any of his Majesties Justices of Peace or Judicial Examination or Warrant of Commitment and there detain'd them for some time till brought before the Mayor or other Justices Fifthly But that which m●st aggravates their merciless Cruelty is their thron●ing and crouding such numbers in the Goal which is known to be a Strait Nasty and offensive Goal wh●●● after they had Imprisoned near Fifty there was such straitness of lodging that all could not ledge at once without crouding three or four in a v●ry narrow Bed Several accounts of credible person are given that the last Lords Day being the 26 of February they sent forty more of the Quakers first to Bridewell and then about ten of the Clock of the same Night removed them to Newgate And that Night Thirty five were forced to sit up for whom there was no Beds some lay upon the Table-board and some under the Board where the Mastiff Dog used to lie having the Foot-frame of the Board for their Pillow so making what shift they could to get a little rest The next Night they got in some Matts where they lay as thick as they could thereon in a cold Room and some in Hamocks over their Heads and in the morning they took up their lodging and heaped it up to make Room for to pass by it being the publick Thorough-fare of the Gaol Sixthly Before this last crouding of these Persons in Goal the Prisoners had not been wanting to address the Magistrates for Enlargement of the Prison laying the danger not only of their Healths but Lives before them as also of Infection to the City whereupon one Chief Magistrate did openly confess That if he had a Dog he loved be would not put him there And the Mayor and other Justices in pursuance of a sonmer Order of Sessions have urged for the Enlargement of the Goal and Richard Lane Esquire the Elder Sheriff gave consent and desired it But the said Sheriff Knight like a person void of all good Nature and Humanity hath been the chief obstructer therein as divers Indifferent and Credible Persons of the Neighbour-hood have certified under their Hands Seventhly But this is not all the misery that these People are exposed to with respect to the endangering of their Lives for while they are under these hard usages in Prison divers of them have been greatly spoiled by exorbitant Distresses made upon their Houshold Goods Shop-ware and Merchandize in which John Helliar is principally officious sparing not to break open Doors of Houses Shops and Cellars c. carrying away Linnen Beds and Bedding Plate Brass and Pewter c. taking from one Merchant for a Fine of Ten pounds five shillings a Tun of Wine and Six pounds in Money besides out of his Counter pulling off one man's Coat from his Back in his own House and taking Ten pounds odd Money out of his Pocket Besides 't is notoriously known how most shamefully they under-sell the Goods Distrained All which Precedent Barbarities seem to bespeak a design of Destruction to the said People both in their Persons and Estates with absolute Ruin to their Wives Children and Posterity Besides the great Distress that is hereby brought upon many poor Families that have dependance upon divers Sufferers in their Trades and Manufacturies divers of the said Prisoners and Sufferers are known to be considerable in Trade and Traffick by means whereof some Thousands per Annum have accrewed to his Majesties Customes The Consideration of the said sad Premisses hath brought great amazement and consternation upon many of his Majesties Subjects being Spectators being very Anxious about the Design Tendance and Consequence of these proceedings The verity of matter of Fact hereby exposed is not aggravated with all the grievous Circumstances attending the said prosecution notoriously known in the said City and many other places Many indifferent and Credible persons being able and ready to attest the same The precedent Account being an Abreviation out of some Letters from Credible Persons in Bristol the further Relation of the Cruelty and Arbitrary Proceedings of the before-mentioned and others their Abbettors and Assistants is left to the immediate Sufferers themselves to inlarge on in due time and as they shall see Cause FINIS