Vol 3 - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Manor of Lackham Vol 3 : The Montagu family
the gentry all repair to me upon all occasions of unlawful
meetings, although I am neither a deputy-lieutenant nor a
Justice of the peace I have been informed by John Eyre of
Little Chalfield, Henry Long a Captain of Foot in Wiltshire
and Mr Cornelius, each of whom are very active in suppressing
Conventicles, that the Quakers who were fined by Jas
Montague and George Johnson still despite all authority and
say they will meet; also that there have been great meetings
of Anabaptists and Presbyterians of which Mr Eyre will give
lord Arlington an account after he has met Sir Edward
Hungerford at sessions what we desire is that a troop of lord
Oxford's Regiment may be sent and quartered in Wilts so as
to curb these insolent people; otherwise they will so increase
that it will be impossible to bring them to obedience 238
The Conventicle Act of 1664 was an Act of parliament that forbade
religious assemblies of more than five people outside the control of the
Church of England. This law was Clarendon’s program to discourage
nonconformity and strengthen the position of the Established Church.
These prohibitions led many priests to leave their parishes rather than
submit to the new church authorities. Many congregations followed their
ministers out of the established church, meeting on hillsides etc. From
small beginnings these field assemblies - or conventicles - were to grow
into the major problems of public order that Talbot feared in his letter.
"An Act to prevent and suppress Seditious Conventicles." The Act imposed
a fine on any person who attended any religious assembly (conventicle),
other than those of the Church of England, of five shillings for the first
offence and ten shillings for a second offence and it is these Acts which
the local JP’s, including James II, are enforcing with fines. Talbot was
.
was the second President of the Royal Society, but his main interests, were antiquarian
rather than scientific. Taking advantage of the many opportunities of making money
which his official position gave him, he became very rich.
238 Green, MAE (ed) (1895) Calendar of State Papers Domestic : Series James I
1619-1623 p384 Letter dated August 20 th 1670
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