Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/207

386 Norwich; and I thinke he to whome I have promised Rachdale will be glad enough of this exchange. But two thinges there are wch I must acquaint you wth. The one is, that when ye new Warden of Manchester was heere, & yt I had speech wth him about yt Benefice, and ye distance of it, I doe not remember yt he reported his Benefice in Norfolk or Suffolk (for I knowe not well wch 'tis) to be much better then Rachdale. But yt troubled me not, for if it were soe much worse, yet for his uncle Mr Tho. Maye's sake and ye fitting of Manchester together, I would willingly give way to ye exchange so yt ye losse did not exceed £40 per annum. The other is, yt if ye Warden will make the exchange I would have no delay concerning ye busynesse. Mary, then, my title you knowe is cleare to Rachdale, and therfore I shall looke yt ye Warden shall give or procure as cleare a title, and free from incumbrances to my clarke as I shall give to him. For I knowe not whoe is Patron of yt his Benefice, but whoever it be he must come upp and procure a faire P'sentation, and putt it into my hands; for I shall never p'sent him to Rachdale till yt be done; but then I shalbe content to receive ye one p'sentation and to give ye other. And therfore if the Warden be minded to take this course I shall pray you to give him notice of my resolution, and to lett me heare wth as much speed as you can what he purposes to doe. Soe hopeing now the Terme drawes on yt I shall bring my busynesses of Whalley (by your meanes) to some good issue, I leave you to the Grace of God and rest

your Lordps very loving Freinde and Brother
 * Lambeth Januar. 18, 1635."

The following entry in the Wigan Leger of the previous year serves in some measure to show how the parson's lands, &c., became gradually alienated from the glebe: "May 15, 1635, John Bullock, son of Roger Bullock, late of Wigan, desired he might take diglage of me for this year, 1635; and, whereas I had taken it into my hands before lest he might hereafter plead a prescription, he now acknowledgeth that he hath no title to it but by my present demise, & I doe now let him the hay & edgrowth thereof for this present summer 1635; and he is to keep it every way in repayr as his father before covenanted 7 April, 1622, & to pay me for this year present fifty-six shillings & eight