A Young Married Couple Excommunicated.

'A Pretended Clandestine Marriage' in Peel in 1628.

EX COMMUNICATIONS.

The following papers were loaned to the editor by the late Mr. Forsyth, of Crosby, in the year 1914, in order to make copies of the same. The Lord Bishop of Sodor and Mann of the period concerned was John Phillips (1604-1632) ; he translated the Prayer Book into Manx, and was buried in St, German's Cathedral without any memorial being placed to his memory.

Document No. 185.

Right Reverend,-In obedience to your Lordship's injunction to mee by Mr. Halsall; I have perused and searched ye Ecclesiasticall Records where I finde this ensuing president.

In Del nomine Amen, wee haveing heretofore sumoned and convented before us at a Chapter Court in KK Michaell for their Reformation these offenders, and irregular prsons undernamed and written downe by their several names ye 23th day of January, 1628; viz., Richard Stallman (alledging himselfe to be minister or priest : Robert Qualle, Mr. Thomas Quaile's sonne, of Ballamoare in KK Patrick, alledgeing yt hee is married to Mary Lucas of ye Castle Syde) also ye said Mary Lucas (pretended wife to ye said Rob' Quaile), Margery Quaile ye mother, John Crosse, Margaret Crosse, Will- Quay, Thomas Crellin, Thomas Quaile junr, William Salter, William Tyldesley, and Henry Crellin. All of them (as you know) standing in irregularity, having drawne upon themselves excomunicatione ipso facto, in wch dangerous case they yet still stand by law, as wee then tould them, & in our Court denounced them, & so they stand of record for that pretended clanderstine marriage, between Robt Quaile jun" and Mary Lucas, aforenamed, ye pretended minister, irregular for acting a pretended solemnizinge.of ye said marriage unlawfully ye prlncipall parties for contracting and marrying disorderly & contrary to ye Lawes, of ye Church, & cannons cecleslasticall; ye rest partakers with the principall paties, in yt they as companions in evill assembled themselves without order unseasonably & unlawfully for time & place :

All & every one of wch severall offenders by their names, wee after our denouncing of them in our Court judiciallia (as you have Record and is of Record). In ye name of God Amen doe charge. Require & enjoyne you, to whom these presents are directed & endorsed, in yor severall charge.~. Churches & chapples publickly, & by their names & syrnames (if neede bee wth an alias for explanatione sake) to denounce them excommunicated 'Ipso facto, & not to prmitt them to be present att or prtakers of devine service or sacraments wth congregation, or in ye Church or Chapple, nor y' any other (but they of their househould) doe familiarly accompany wth them upon paine of suspension, & to be bounde in ye same knott of Anathema.tizinge & being putt out of ye Church, & this, yl they & others may be ashamed, to offend in ye like, & they themselves showe unfained repentance & due submission by satisfyinge ye Church & others whom they have severally wronged, wch wee must desire, but as yett see, nor heare off any fruite or token thereof. (about 8 lines of -MS. missing.)

Whereas wee Robt Qualle junr & Mary Lucas principally & wee ye rest the delinquents whose names are subscribed, in a rash humour precipitantly assembled ourselves at an unlawfull time of ye night into ye house of William Corrine of Holme towne where wee ye said Robt & Marie were clandestinately married in ye presence of ye subsequent irregular congregations and contemptuous consociatione by Mr. Richard Stallman a pretended minister contrarie to ye Laudable Lawes & sacred ordinance of holy Church:

We doe hereby in all humility of heart acknowledge & confesse yt wee have by our said illicitate conventione & irregular proceeding incurred ye fearfull danger of excomunication, transgressed ye pious Lawes of our Mother Church & offended ye Religious & civill governement of this Christian Common wealth, for this our said wilfull errour & irregular contempt of Christian authority, ye Church of God and the Godly discipline thereof :

Wee doe with contritione of heart and humblenesse of spirit confesse ourselves to be heartily sorrie & unfainedly petiltent; most humble prayeing & heartily beseeching yt ye merciful Bosome of ye Church may be opened to accept this our hearty submission and unfained penitence through ye mercies of Jesus Christ or Saviour.

And further to testify this our conformable reformatione, wee ye said Robt Quaile and Marie Lucas doe by these present bind ourselves in the penalty & forfeiture of two hundredth poundes to ye Right Hon^rble Lord of this Isle his use according to ye Lawe & custome thereof, to be lyable & subject not onely to answere & satisfye ye said Right Hon^rble Lord according to ye Lawes of ye said Isle, & his Hon's good pleasure & prerogative but alsoe to keep ye eceleslasticall jurisdictione & spirituall office of ye Church harmlesse to all intents & purposes yt his Hon^rs prerogative ye Lawes & ecellasticall Institutions & cannons requireth, & likewise to aby-de & pforme submissively- whatsoever further censure shall be by ye Right Reverend Father ye Lord Bopp of this Isle justly, inflicted uppon us according to justice & ye Law.

And to witnesse this to be our owne Acts & ,deeds wee have hereunto subscribed or names & put to our signe mannulle.

Their names are mentioned & subscribed in ye former decree who all of them delivered in this bond for ye Lords use ut supra for their Act. Copia vera concordane cum originali et examinata.

p me Johnen Crellin.
Registz Episcopatz.

This Record of 'Several Persons Excommunicated on account of a Clandestine Marriage ' is apparently a copy made by the Episcopal Registrar, John Crellin, about 1771. Mr. Crellin was one of the Translators engaged in the translation into Manx, of the Scriptures; he translated the Book: Esther. He was in 1761 chaplain of Ballure and of St. Paul's, Ramsey; and in 1771-1798 Vicar of Michael. He became Rector of Bride in 1798.