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6 June 1645. |
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Vol. A |
No. or p. |
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Bond in 500l., with 2 sureties, that, being committed by the House
of Commons, and released on bail, for business in the county,
till 1 Nov. next, he will not remove out of the county without
leave of the Committee for Examinations. |
100 |
36 |
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1 Dec. 1648. Committee for Advance of Money to the County
Commissioners of Northampton. You are to examine witnesses
against Gray, and send up the depositions speedily. |
24 |
36 |
DEP. 100 37 –39
DEP. 100 41
42 |
16 Jan. 1649. County Commissioners of Northampton to the
Committee for Advance of Money. On your order, we send up
his charge and depositions. |
100 |
40 |
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Jan. Information against him on the following articles:— |
100 |
43–45 |
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1. That Gray, with other country gentlemen, met privately
several times near Wellingborough, and agreed that if any of them
should be fetched away by the Parliament forces for disobedience,
they would raise their party about the country to rescue them. |
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2. That Gray was fetched from home by a party from Northampton, and that he and his servants opposed them, and gave
orders to chime the bells backwards, so as to raise the town and
county, which being done, the townsmen rose, and the county came
in, and divers were slain, and amongst others Capt. Sawyer, a most
godly and eminent man to the Parliament cause, and a justice of the
peace for the county, who came to persuade the people to be quiet. |
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3. That Gray sent his kinsman, and one of his servants, with
two horses and arms, to the King's army; and two years after,
when his servant, Wm. Soanes, returned home, he gave him free
entertainment, but his kinsman was slain at Newark-on-Trent in
the King's service. |
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4. That Gray animated and encouraged the officers of the town
and county when the Commission of Array came into those parts,
and said that this carried meat in the mouth, was according to
law, and of more worth than the militia, and thereupon issued
warrants under his own hand in pursuance thereof. |
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5. That he advised divers persons, if they should be fetched
away for not conforming to Parliament, to rise and plunder the
Parliament's friends. |
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6. That he advised divers persons to go to Kettering, upon the
summons of the Commission of Array for the county. |
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7. That he refused to send in his arms and ammunition upon the
summons of the country to bring them in to the garrison of
Northampton, for security from the enemy, but bought more at
the beginning of the late troubles, some of which were called
blunder pieces. |
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8. That he commanded, in contempt of the Ordinance of
Parliament, proclamation to be made, the Wednesday before
the Fast Day, that the market should be kept every Wednesday,
without any respect to the monthly Fast Day, and he still causes
his men to set out stalls upon that day, although the minister of the
town, and some well-affected persons, duly observe the fast. |
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9. That he molests divers persons who have yielded obedience to
the orders of Parliament. With notes of witnesses to be examined
thereon. |
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20 Feb. 1649. Grey petitions for the heads of his charge, and leave
to cross-examine witnesses. Was accused before the House of
Commons in Dec. 1642, taken prisoner, his cause referred
to the Committee of Examinations, and after 9 months' restraint
and several bailments, was discharged Oct. 1645. |
100 |
46 |
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Has lately been informed against anew, but at the trial, some of his
witnesses were either dismissed unheard, or their examinations
not all put into writing. |
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20 Feb. Witnesses to be examined within 5 weeks |
6 |
174 |
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15 March 1649. Order that his goods be seized and inventoried.
Also that such witnesses as he desires shall be cross-examined,
and others examined in his defence. |
6 |
210 |
DEP. 100 47
48 |
March. Petitions for an extension of time. Presented the order on
March 6th, the only day when the Committee for co. Northampton
sat, but Thos. Pentlow, the only member present, said he could
not act, and the committee will not sit again till April 11. |
100 |
49 |
DEP. 100 50 –52
CERT. 100 53
DEP. 100 54 –58
H. 6 262
PUB. 6 271 |
20 April 1649. Order for discharge of sequestration, and Gray's
dismissal. |
6
100 |
879
59
60 |
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April. Petition of John Hodges and Jas. Bond, for a fresh hearing
of the case, giving them time to perfect their proofs, &c. Gray
got his discharge by informality in the examination, but is a
person who was "the principal actor in that horrid and bloody
insurrection, and if so notorious a malignant" escape, it will be
a discouragement to the well-affected. |
100 |
61 |
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25 May 1649. Information by [Bond] that Gray, by means of his
office, had a privy sessions, purposely to indict and punish the
well-affected of that county for endeavouring to do good to the
State in Kettering, and that he contemned several Ordinances
of Parliament, issued for raising money upon the Public Faith;
that he kept two horses for two months, and in the interim,
conveyed them to Banbury, then a garrison for the late King,
and would have hired Geo. Hodges to go to Oxford, then a
king's garrison, to invite Prince Rupert to come and fortify
Wellingborough. |
21
100 |
222
62 |
