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A35330 The Cry of oppression and cruelty inflicted upon divers innocent people called Quakers, in the county of Glocester, for peaceable meeting together to worship God being a copy of a paper directed to the judges of the late assizes at Glocester presented to the tender consideration of such who are in power to relieve the oppressed. 1677 (1677) Wing C7449A; ESTC R30286 6,244 9

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THE CRY OF OPPRESSION and CRUELTY Inflicted upon divers Innocent People called Quakers in the County of Glocester for peaceable meeting together to worship God being a Copy of a Paper directed to the Judges of the late Assizes at Glocester presented to the tender Consideration of such who are in Power to relieve the oppressed BEfore you we lay our Grievances in as brief a manner as may be desiring you may weigh and consider thereof and relieve the oppressed who are a People searing God and do shew forth the Fruits of his Heavenly Gift in walking honestly and justly in the sight of all our Neighbours and Country-men This is an Account of the sad and deep Sufferings of the People called QUAKERS in and about Winterburn and Olverstone and about Kings-Westone and about Westerly and Little Badmanton in the County of Glocester in the years 1676 and 1677. by Francis Fane and Gabriel Low and John Meridith called Justices of the Peace In and about those Places aforesaid from about Fifty Eight Persons Inhabitants thereabout there hath been taken away and lost of their Goods on Account of the late Act against Conventicles by Warrants from the Justices aforesaid the Goods and Losses already suffered amounting to about 717 l. 11 s. the Particulars being ready to be shewed to them that desire it And besides the Account above there are more Fines imposed and Warrants granted thereupon to the value of One Thousand Pounds and upwards Also a further account of the most cruel and barbarous Actions and Proceedings of J. Meridith called Justice against an Innocent Harmless People for no other cause but for their meeting and worshipping the Lord God of Heaven and Earth and in the pure Worship in the Spirit of Truth endeavouring to keep their Consciences void of Offence both to God and man He caused 27 Persons to be indicted at the Sessions at Glocester in the year 1677. for not coming to their Church so called though many of them had been Sufferers by the Act against Conventicles and they were threatned with Imprisonment The said Justice Meridith at a Meeting sent Henry Poyntin and Nathaniel Heskins to prison for not finding Sureties for their good Behaviour though no misbehaviour was proved against them and they were kept above a quarter of a year prisoners on no other Account without any Trial and then he caused an Indictment to be read against them above a quarter of a year after they had been imprisoned as aforesaid and that Indictment being read at the Sessions against them for not coming to their Church so called for eight weeks they were fined Forty Pounds a piece and kept Prisoners as they had been above three Moneths and had no Trial and are Prisoners to this day The said Justice Meridith at a Meeting at Frenchbaw in the County of Glocester upon the 13th day of the 4th moneth commonly called June fell upon William Bennet and beat him very sorely and he did beat William Wade also The twentieth of the same Moneth at the same place in the High-way near the Meeting-house be found John Silcock and he took him by the hair of the Head and pluckt him into the Meeting-house Yard and then drew his naked Knife and said He would mark him but his own Clerk and others stepped in and prevented him otherwise it was verily thought he would have done the said Silcock some great mischief The twenty third of the same moneth coming to the same place he demanded of George Peace what his Name was and he not giving his Name suddenly John Meridith drew his naked Knife upon him but one of his own Servants restrained him from his wicked purpose The twenty seventh of the same moneth at the same place the said John Meridith took John Bawn and pulled him by the hair of the head and after that finding him in the High-way the same day he fell upon him and beat him after a very cruel and barbarous manner And the said Meridith did beat John Fryer and Joseph Glover two Officers because they refused to pull and hale people as he would have them Samuel Symons making his Appeal to John Meridith for a Fine taken from him the said Meridith fell upon him and beat him exceedingly in his own house Several others were beaten and abused by the said Meridith which would be tedious to mention particuly Many Friends were Eye-witnesses to these Passages And the said Justice Meridith broke five Glass Windows to pieces with his Staff not leaving so much as one whole Quarrel and also caused the Benches and Formes to be cut to pieces Since the Account aforesaid there hath been taken from John Boy of Luckinton for three several Fines amounting to 11 l. goods worth about the same value by Warrant from Justice Gabriel Low And the Officers when they seized upon our poor Friends Goods belonging to Badmanton Meeting did say they were charged by Gabriel Low Justice to take all they could find and that which was not worth carrying away they should burn it or break it to pieces insomuch that Thomas Holbrow an old blind man and his wise and several other poor Friends had not a Bed left