Catalogue description [EDMUND HOPWOOD] to [the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK].

--"Your honour doeth knowe how destitute Lancashire is of preachers, and therefor I will spare the discoverie thereof; but bycause the harvest ys greate and the labourers too(?) fewe, I beseche your Lordship, in Jesus Christe crucyfied, to finde out some good meanes to relieve these moste greate and pytiful wantes." Two preachers should be continually resident in Lancashire--one at Liverpool and one at Preston in Amounderness; the first place being a "haven toune" and the other "a very great markette toune as any within Lancashire, and is within 10 myles of the sea coaste." Liverpool is "a chapell belonging unto the parishe churche of Walton." The parson there is Alexander Mollyneux, uncle to Sir Richard Mollyneux of Seiphton [Sefton ?], "a yonge gent not inferior to any of worship in Lancashire," but he is unlearned, and not used to "say service or administer sacraments." Suggests that he might bestow 20l. a year on a preacher. Preston is an impropriation belonging to the Queen. The farmer is "Mr. Houghton, or his mother, Mrs. Houghton, who is a recusant of seven yeares standinge." The vicar is "an old grave man of simple persuatione in dyvinity and one that in his youthe hath used sondrie callinges, and now at laste settled himself in the ministery." Suggests that Houghton or his mother should yield 36l., and the farmer of the vicarage 4l. a year, to support a resident preacher at Preston; knows no place in Lancashire "more fytter for a weekly lecture."

The "enormoties" of the Sabboth, in Lancashire, which require suppression are these:--"Fayres, marketts, wakes, ales, maye-games, pypinge and dauncing, bear-beates, bull-beates, resorting to ale-howses in tyme of dyvyne service, huntinge, hawkinge, and all manner of unlawfull gaminge."

The "charitable and honourable respite your Grace did give" to the preachers in "this corner of Lancashire," has not wrought the good effect desired, as neither they nor their curates use the surplice.