A Civil War complaint concerning Henry Robinson, Rector of Long Whatton All Saints Parish Church.
Long Whatton History Society is grateful to be allowed to copy this letter from the archives of All Saints Parish Church Long Whatton.
This is a transcript of the original.
On the back of the letter is the following:-
Found amongst the papers of my late grandfather D Kirkland's papers transmitted to my cousin the Revd. John Dalby A. M., Vicar of Castle Donington and Rector of Long Whatton, 23rd August 1844.
Thomas Kirkland Glazebrook.
This paper was found among cuttings belonging to Faith Robinson, great grand daughter of the William(?) Henry Robinson after her demise by her executor. She was the last person of that family and died in November 1782 upwards of sixty years of age.
The Letter
Henry Robinson, A.M. sometime Fellow of Peterhouse, Cantab, and afterwards Rector of Long Whatton in the County of Leicester, which Rectory was the £150 pcr annum; but by the abuseful consent of the Notorious Intruder; Sam Shaw; it is now worse by above £30 per annum.
The above named Mr H. Robinson in those sad persecuting times suffered more than this Account can give; though it comes and was taken from his widow's mouth; who is still alive and now Resident at Belton in the County.
The rebellious party fell so fierce upon him that he was forced to leave his house and his family and take sanctuary at Ashby garrison, and to procure his liberty to go home upon the account of his health it would be granted under the payment of three score pounds, And when he was returned, he was still under continual disturbances plundering of him both within doors and without; and in that time had above thirty horses taken from him; five at one time; which cost above twenty pounds a horse; he had constantly officers and soldiers quartered on him, though at the same time,wholly deprived of the revenues of his living.
And not withstanding this hard usage he was not to permitted to remain in his own house without paying £20 a year, which he did for three years together; and this not being thought severe enough a pursuivant was sent down with an express order to put him out of his house; and forced to give a bond of £200 he would remove in a fortnight's time; he above 10 years under this sad usage of sequestration. He also, had the corps of a Prebendary at Orpington in Kent given him by His Grace Archbishop Laud, to the value of £500 per annum, which after the expiration of a few years he night have put in 3 lives, which had he not been under sequestration might have been a great advantage to him and his. He was nephew and next heir to his Grace Archbishop Laud and on that account the greater sufferer.
I leave it to any competent person to judge whether his losses in those dismal times was not unaccountable.
Background notes:-
This letter was written probably sometime after the civil war had ended and appears to be an attempt to obtain compensation.
The civil war time line is as follows:-
1642 Charles 1 raises his standard at Nottingham and the Civil War begins.
1649 Following the defeat of the Royalists by the Parliamentarians, Charles 1 is executed by Parliament. England declared a Free Commonwealth.
1658 Oliver Cromwell dies in September.
1660 The Stuarts restored to the throne in May.
The People
Henry Robinson was the Rector of All Saints in 1638-1650
Samuel Shaw was Rector of All Saints in 1658 and was deprived of living in 1661(see our book:- Long Whatton Memories of Times Past, page 50 for more details). he went on to survive the plague at Coates. He later became the school master of the Free School in Ashby-de-la- Zouch and also founded the Congregational Church in the town
The Garrison at Ashby was Royalist and under the command of Lord Hastings of Loughborough.
The Parliamentarian Garrison was at Coleorton.
Laud was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles 1 in August 1633 and was a principal religious adviser to Charles 1. His father was a William Laud, a master cloth worker and his mother a Lucy Webb. She however, had been married before to a John Robinson, another Reading clothier. She had two daughters and a son William from this marriage. William Robinson became a doctor of divinity, a prebend of Westminster and Archdeacon of Nottingham. This is the connection to Henry Robinson. Archbishop Laud was arrested, tried and found guilty by Parliament. He was executed in January 1645.
