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Said vicar hath married divers persons [unlawfully?] making some men believe he churched their wives and did not, keeping himself out of the way when he should have buried the said [corpses?] but immediately coming into his own house being an alehouse to the [drinking?] in his house one Mr Sands was married with a whore one Ellen Tomson a vicar suffered them to lie together in his house to the great grief of all the [parish?] said vicar is an alehousekeeper contrary to the laws of this kingdom entertaining in his house wicked persons upon the sabbath day: especially xi fiddlers (upon third day of July 1614) keeping gaming in his house upon sabbath day and commonly having tippling and drinking in his house in time of divine service to the great grief of all good parisioners.
He deposeth and saith that he verily thinketh? that the said vicar absent himself from burials in the Church of the wife of one Sanderson, Mr Richard Hethersall, and the wife of John Dewhurst gent. notwithstanding the said vicar did presently after the burials drink in his own house with the people that came to the said burials. And likewise saith that one Mr Sandes a married man kept one Ellen Tomson a whore in the house of the said vicar when she was with child and had a bastard by the said Mr Sandes. And further saith that he hath heard Mr Holden a Justice of the Peace of the County of Lancaster say that the said vicar and his sons were bound that he should not keep ale to sell, how be it the said vicar yet keepeth an alehouse, although this deponent hath often advised the said vicar to the contrary? To the sixth article he deposeth and saith that the said vicar is an alehouse-keeper and doth have wicked persons in his house upon the sabbath day and also suffereth gaming to be used in his house upon the sabbath day which this deponent saw in his search being constable of Ribchester.
He deposeth and saith that the said vicar doth keep alehouse and that the day next after the last visitation this deponent saw disordered people drink in the said vicar's house at the time of divine service when as this deponent being Churchwarden did search such like disorder.
Examined to the fourth article he deposeth and saith that the said vicar's wife pawned to this deponent's wife a certain cup which this deponent verily thinketh in his conscience was the same cup which the vicar did use to minister the communion in, and thereafter he is persuaded so to think because he did never know that the said vicar had any other such like cup.
He deposeth and saith that he the said vicar doth keep and suffer tippling drinking and gaming in his house upon the sabbath day in time of divine service, and likewise? that he heard fiddling in the said vicar's house about the third of July last.
Examined to the fourth article deposeth and saith that the said vicar pawned a certain cup which this deponent verily thinketh was the cup wherein the said vicar was used to administer the communion unto one Anthony Dobson about some three years since who dwelled at the same house with this deponent? To the sixth article he deposeth and saith that this deponent came into the house of the said vicar who is an alehouse-keeper as he thinketh upon one Sabbath Day at the time of divine service and found a certain company drinking there.
The nineteenth day of May the great bell of Ribchester was tolled to call the vicar home and one of his sons came and fetched him home leading him by the arm and this deponent verily thinketh that the vicar was drunk because his tongue was out? He saith that he this deponent hath played with the vicar in his house at cards upon festival days in Christmas and that he the said vicar did harbour Mr Sandes a married man and one Ellen Tomson a whore in his own house which had a bastard by the said Mr Sandes.
Upon the third article he deposeth and saith that upon the nineteenth day of May last past the vicar was so drunk that the great bell which was used to be tolled for the vicar was tolled... of the vicars own house to call him home notwithstanding the said vicar although he was forty roods of the church yet he was not able to go home himself but was led by one or two of his own sons? Upon the fourth article he saith that he this deponent hath often seen the said vicar at cards and tables upon the sabbath day? And likewise saith the said vicar hath absented himself at the burials of certain recusants and immediately after the burials hath drunk with the people which came to the said burials in his own house and saith that the said vicar did harbour in his own house one Mr Sandes a married man and Ellen Tomson a whore? Mr Sandes had a bastard by? To the sixth article he saith that the said vicar is an alehouse-keeper and doth harbour lewd persons in his house upon the sabbath day and namely upon the twelfth of February last past being the sabbath day this deponent did see about four and thirty persons playing upon a pair of cards in the said vicar's house.
He this deponent was present when he the said vicar married Thomas Walmisley and Dorothy Brownshaw in his own house in the night time and also present when the said vicar married [illegible] Haworth and Jenet Hast in his own house the said Jenet being married by the consent of her friends? The said vicar keepeth an alehouse and that he this deponent hath seen gaming in the said vicar's house upon the sabbath day and that one Sunday he this deponent saw in the said house about the number of six fiddlers and pipers but they did not play in the hearing of this deponent.