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25 May. Gray begs the heads of the new charge exhibited against
him, and the names of the witnesses. Granted. |
100
7 |
63
14 |
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30 May. Order that as there are charges against him, new, or not
proven through absence of the witnesses, the County Commissioners examine witnesses for the State, allowing him a copy of
the charges, and leave to examine or cross-examine witnesses. |
7
100 |
26
64 |
O. 7 91
E.W. 7 100 |
8 June 1649. Case referred to the Sequestration Commissioners
of co. Northampton. |
7 |
41 |
R. 7 169
O. 8 10
INT. 100 65
66
DEP. 100 67 –73
PUB. 8 42
H. 8 50 |
16 Nov. 1649. Order giving the prosecutors another fortnight to
examine Paul Ferriott and others on new matter against Grey. |
8 |
18 |
E.W. 28 11
12 13
16 |
27 Dec. 1649. The new matter only to be proceeded on; case
referred to Mr. Rich, counsellor for the State. |
8
100 |
88
74 |
REP. 100 75
H. 8 186
201
CASE 100 76 |
March 1650. Order dismissing Gray from further proceedings,
and discharging him from sequestration, the new charge against
him being mostly contained in the first information, from which
he was discharged. |
8
100 |
216
77
78 |
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19 Feb. 1651. Petition of Jas. Bond for leave to proceed, on the
enclosed articles, against Gray, by whose means much blood
was spilt, but owing to the absence of some witnesses, he has
escaped justice. He was again indicted, but by shortening the
time for the prosecution, got a discharge by indirect carriage of
Mr. Cox, then clerk of the committee, before some witnesses
could be brought. Lord Gray and 7 other members of the
committee would not sign the discharge, but he procured the
signatures of others who knew not the case. |
100 |
79 |
BOND 100 82 |
26 Feb. Articles against Gray; that he was Commissioner of
Array, associated with malignants, and threatened, by ringing
of bells, &c., to raise 10,000 men against Parliament, and raised
forces against the Parliament troops who came to Wellingborough to prevent unlawful assemblies, &c. Also that he had
a privy sessions held, and indicted some Parliamentarians for
throwing down a cross, &c. With note that this is a new
charge, and allowed on bond. |
22
88 |
159
80
81 |
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28 Feb. and 5 March 1651. Order that the county commissioners examine witnesses on the case, not allowing anyone to be present. |
100 |
83 –87 |
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19 March 1651. Petition of Jas. Bond for leave to bring in a fresh
charge against Gray, his discharge being got by the indirect
carriage of Mr. Cox, late clerk of the committee. With
articles against Gray. He put his head out of the window
to raise the town against Parliament officers, having kept his
doors fast, so that they had to break in to apprehend and
take him to Northampton. He caused his servants to make
great store of bullets against the round-headed rogues; he rang
the bells at night, and raised 3,000 men to take the Parliament
garrison in Northampton. |
100
100 |
88
89 |
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19 March. Order that Bond give surety in 50l. to prosecute the
charge against Cox, and to pay costs if he fail to prove it. |
100 |
90 |
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19 March. Order that the new matter against Gray be admitted, on
Bond's security to prosecute; that the registrar examine and
report on the case; and that Gray have leave to prove that
Bond's witnesses were suborned. |
100 |
91
92 |
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19 March. Committee for Advance of Money to Lord Grey and
other members of the late Committee for Advance of Money.
We wish you, having refused to sign the discharge of Fras.
Gray, to certify what you can remember of the case. |
100 |
93 |
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21 March. Order staying dispatch of the said letter, because 4 of
the 5 members present at the debate signed the discharge. |
10 |
153 |
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10 April 1651. Statement by Gray of Bond's repeated prosecutions
against him, the first lasting 5, the second 10 months. There
was time enough to produce witnesses, but Bond suborned them,
promising them 300l. out of Gray's estate, if he were sequestered,
and Marshall told them what to say. There was a full committee
at Gray's discharge, and several M.P.s present. Begs dismissal,
and reference to counsel about perjury and subornation. |
100 |
94 |
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2 May 1651. Order for legal examination of the case |
100 |
95
96 |
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7 May. Sir Gilb. Pickering to Mr. Squibb, of the Goldsmiths'
Hall Committee. I hear that Gray is trying to procure a
discharge before a hearing. If he prevail, it will be no wonder,
for he had very good friends, and I do not suppose he has lost
them. I think God himself will take that man's cause into his
own hands; the most active, valiant, and gracious man we had
in our county was barbarously murdered in one of his rebellious
confederacies, but he has great friends and weak prosecutors.
If the whole business, as well as the new, could have had a fair
hearing, it would have been a satisfaction to all who fear God in
that county. |
100 |
97 |
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14 May. 1651. The registrar to give in copies of the charges for
Mr. Carey to report what new matter is in them. |
100 |
98 |
REP. 100 99
100
DEP. 100 101 |
18 June 1651. Order on Carey's report that he finds no matter
beyond what is contained in the former charges, for Gray's
dismissal, unless the prosecutor show cause to the contrary
in 14 days. |
10 |
398 |
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2 July 1651. Gray begs dismissal, as ordered, unless the prosecutor
showed cause to the contrary in 14 days, and that the charges of
subornation and perjury may be prosecuted. |
100 |
102 |
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4 July. Plea of Bond against Carey's report that the charges
contain nothing new. |
100 |
103 |