The history of the worthies of England who for parts and learning have been eminent in the several counties : together with an historical narrative of the native commodities and rarities in each county / endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.

Memorable Persons.

• Sir EDMUND de TRAFFORD Knights,
• Sir THOMAS de ASHTON Knights,

were persons of high esteem, as anciently descended, and richly reveneued in this County, how great their skill was in Chemistry, will appear by the following Patent (faithfully transcribed with mine own hand, out of the Original in the Tower) granted unto them by King Henry the sixth, in the four and twentieth year of his Reign.

REX

omnibus ad quos, &c. Salutem.

* 1.1

Sciatis, quod cum dilecti & fideles nostri, Edmundus de Trafford Miles, & Thomas Ashton Miles, Nobis per quandam supplicationem monstrave∣rint, quod quamvis ipsi super certis metallis, per Artem sive Scientiam Philosophiae operari vellent, metalla imperfecta de suo proprio genere trans∣ferre, & tunc ea per dictam Artem sive Scientiam, in Aurum sive Ar∣gentum perfectum transubstantiare, ad omnimodas probationes & examinati∣ones, sicut aliquod aurum sive argen∣tum in aliqua Minera crescens, expe∣ctandum & indurandum, ut dicunt; Nihilominus certae personae illis male∣volentes, et malignantes, supponant ipsos per Artem illicitam operari, & sic ipsos in probatione dictae Artis sive Scientiae impedire et perturbare p•…•…ssunt. Nos praemissa considerantes, ac conclu∣sionem dictae operationis, sive Scientiae scire volentes, de gratia nostra speci∣ali concessimus & licentiam dedimus iisdem Edmundo & Thomae, & ipso∣rum servientibus, quod ipsi Artem sive Scientiam praedictam, operari & pro∣bare possint licite & impune, abs{que} im∣petione nostra vel Officiariorum no∣strorum quorumcunque; aliquo Statuto, Actu, Ordinatione, sive Provisione in contrarium facto ordinat. sive pro∣vis. non obstante.

In cujus, &c. T. R.

apud Westmond. septimo die Aprilis.

The King

to all unto whom, &c. Greeting.

Know ye, that whereas our beloved & loyal Edmund de Trafford Knight, and Thomas 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Knight, have by a certain Petition shown unto Us, that although they were willing by the Art or Science of Philosophie, to work upon certain metalls, to translate imperfect metalls from their own kind, and then to tran∣substantiate them by the said Art or Science, as they say; into perfect Gold or Silver, unto all manner of proofs and trialls, to be expected and indured, as an•…•… Gold or Sil∣ver growing in any Mine, Notwith∣standing certain persons ill willing, and maligning them, conceive them to work by unlawful Art, and so may hinder and disturb them in the triall of the said Art and Science. We considering the premisses, and willing to know the conclusion of the said Working or Science, of Our special grace have granted and given leave to the same Edmund and Thomas, and to their Servants, that they may work and trie the aforesaid Art and Science, lawfully and free∣ly, without any hinderance of Ours, or of Our Officers whatsoever, Any Statute, Act, Ordinance, or Pro∣vision, made, ordained, or pro∣vided to the contrary notwithstan∣ding.

In witness whereof, the King at Westminster, the 7. day of April.

Mr. ...... KIDSON. Reader, I presume not now to direct thee, who my self am at a losse, and Grope for a Guide▪ Leland in his Itinerary, speaking of Warton a Village in this County, observeth, that Mr. Kidson was born there, a passage which never had fallen from his Pen, had he not been one of signal Remark. Who this Mr. Kidson was, where he lived, what he did, where he dyed, I shall be thank∣ful to such as give me Satisfaction.

RICHARD ROTHVVELL was born at or near * 2.1 Bolton in the Mores, in this County. Taking the Ministry (after his education in Cambridge) upon him, he dis∣posed his temporal estate to his freind to live of the Gospell. I remit the Reader to his Life extant at large in Print, wherein this most remarkable, viz. his dispossessing of John Fox near Nottingham of a Divel, there passing betwixt them a large Discourse,

by way of Question and Answer. I know that such Confabulations are common in the Church of Rome, to whose Exorcists, Satans Language is as Familiar as Erasmus his Dialogues are well known to men, or those of Corderius to School-Boys. But such accidents amongst Protestants are very rare, and therefore the more to be observed. There are I confess, more Thomases then my self, much given to mistrust (whose faith will be at a stand herein) However finding it atteste•…•… by an honest and * able* 2.2 person, I dare not deny the truth thereof. All I will say, is this, That is the best be∣leif, which is neither over forward, nor over-froward, which, as it will not run it self out of breath with too much speed, will not be like a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 horse, which no force can make to go farther. He dyed at Mansfield in Nottingham-shire, 1627. in the 64▪ year of his age. No•…•… could I write lesse of him, whom * 2.3 one termeth Orbis Terra▪ rum Anglicarum Oculum, The Eye of our English World, and my Book would seem 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and blind, if passing him over in Silence.

Lord Mayors.

	Name.	Father.	Place.	Company.	Time.
1	Nicholas Mossey	Edward Mossey	Hough	Clothworker	1599.
2	James Pemberton.	James Pemberton	Eccleston•…•…	Goldsmith	1611.

