After this, a committee was formed at York, of influential laymen and ministers for casting out scandalous ministers and putting in faithful ones, and a good many of these changes favoring the Puritan side were made. Master Shawe was appointed secretary. He wrote all letters, &c., but when the restoration of Royalty seemed likely, he thought it prudent to destroy all the records of this vigilant York committee, much to his own gain, no doubt, but a great loss to us. What a pity for after historians and lecturers! Lord Fairfax rewarded Shawe at this time by appointing him to the living of Skerringham, near York, valued now at £661 per annum. It was a pleasant rectory, a comfortable retreat. But our Master Shawe seems never to have known when he was well off, and he accepted ere long a call to Hull, where he was the preacher at one of the churches. Fortunately he was afterwards also appointed to the mastership of the Charter House, a sort of hospital for old people at Hull. It is noteworthy at this period to read his records, that about 26th November, 1644, the Common Prayer Book was voted down by Parliament, and not to be used any more, and that on 20th September, 1644, he was called to preach at York Minster at the taking of the Solemn League and Covenant by the Lord Fairfax and city and army. This Minster sermon was afterwards printed with the title, "Britain's Remembrancer." At the siege of Newark, Parliamentary Commissioners settled in the district, and of course they must have with them their Chaplain Shawe. Now, it was at Newark that Charles I. at this time, after his defeat at Naseby, surrendered himself to the Scotch forces then united with those of the Parliament. With such a Royal prize in their camp the Scots made tracks northwards. They, proverbially acute, knew the value of this Royal personage. They did not offer him the Scottish crown, and the time soon came when the Scotch leaders sold the monarch to the Parliamentary Commissioners for £400,000, though they would have liked £600,000. CHARLES I. AT ROTHERHAM. Now followed the King's progress southwards, much against his own inclination, under strong Parliamentary escort. The King is related to have slept one night in Rotherham, staying at the large mansion in High Street, till very lately the Rotherham Old Bank. At its recent demolition there was discovered in the cellars a secret passage, whereby escape from the house could have been made. On this visit of the King, Lady Reresby, of Thrybergh Hall, sent her young son to wait as a Royal page on the captured monarch. This was indeed showing a delicate piece of devotion on the part of that Royalist dame. DEATH OF SHAWE'S WIFE. Sad to relate, in December, 1657, Master John Shawe lost by death his sweet and dutiful "yoke-fellow," and he well says, "my mirth was turned into mourning." On the very day of her death, and with her desire, their daughter Dorothy was married to Jonathan Staniforth, of Rotherham. We shall soon again hear of his son-in-law. The sermon which the bereaved husband preached on his wife's departure was published, and affords an admirable illustration of his most characteristic and effective discourses. Its title is," Mrs. Shawe's Tombstone," containing, according to the husband's description, some sweet memorials of her holy life and happy death." There must have been something very sweet about this good lady. "Sweet and dutiful yoke-fellow "—" sweet memorials." The widower, however, consoled himself two years after by marrying a lady connected with the nobility. When Cromwell was made Lord Protector (1653), Master Shawe, as one of the important ministers of the times, was occasionally summoned to preach before him. Hearken to this reference of the preacher :-"I was sometimes during that time called to preach before him (Cromwell) at Whitehall and sometimes at Hampton Court, which I did with the freedom and plainness of old Latimer.” These sermons Shawe never could recover. Had Oliver put them in his pocket? Was our preacher just a little suspicious that such sermons would not prove altogether to the taste of restored Royalty? He had a marvellous faculty of preaching acceptably to a Charles I., a Cromwell, and even to a Charles II. The latter part of Master Shawe's life when he returned finally to Rotherham will be narrated later on. CHAPTER V. THE SECOND PURITAN VICAR OF ROTHERHAM— LUKE CLAYTON, OF A ROTHERHAM FAMILY. IF 1644-1662. we may assume that Mr. Luke Clayton was appointed vicar of Rotherham soon after his predecessor, Master John Shawe, accepted the living of Skerringham, near York, the date of his (Clayton's) appointment would be about 1644. There is no record of his appointment, but it may be taken for granted that the Parliamentary patron of Master John Shawe, Philip, Earl of Pembroke, presented the Puritan Luke Clayton to the Rotherham living. THE CLAYTON FAMILIES. The families of Clayton belong to the oldest of the Rotherham inhabitants. At the dissolution and confiscation of the chantries in Rotherham, of the properties appertaining to one of them, namely, "The service at the altar of Our Lady in the sayd churche," there is the entry of 1547—“ Hugh Clayton, a shoppe, ijs." The Parish Register furnishes such entries as the following: Anno Diii 1558. In Meij Grace ye doght of Robert Clayton christ ye xixth day [baptism.] Anno Regni Reg. Edwardi Sexti Sedo. In August Willm Claytoe Johan Thurguland maid 3 dai [marriage.] Anno Diii 1560. In July, Rycharde lee & Margarett Cleyton mar' xiiij d [marriage.] 1558 [burial] Apriell. John Cleyton bur'ye xxvth day. 1562 John Claton xix die sep. (ffebruarye). 1578. The Feoffs' accounts give, "Robert Clayton for tethering his mare into ye corne 6d.— It looks as though his mare had taken a liberty. This rent was formerly paid to Rufford Abbey, and probably came into the Shrewsbury amassments of church, chantry, and college properties. |