Diocesan Registry.

Document No. 215.

C.1646.

RO : NORRIS REFUSES 10/- AS A BENEVOLENCE.

Sir Jo. harrisone. My Love to youre . .

I heere say yt I am cessed ten shillinges on my

. . . erm ye other day ; If hit bee a Benevolence yt my Lo : doth expect from his clurgie ; let it bee had accordinge to theire habylitie & lovinge, willinge owne myndes ; wee had a collection & gave then ; yett am I willinge to give my half crowne. to-wards yt good worke nowe too:

Therefore if you or anye other laye more on mee (then Wt I am willinge) pay youselves and so I rest yours to his abilitie.

Ro:Norris viccr.

This xvijth August.

There is no date to the letter. It must have been written about the year 1646, when the Twenty-Four Keys at the request of James 7th Earl of Derby, ordered ‘ an assessment of £75 on the countrey to ‘ buy a thousand half pikes, and the Clergy to pay ‘ their proportion thereof.’

It would appear that Robert Norris, who was Vicar of Kirk Arbory from 1623 to 1650, objected to being assessed to the sum of 10/-. Harrison says he resigned in 1650. There is a note in Manx Society x., p. 81, by Paul Bridson, stating that there ‘ is a petition in the Episcopal Registry, undated, signed by over 60 persons praying that Mr. Crelling (sic), who has been with them eight years, may be presented to Kirk Arbory . . .‘ He assumes that John Crellin took office in 1658, and had acted as curate for eight years previously.


 return to Index

Index Unpublished Docs

 

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor
HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 1999