Articles, records and resources relating to the history of the Lancashire town of Preston
April 1689
For background information about the diaries and their transcribers see Introduction
April 1
Bellingham entry Aprill ye 1st. A very wett day. Sr H. Ponsonby went very early. I had an account of ye sad defeat in ye N of Ireland, and yt honest Will Ponsonby was kill’d. I was wth ye Mayor and Mr. Barton and others, and after we were late att Mr. Hodgkinson’s. Rawstorne entry i at Preston & at prayers Comment For the Ponsonbys, see 31 March 1689 entry
April 2
Bellingham entry Ye 2d. A very wett day. Great shooting att butts. Ye Yorkshire man lost. Here came an order for ye companyes to march to Liverpoole and Ormskirke. Tomlinson, Bolton, and Whitehead [possibly Thomas Whitehead, soon to become the town’s schoolmaster] came hither. We were up late. Rawstorne entry 2 at Preston & at prayers, & after dinner went to Spitle moss to a shooting was at the gard on house wth Bro: ffleet Capt WithersMr Langton & Mr Lemon and at Tom Bostocks & Tirlers.
April 3
Bellingham entry Ye 3d. A fayr day, only some few showers. Ye companys march’d away, and return’d againe by a counter order. Dean Pullein and Alderman Singleton [not identified] came hither. I sup’t wth them att ye anchor and stayd till it was very late. Rawstorne entry 3 at Preston & at prayers & at Walton Cop & returned to dinner went afyer to Walton to Wid. Andertos [hostelry, location unknown] wth. Capt Bellingham Mr BartonMr Bland and 3 Irish ministers more
April 4
Bellingham entry Ye 4th. A very fayr day. Sr John Coghill came here. I treated my friends att my Lodgings. Dined wth them att ye anchor. They went away after dinner. Barton, Whitehead [possibly Thomas Whitehead, soon to become the town’s schoolmaster], and I diverted ourselves att play, and att night I was wth Capt Davis [not identified], sonne to Hercules, who is going to Berwicke. Capt Stoughton [not identified] came from Liverpoole. He saw ye forces embarque, who went off wth very great alacrity. Rawstorne entry 4 went to Penwortham [Priory] wth Dr Leigh & Mr lemon dyned there & came home
April 5
Bellingham entry [No entry for 5th in Hewitson transcription, no explanation.] Rawstorne entry 5 at Preston & at prayers, this day Sr. John Mollineux went from Preston I was ‘ith evening wth Capt. Bellingham to take leave wth ‘m goeing for Land [?London] at Will Atkinsons, 3 troopes of horse came in of Coll Langtons’ Regiemt. Comment I think the troops would have belonged to Col Fraser Langston’s regiment. A Thomas Langston and a Fraser Langston were captains in the King’s Own Regiment of Dragoons in February 1685, of which John Churchill was the colonel. Thomas Langston was commanding his own regiment, The Princess’s Regiment of Horse by November 1688. He was one of the three of King James’s officers who deserted the king at Salisbury in November 1688, defecting to William and attempting to take their troops with them. [1] Col Fraser Langston was listed as commanding his Regiment of Horse in 1689, consisting of 300 men in six troops. The regiment was appointed to serve in Ireland that year. The regiment was still serving in Ireland in January 1691; the following year it was in Flanders. [2] Bellingham, in the next entry, says it was this regiment that suppressed the Ipswich rebellion [see comment 19 March 1689]. I cannot establish a connection between the two Langstons.
Bellingham entry Ye 6th. A fayr day; some raine in ye evening. Here came 3 troops of Collonell Langton’s regiment, who suppress’d the mutineers of Ipswich. I payd my way to ye mayor and severall others. Between this and ye 6th of May I was att London. Ye weather generally very fayr. On ye 6th of May I return’d wth my sister and neice. Rawstorne entry 6 at Preston & at prayers 3 more of Langtone’s regiemt came in. was wth my brother at Tom Bostockes, one Leuietent. Gomey [not identified] quartered wth mee.
April 7
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 7 at Preston & at Church heard a stranger one Harrison [not identified]
April 8
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 8 at Preston & at prayers, the troops above menioned went away, & i’th evening came 3 others of Q [ueen] Dowagers Rgt: under Sr. Heorge [?George] Howet, in number about 30 a peice besides officers Comment Of the Queen Dowager’s Regiment of Foot it was recorded in October 1689 that
There are some fine men in this Rgt., but the clothing is very bad. Many still left on the Sick List on the Island of Inch, and many dead both there and here. The Lieut.-Col., Major, and some Captains seem to be pretty good officers, but the Subalterns are mostly young, and not all gentlemen. Two Captains are rarely with the Regt., being Captains of vessels [men-of-war]. The Regt. complains of irregular payments, and that they are twenty weeks in arrears. [1]
Sir George Howett was among those close to James II who deserted the king shortly after the invasion of William of Orange. There is no record in the army lists of Sir George having any connection with this regiment. [2] Sir George may at one time have kept an actress as mistress who lampoons of the period suggest was a prostitute and a procurer for her daughter:
Proud Curtizan Marshall tis time to give o’re Since now your Daughter, shee is turn’d whore But be not discourag’d it was in Cambridge she fell And her London Maidenhead you have still to sell. [3]
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 9 at Preston & at prayers, they [regiments] march’d away by 8 & 3 more came in duned [?dined] at Ancor wth. Mr Sherriff and others Comssners: for the monthly assessment [poor rate?]. layed it being i006l.13s-6d-per [mens]. was after at George Ratcliffs wth Capt Longworth & at Monsieurs [hostelry, location unknown] wth the officers & at Margret Wildings wth Leuitent: Coll Bryarly: [not identified]
April 10
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i0 at Preston. The Troops march’d a 8 went to Swansey’s [probably the one on the marsh] dyned there my brother, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Standley [unclear which Stanley this is} Mr. Chaddocke, Mr. Lemon Mr. Chroyckly [not identified]
April 11
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry ii at Preston & at prayers & at White horse wth. Mr. Mayore & others to drinke K: & Q:’s health Will & M [King William and Queen Mary]
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i3at Preston & at prayers & at Will AdKinsons wth my brother & Coz: Brooke who had dyned wth mee, to see the Souldiers come in ’twas the Ld fferrars regiemt. now Coll Beamond’s 5 or 6 foot Companies not yet arm’d, but otherwise indfferent – well. Comment This regiment was the Princess Anne of Denmark’s Regiment of Foot. In 1685 Robert, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, was the colonel and John Beaumont was the lieut-colonel. Ferrers helped raise the regiment on the outbreak of the Monmouth Rebellion, becoming its colonel until November 1688 when he was succeeded by James, Duke of Berwick. [1]
[1] Dalton, English Army Lists and Commission Registers, 1661-1714, 1904, 2: 1685-1689:29.
