1624

1. CHESTER (St Michael) Roger Gorst clerk & Churchwardens c Thos Jones and Ralph Hilton disputing in church about a pew - interrogations, depositions.

2. CHESTER (St Bridgett) Wm & Ann Blanchard c John & Margaret Blanchard for calling Ann a common whore at 1am - depositions.

3. CHESTER (Saughton) Ann Lowe c Alice Hodgkin calling her a thief - libel.

4. CHESTER (St Peter) Margaret Grice c John Ashlin of Liverpool for defamation - libel.

5. CHESTER (St Peter) Margaret Grice c Elena Hutchins calling her a cuckold bird - libel.

6. CHESTER (St Peter) Elena Hutchins & Sara Hutchins c Anna Green saying they played the whore with Thos Thropp.

7. POTT CHAPEL John Fletcher, curate, c Richard Metier, Richard Starkie, Edward Morton calling him cuckold bird, Metier impersonating gestures, countenance, and manner of Fletcher in the pulpit, making the curate a laughing stock, calling him a wolf in sheep's clothing and taking God's name in vain. Starkie said curate was senseless, stark mad and out of his wits. Morton tired to solicit Margaret Fletcher in the street by Congleton cross - libel.

8. PRESTON Letter from James Martin and Roger Laughton vicar concerning Richard Blundell's complaint against one Shukeshuffe - (fragile).

9. PRESTON Decree from York in a cause between Jacob Martin vicar and John Inskippe parish clerk.

10. WITTON Katherine Broome & Elizabeth Billing c Alice Rogerson saying they were George Booth's whores - libel.

11. HAWKSHEAD Magister Magson c Alexander Tomlinson concerning a bond - depositions.

12. ST MICHAEL ON WYRE Office c John Crooke and Anna Crook alias Rivington concerning their marriage, Anna being but 13 or 14 years of age - responsions, sentence.

13. ST MICHAEL ON WYRE Office c Jacob Bell and others for using superstitious ceremonies at burial of Thomas Bell in setting down the corpse at two crosses and a place where a cross formerly stood and laying towels in form of a cross on the corpse - depositions.

14. RIBCHESTER John Bymson & Henry Topping c Gilbert Goodshaw for tithes - responsions.

15. CHIPPING Robert Parker and Elizabeth Souerbutts for a clandestine marriage - libel.

16. WEAVERHAM Ralph Billing c Joanne Billing his wife for adultery with Richard Darling - libel, responsions, depositions.

17. HOLLAND Katherine Prescott daughter of Henry Prescott c Wm Bower for nullity of her marriage. She was compelled to marry Wm against her will she being but 12 years old. Unable to pursue the case until the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Causes Ecclesiastical in session at Wigan ordered the case to be prosecuted in the Consistory - libel.

18. NORTH MEOLS Roger Wright c Elizabeth Ball for nullity of their marriage - sentence.

19. TATTENHALL Margaret Gilbert alias Downes c Ralph Downes for nullity of marriage - sentence.

20. LEYLAND Jacob Langley, vicar since 1611, c Jacob Anderton of Clayton for vicarial tithes - libel.

21. WALTON Edward Fox c Elizabeth Fox for divorce - sentence.

22. WALTON Neville Key vicar c inhabitants for tithes. Lists of Those who refused to appear in court (243 names) from West Derby, Toxteth Park, Walton, Fazakerley, Kirkdale, Bootle, Everton, Liverpool and Kirby.

23. SHOTWICK Richard Chamberlain c Anna Lloyd wife of Geo Dean dec for tithe gorse - libel, interrogations, depositions, responsions.

24. DAVENHAM Thos Mallorie STB rector c Thos Mattley for tithe hay animals, wood - libel, responsions, depositions.

25. MANCHESTER Hugh & Elenora Williams c Amarian Sampsky saying she was the whore of Top of Bury - libel, depositions.

26. PRESTBURY Office c Thos Peares & Katherine his wife for profanation of matrimony (fragment only).

27. HUYTON Edward Williamson c Wm Wright of Prescot and Margaret his wife for fornication - libel.

28. WINWICK Henry Hey c Margaret Hey in divorce cause - libel, depositions.

29. TARVIN Robert Cawley c Anna Cawley for adultery with Wm Smallwood of Middlewich - libel, responsions, depositions.

30. BOWDEN Richard Vaudrey impropriator c Ralph Holt for tithes - libel.

31. PRESTWICH Churchwardens c Edward Reddich of Eccles for non payment of 3/4d mortuary dues to the church - libel.

32. HANMER Roger Ellis c Margaret Dymocke for tithes of corn in Willington, Hanmer, Halton, Bettesfield. Margaret says she leased these to Geo Puleston & Humphrey Dymocke - libel, responsions, depositions.

33. BUNBURY Office c Geo Rawlinson for adultery & bastardy with Margaret Warburton and lodging her with Rafe Povall - libel.

34. BUNBURY Geo Spurstowe c Margaret Povall saying he was the father of Margaret Warburton's child - libel.

35. BUNBURY Wm Buckley c Thos Hopley concerning title to a seat in church - interrogations, responsions.

36. WYBUNBURY Dispute between Maurice Gwynne clerk and Richard Hopwood vicar concerning detention of stipend - citation to York and decree.

37. MOTTRAM John & Ellen Hollinworth c Thos & Margaret Hollinworth saying John had kept a thief for 20 years - libel.

38. WILMSLOW Matthew Moreton c Ralph Grastie saying Matthew had committed adultery - fragment (fragile).

39. OLDHAM John Jones c Raphe Whithead - depositions only -case not clear.

40. STANDISH Decrees from York in a cause between Edmund Ashton and Ralph Standish.

41. CHESTER (St Oswald) Churchwardens c Robert Ince old warden concerning £21.10½.2/2d due to church - fragment.

42. WIGAN Bishop of Chester c Richard Adamson for tithe oats - responsions.

43. WIGAN Wm Ormeshaw c John Platt concerning title to a seat in church - depositions.

44. CHURCH HULME Office c Wm Forster for laughing and talking so offending the congregation - libel.

45. BRERETON Katherine Hill of Swettenham c John Carter for slander - libel.

46. GARSTANG Jacob Parkinson c Elizabeth White for slander in a bowling alley - depositions (fragile).

47. NANTWICH Richard Venables c Wm Savage saying he came to his house to cheat - libel.

48. RUNCORN Thos Fletcher c Richard Buckley saying he fornicated with Jane Parr - libel.

49. CONGLETON Margaret Hanford c Eleanor Johnson saying she had had a child by a married man - libel.

50. BLACKBURN Richard Siddall & Anna Siddall c Jacob Sharples for slander - libel.

51. ACTON Richard Weaver c Edward Ashton calling him a scurvy fellow, a drunken knave - libel.

52. ASHTON ON MERSEY Daniel Barr rector c Edward Woodhall for non payment of dues - libel, responsions.

53. CLIFTON Ralph Assheton c Wm Fleetwood concerning tithes - responsions.

54. CHEADLE Disputed presentation; Edward Herron after death of his father Humphrey Herron parson of Cheadle went to Sir Richard Buckley patron for presentation. Buckley made him enter bond for tithe and gave him a presentation to the benefice. Lady Buckley prevented Herron getting the tithes after the death of Sir Richard so Edward Herron told his story about his act of simony to Wright, parson of Wilmslow who obtained a presentation for Mr Westerne from the king by lapse, but Dr Lloyd, due to an erro in presentation obtained the benefice from the Crown and became incumbent. Thos Buckley, son of Sir Richard reported that the bond was in effect that Herron would not claim any stipend more than the usual 20 marks per annum for the benefice.