Crippells v. Lambe

mb [1] (3 June) (Answer of defendants)

...

The Ioynt and seuerall answeres of Edward Lambe and Richard ward

two of the defendantes to the Bill of Complaint of William Cripple and

Margarett Crippell Complaynantes./

The sayd defendantes savinge to them and either of them all advantage of exception to the Incertayntye and ynsufficiencye of the sayd Bill of Complaynt for answere to soe much there of as concerneth them or eyther of them to make answere vnto say and eyther of them for himselfe severally sayth that in or about the moneth of ffebruarye in the ffyfteenth yeare of his Maiesties Raigne the Complaynantes did repayre to Burton vppon Trent in the County of Stafford and there tooke vppon them to be called by the names of william Simons and Margarett Simons and pretended themselves to be Brother and sister and seemed willinge to haue had the sayd Margarett placed in some service whereby to gett her livinge And that the other Complaynant professing himselfe a piper would gett his livinge with his bag pipe and when he wanted ymployment that way with buyinge and sellinge of linnen Cloth and some other Comodityes which he seemed to take vppon hym knoledge in And aftirwardes the Complaynant william Crippell was a suytor in way of marriadge to one Anne Bowman of Burton vppon Trent aforesayd a yong woaman and then vnmarried and a servaunt to one Iames Almond of Burton aforesayd and the other Complaynant Margarett did sollicite the sayd Anne Bowman in the behalfe of the other Complaynant her sayd Brother And offered that if she would marry with the sayd Complaynant William Crippell she the sayd Margarett would for her part geve them ffortye shillinges And the Complaynant William Crippell faylinge of his desire that way and the sayd Margarett by her suspected behaviour faylinge of a service the Complaynantes did take a house in Burton vppon Trent aforesayd and there lived together professinge themselves to be Brother and sister and soe were generally reputed and not to be man and wife And after wardes there resorted vnto the sayd Margaratt in Burton aforesayd some strangers lustye yonge men and others with whome the Complaynant Margarett did soe suspiciously behave herselfe that therevppon the sayd Margarett grew to be generally defamed and ill reported ⸢of⸣ through the Towne of Burton aforesayd especially by reason of a report of one of those that resorted to the sayd Margarett that he had thrice carnall knoledge of her Body att Burton aforesayd and in the end there grew suspition of incontinencye betweene the Complaynantes themselves wherevppon this defendant Edward Lambe gave them Knoledge of that suspition which was had of them and tould them if they did not amend there Course some publicke punishment by Cartinge or the like must be inflicted on them and then this defendant required to be satisfyed by them whether they were man and wife or brother and sister wherevppon both the Complaynantes affirmed they were brother and sister and not man and wife and °alleadged° that the Complaynant william Cripple ⸢had & still⸣ would euerye night lye forth of the sayd house wherein ‸⸢in truthe⸣ they both had layen ‸⸢together euerye nighte⸣ before and they then ‸⸢also⸣ affirmed ‸⸢that⸣ they had ‸⸢not⸣ layen together ‸⸢at all⸣ and threatned any that would affirme ‸⸢that⸣ they had layen together yet within few dayes after it was observed by some of Burton aforsayd that the Complaynantes in or about the Eyght day of the moneth of March in the ffyfteenth yeare of his Maiestes Reigne of England were gone to bedd together and thereof Information was given to this defendant Edward Lambe beinge then one of the Constables of Burton aforesayd and he was very much pressed by some of his neighbours of Burton aforesayd whose names he cannott now particularly expresse that he would forthwith search the house of the Complaynantes and if he found them in that suspition together that then he would ringe them with basons through the Towne and sett them in the stockes as by auncient vsage and Custome of longe and very auncient tyme <...> within the Towne of Burton it had bene vsed to be done to such offenders wherevppon this defendant Edward Lambe being assisted with the other defendant Richard ward and ‸⸢some of⸣ the rest of the defendantes being willinge to make soe notorious an abuse exemplarye whereby others evill disposed might be discoraged from Comittinge the like did repayre to the house of the Complaynantes and there findinge the Complaynantes in bedd together and Iustifyinge there incontinence with such impudent ymmodestye as these defendantes for modestye sake do forbeare to declare these defendantes together with ‸⸢some of⸣ the Rest of the defendantes caused the Complaynantes to rise out of there Beds and soe did ringe them with basons through some part of the Towne of Burton aforesayd and then for example sake sett them in the stockes where they remayned by the space of halfe an houre and not aboue as these defendantes do verilie thinke and then were sett at libertye And afterwardes the next morninge ‸⸢they⸣ departed from Burton aforesayd for feare of being Carted for there aforesayd incontinencye as was vsuall in the Towne of Burton aforesayd to deale with such offenders since whiche tyme the Complaynantes haue complayned themselues att the Sessions houlden for the sayd Countye of Stafford to the Iustices of the peace of the same shire where there notorious ill behaviour hath bene made soe apparant as that these defendantes haue receaved allowaunce of the sayd Iustices for the aforesayd exemplarye punishment which they inflicted vppon the Complaynantes for there abuses aforesayd since which tyme the Complaynantes hopinge as these defendantes verilie thinke that these and the Rest of the defendantes would rather compound with them and give them money for composition then to endure a Chargeable suyte in the Starchamber now without any ‸⸢iust⸣ cause exhibited there Bill of Complaynt agaynst these and the rest of the defendantes and have heretofore compounded with some for money ‸⸢°& offered composicion to these defendantes by there solliciter°⸣ and would as these defendanttes verilie thinke compound with the Rest if they would make Composition with them And as to all the Riottes Routes conspiracies confederaces combynations practises misdeamenors and offences in the Bill of Complaynt layd to the Charge of these defendantes or eyther of them they say and eyther of them for himselfe severally sayth that they are not of them or any of them guiltye in such manner and forme as in and by the Bill of Complaynt they are sett forth and declared agaynst them without that that any other matter or thinge in the sayd Bill of Complaynt conteyned materiall or ef<...>tuall in the law to be answered vnto by these defendantes ‸⸢or eyther of them⸣ and not herein well and sufficientlye answered vnto confessed and avoyded traversed or denied is true All which matters and thinges these defendantes and eyther of them are ready to averre and prove as this honorable Court shall award and pray to be hence dismissed with there reasonable Costes and Charges in this behalfe most wrongfully susteyned

(signed) Leuinge