them but their Lodging hath been on Straw for several weeks and it s above eleven Moneths since the blind man's Bed was taken and his Lodging is on Straw to this day And some Friends lent some of the Sufferers a Bed and Coverlets and some other things to keep them warm in the winter and the said Officers took away part thereof and broke the Bedstead and cut the Cord. Also the aforesaid blind man and Henry Ash by of Hawksbury-Vpton were taken up by Sessions Process and carried to Goal being indicted by that Act for not going to their Worship Some of the Marquess of Worcester his Servants Thomas Cook his Butcher Robert Long his Brewer John Newman his Keeper These became Informers and went to Little Badmanton often to the Quake's Peaceable Meetings being at the Blind man's house there in a most cruel barbarous manner abused the Innocent People of that Meeting of which Abuses he eare some few Instances for the sake of them that have some Tenderness in them and are against these wicked Practices Thomas Cook the Butcher one of the Informers aforesaid at the said Meeting said It was no more sin to kill one of them then to kill a Dog He did much abuse Sarah Ashby by punching beating and using her in a shameful manner And so did John Newman another of the aforesaid Informers throw the said Sarah to the Ground in a shameful wicked manner and by the wrong she received she suffered damage to her Body and some time after fell ill The said Informers came to the Meeting when there were but three Persons besides the Family whom they took and threw against the walls and against the Posts of the Door in a cruel barbarous manner and Thomas Holbrow the blind man of the house told them their Actions
One Pillow One Coverlet and a Table-cloth The just worth of these Goods we know not This Account was taken the 22d day of the 11th moneth 77. by us whose Names are hereunto subscribed Henry Lloyd Jenkin Hopkin William Hibbs John Hibbs William Howel John Gwyn A Postscript WE are perswaded yea clearly and fully satisfied by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ That NONE Especially such who do profess his Holy Name and Doctrine Ought to persecute about or concerning Religion Faith and Worship of the living God Persecution being wholely inconsistant with the Tender Spirit Holy Doctrine Meek and Innocent Conversation of the Heavenly Man Christ Jesus our souls Captain High-Priest and Bishop who came not to cost●oy mens Lives but to save them who is our Prince of Peace who leads us into Peace with God and one with another and to have Unfeigned Love unto our Enemies in which Love we pray for those who have and do persecute and Dispitefully use us in which we desire their Unfeigned Repentance and Salvation The Law which came by Moses which punished those who rebelled against God in running into false worship Idolatry with outward bodily Punishment to death was ended by our Lord Jesus Christ who offered up himself through the eternal spirit 1600 years ago as a Lamb without Spot and Blemish who rebuked his own Disciples who in their infancy would have fire come down from heaven to destroy those who would not receive him We believe and are assured by him that it is the Duty of his Disciples and Ministers to labour in the Spirit of Truth in Unfeigned Love Meekness and Patience to convince and convert Idolators and all Gainsayers who are under Mistakes about Religion Faith in God and Christ and Worship c. by Sound Doctrine Good Life and Conversation for so Christ Jesus and his Holy Apostles and Ministers did whose Holy Doctrine and Example we are exhorted by him and them to follow By these Spiritual Weapons they destroyed Idolatry out of the hearts of Multitudes and coverted them to God but those who have pretended to set up and uphold Christian Religion by outward Violence in oppressing People and destroying them in their Persons and Estates by these their Carnal and Unchristian VVeapons they never made one True Christian nor ever can but such do bring a great Scandal upon the Name of Christianity among the Turks Jews and Heathens Christ and his Apostles were persecuted for their pure peaceble Religion but they never persecuted any VVe desire the Rulers and Magistrates of England seriously to consider of these things and of the many Grievous Burdens which have been laid and long continued upon us in our Persons and Estates Only for our Faith in and Obedience to God and Christ And we desire you in the Fear and Love of God to exercise your Power to remove Oppression from off the Peaceable People of God in this Land that the God that made you may take pleasure in you and give you the Reward of Peace and Rest in your latter End for he will certainly reward every one According to their deeds done in the Body whether they be good or evil Friends Remember and obey the Command of Christ Jesus who said Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you do ye even so unto them And he said If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my Love as I have kept my Fathers Commandments and abide in his Love ●e secution about the exercise of Faith and Worship unto God and Christ hath made many Hypocrites but it never made one True Christian nor ever will Therefore let all Magistrates Teachers People who are concerned therein speedily cease from this Unchristian practice repent of what is already done that it may be well with them in the world to come Given forth by a Member of the Church of Christ William Gibson THE END