Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/40

Rh and they promised me that for the abuses wch the Mayor and Baylifes had offered me at the Bench, 20 January, 1617, &c., I should receive any submission and satisfaction that I desired, but I had sent away the letter before their entreaty. They went also to my Lord of Canterbury to entreat him that their appearance might serve for the rest, but he refused. Yet because they so earnestly entreated me and promised me satisfaction, I pressed not much their comeing up, but I promised that if they came to the reall and materiall differences concerning my church, I would not speak of the personall wrongs; and therefore they wrote down to the Mayor and Baylifes that notwithstanding the Lords' letter they might spare their comeing up, so as they sent up sufficient authority to them for the sd Peter Marsh and Will$\overline{m}$ Forth to appear for them, wch they did accordingly, and upon Monday, the 1st of June, 1618, wee and our counsell appeared before the sd 4 Lords, & I did not question the non-appearance of the rest nor mention any personall wrongs done to me, but only the Mannor, the Court Leet and pleas, the fares & markets, and the inheritance of Moothall.

The Mannor was first questioned, wch (upon shewing of some writs directed Senescallo & Ball'is Rich, Kighly, Rect, de Wiga, Manerii sui de Wigan, and some litle things els) Sr Tho. Ireland, being of Counsell for the Town, yielded that the Mannor indeed belonged to the parson, but said the streets and lanes were the Town's, and the Court Baron; whereto the Lord Hubbard reply'd, what Mannor is that wch you deprive of the Wasts and Court Baron? Then he answered, we will not contend wth him for Court Baron, but for the Court of pleas we say it is the Town's, & to prove this he shewed a confirmation by Roger, Bp of Coventry and Litchfield, of a deed of John Mansell, wherein he grants to the Burgesses ''omnes libertates &c, prout continetur in chartâ Dom. Regis &c, et cur. portemote; also he produced diverse Court Roles in Henry 7 reigne of Courts of pleas for debt held by the Mayor (wch it seems were held only in that tyme when the quo waranto'' was brought by John