Reader, Lancashire is one of the 12. pretermitted Counties, the Names of whose Gentry, were not returned into the Tower, in the Twelfth year of K. Henry the Sixth.

Sheriffes.

Name.	Place.	Armes.
Reginae Elizab.
Anno,
1 Johan. Talbot, ar.		Arg. 3 Lions Rampant, Purpre▪
2 Rob. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
3 Joh. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, m.	Atherton	〈◊〉〈◊〉 3 Falcons, Or.
4 Joh. Southworth
5 Tho. Hesketh, m.		Arg. on a Bend S. 3 Garbs, Or.
6 Tho. Houghton, a.	Houghton	〈◊〉〈◊〉 3. Bars Argent.
7 Edw. Trafford, ar.	Tr•…•…fford	Argent a Griffin Ramp. Gules.
8 Ric. Mollineux, m	Sheff•…•…on	〈◊〉〈◊〉 a Cross Moline, Or.
9 Tho. Laugnton, m.		Arg. 3 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Gules.
10 Edw. Holland, ar.		Az. a L. R. sem. de Fluer de L. Ar.
11 Joh. Preston, arm.		Arg. 2 bars, ou a Cant. Gules, a
12 Tho. •…•…utler, arm.		Cinque foil, Or.
13 Edw. Trafford, a.	ut prius
14 Fran▪ Holt, arm.		Arg. on a Bend Engrailed S. 3 Flower de Luce of the first.
15 Rich. Holland, a.	ut prius
16 Will. Boothe, ar.		Arg. 3 〈◊〉〈◊〉 heads Erased and Erected S.
17 Fran▪ Holt, arm.	ut prius
18 Rich. Bold, arm.		Argent a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Rampant S. Io-zeenge▪ of the Field & Sables.
19 Ro•…•…. Dalton, ar.
20 Johan▪ 〈◊〉〈◊〉	〈◊〉〈◊〉	Party per Pale 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Az. and Or 6 Martlets counter chang'd Arg. a Mullet Sable.
21 Rad▪ Ashton▪ ar.*
22 Edw. Trafford, m.	ut prius
23 Joh. Byron miles		Argent 3. Bendlets Gules.
24 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Holland,	ut prius
25 Joh. Atherton, ar.	ut prius
26 Edwar. Trafford,	ut prius
27 Tho. Preston, ar.	ut prius
28 Richard. Asheton	ut prius
29 Johan. Fleetwood	ut prius
30 Tho. Talbot, ar.	ut prius
31 Rich. Mollineux	ut prius
32 Rich. Bold, ar.	ut prius
33 Jac. Asheton, ar.	ut prius
34 Edw. Fitton, ar.		Az. on a Bend Arg. 3. Garbs O.
35 Richard. Asheton	ut prius
36 Radulp. Asheton	ut prius
37 Tho. Talbot, arm.	ut prius
38 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Holland	ut prius
39 Rich. Molleneux	ut prius
40 Richard. Asheton	ut prius
41 Rich. Houghton	ut prius
42 Robert. Hesketh	ut prius
43 Cut. Halsall, m.		Arg. 3. Griffins Heads Erazed. A
44 Edward. Trafford	ut prius
K. James.
Anno,
1 Nic. Moseley, mil.		S. a Chev. betw. 3 Pick▪ axes, arg
2 Thom. Baker, mil.
3 Edw. Fleetwood, a.	ut prius
4 Rich. Ashton, mil.	ut prius
5 Rob, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ar.	ut prius
6 Edw. Trafford, m.	ut prius
7 Roger. Nowell, a.		Arg. 3. Cups covered S.
8 Johan. Fleming, a.
9 Cut. Halsall, m.	ut prius
10 Rob. Bindlose, a.	Borwick	Quarterly per Fess indented G. & on a Bend, Or.
11 Rich. Shi•…•…born, a.
12 Edw. Stanley, ar.		Arg. on a •…•…end Az. 3. Stags heads caboshed, Or.
13 Rolan▪ Moseley, a	ut prius
14 Edw. Trafford, m.	ut prius
15 Ric. 〈◊〉〈◊〉		S. 3 Weavers Shuttles, Argent.
16 Leonar. Ashawe, a
17 Edw. Moore, ar.		Vert. ten Trefoiles 4. 3. 2. and 1. Argent.
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24 K. CHARLES.		Courteous Reader, do not behold these Vacuities, as the Effect of my Lazinesse. Nor will I excuse my self, by accusing of others. The rather because, In gratuitisnulla est Jnjusticia, it was no wrong in any to deny, what was boun∣ty in them to bestow, on me. But know all my Industry and Impor∣tunity could not procure the sea∣sonable sight of the Records of this County (not kep•…•… a•…•… the rest in the Exchequer but in a proper place by themselves) thereby to supply the Begining and Finishing of this our Catalogue.
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Notes

• * 1.1

  Pat. 24. of Heb. 6. Me mb. 14.
• * 2.1

  Mr. Clark in his Lives of modern di∣vines p. 450.
• * 2.2

  Mr. Stanly Gower Minist. of Dorchester, who penned his Life full of many observa∣bles.
• * 2.3

  Idem Ibidem.