April 14
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i4 at Preston Church heard Mr. Bland twice.
April 15
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i5 at Preston & at prayers, the ‘ souldiers march’d at 7 ‘ith’ morning i5 at Preston & at prayers [double entry?]
April 16
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i6 at Preston & at prayers the souldiers that came in the day before the later brigade or mayety of Coll Beamond’s regiemt, march’d for Lancaster, was ‘ith’ weend [Mainsprit Weind] wth: Alderman Lemon & Sydall [?Sudell] & Mr Nowell
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i8 at Preston & at prayers & ith’ weend at Birchalls [hostelry, location unknown] wth Mr Mayor & Cousin Lomax [not identified] Mr LemonMr Hobson &c
April 19
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry i9 at Preston & at prayers at Ancor & at Coffeehouse
April 20
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 20 at Preston & at prayers, there came in ith’ afternoone i3 companies of foot Coll: Beverage’s regiemt. Capt Dunken quartd wth mee, Capt. & adjutant Comment The regiment was Col. William Beveridge’s Regiment of Foot which had been re-formed in February 1689. The regiment would have been on its way to Scotland. There were 13 companies in the regiment totalling 780 men. [1]
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 2i at Preston Church heard the Coll’s Chaplaine & Mr. Walmsley of Layland Comment The colonel’s chaplain was John Eles [1]
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 22 at Preston, they [Beveridge’s regiment] marched before 7 & Mr. lemon & I went to Penwortham [Priory] dyned there & was at Boathouse wth my Bro: in our returne; the Newes of LondonDerry being left to the Irish, came to town. Comment The news of the fall of Londonderry was mistaken.
April 23
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 23 at Preston & at prayers & at Margret Wildings for 3 onely Mr Mayor sent for mee
April 24
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 24 at Preston & at prayers & at Ancor the Commssrs: for the royall Aid met and appoynted to meet againe the 7th: of may, was after at Margret Wilding wth Mr. Mayor,Mr Holden Mr Norris [not identified] and Mr. Addyson [not identified] ’till 12 [Harrison inserts ‘care’? [1]] future Comment Shortly after the accession of William and Mary the hearth tax, disliked by Whigs and manufacturers and favoured by land-owning Tories, was abolished to be replaced later in the year by a land tax which ‘quickly became the bogeyman of the Tories’. [2] Would the Royal Aid have been an interim measure?
[1] Richard D. Harrison, ‘The Rawstorne Diary, 1687-89’ (typescript, nd), 113, Search Room, Lancashire Archives. [2] Steve Pincus, 1688: The First Modern Revolution (Yale University, 2009), 384.
April 25
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 25 at Preston & at prayers forenoon and after, being St. Marks day, & at Coops [hostelry location unknown] for 3 onely wth Mr Mayor & others.
April 26
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 26 at Preston & at prayers & at the Leet Court, Mr. Gregson Gave the Charge to’th’ Jury
April 27
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 27 at Preston & at prayers my brother & Sister dyned wth us ‘ith’ evening came into Towne part of Mayoe Generall Kirks regiemt. 7 Companies Leuietent: Mortimer his sonne [?] & sent to get mee Comment The regiment was the Queen Dowager’s regiment of Foot, of which Maj-Gen Piercy or Percy Kirke was the colonel. Kirke was the son of a former MP for Clitheroe, and himself served briefly as an MP for West Looe in 1689. He had a long military career during which he served as a governor of Tangier, earning a reputation there for cruelty and corruption. His excesses in the treatment of prisoners after Monmouth’s rebellion gained him further notoriety. He rose to the rank of general under William III, seeing service at the siege of Londonderry, to where his regiment would have been headed . He died in 1691. [1]
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 28 at preston church heard a stranger came out of Ireland 2.
April 29
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 29 at Preston & at prayers & at Ancor wth. Capt Withers, Capt Bury Capt Collier [latter two officers not identified] & others.
April 30
Bellingham entry [no entry] Rawstorne entry 30 at Preston & at prayers, after dinner went to Walton wth Dr Leigh & Mr Bancks [possibly Tim Banks], was at Nans [hostelry location unknown].
