Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/195

374 have been for some time complained of by the bishop. In a letter of archbishop Neile to the bishop of Chester, written from Winchester House on 5th June, 1632, a few months after his translation to the see of York, he says: "For your complaint of ye Warden of Manchester & the abuses of yt church & place I am very willing to joyne wth you to amend them; so as you propose to me a sure ground for us to goe upon. I thinke the visitors appoynted by ye new founda$\overline{c}$on will no way oppose us, but willingly assist us. Howsoever if our ordinary jurisdiction should fayle us (wch I presume it will not) the High Co$\overline{m}$ission will reach it; but I conceave there is nothing in the new founda$\overline{c}$on yt legally opposeth the ordinary jurisdic$\overline{c}$on. I hold the Warden for his owne person to be a very ill deserving man, & necessarily to be inforced to amend his ill courses."

It was an established custom at Wigan for the churchwardens to send in to the rector annually before Easter a list of those who were eligible to communicate at the ,Blessed Sacrament. The following entry in bishop Bridgeman's Wigan Leger of 12th May, 1634, shews that Upholland had been in default in this respect: "The church wardens of Holland for the last year being cited to appear at Chester for diverse matters of ecclesiasticall cognisance, and amongst other things for refusing to give up a book or schedule of all the communicables within that chapelry before Easter last, according to the ancient custome of the parish of Wigan, did this day appear at Lever, by Mr. Eaton the minister there and John Edleston (one of the churchwardens), and desired to be remitted, and acknowledged that they were bound to do it by constant and never-interrupted custome before this tyme, and alleaged that some of them were not able to write or els it had been done, and that they have since given in a Book or Schedule