ness; and who, like Shakspeare's robbers, were mounted and wore vizors. The particulars respecting them are found in a Narrative preserved among the Lansdown Manuscripts in the British Museum, in the hand-writing of Sir Roger Manwood, at that time Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and indorsed with the date of 3d July, 1590. "Circumstances vrginge me St. Roger Manwood to proceade to the late indytinge of Curtall, Manweringe, and other Malefactors in Kent. "When a Contrye is anoyed with frequent Robberyes, and the malefactors not discovered, I holde yt to bee a good parte of Justice to examyne and learne what persons in the contry doe havnt Innes, typling howses, and highe wayes, ryding gallantlye, lyvinge in Apparell and other expences far above their knowne lawfull meanes of lyvinge and abilitye; of which sorte Manweringe, Curtall, and Essex, weare knowne to bee iij. "In October, at beginninge of last Mychaelmas Terme iij or iiijor robberyes done at Gadeshill by certen ffoote theves, vppon hughe and crye, one of the Theves named Zachfeild flying and squatted in a bushe was brought to me, and vppon examynacon fyndinge a purse and things about him suspiciouse, and his cause of being there and his flyinge and other circumstances very suspiciouse, I commytted him to the Jayle, and he ys of that robberye indyted. "In the course of that Mychaelmas Terme, I being at London, many robberyes weare done in the hye wayes at Gadeshill on the west parte of Rochester, and at Chatham downe on the East parte of Rochester, by horse theves, with suche fatt and lustye horses as weare not lyke hackney horsses nor farr jorneyng horsses, and one of them sometyme wearing a vizarde greye bearde, (by reason that to the persons robbed the Theves did use to mynister an othe that there should bee no hue and crye made after, and also did gyve a watche woorde for the parties robbed, the better to escape other of their Theves companye devyded vppon the hyghe waye,) he was by common report in the Contry called Justice greye Bearde; and no man durst travell that waye without great companye. "After thend of that Mychaelmas terme, iij or iiij gent": from London, rydinge home towards Canterburye, at the West end of Gadeshill, we are overtaken by v. or vj horsemen all in Clokes vpp about their faces, and fellowe like all, and none lyke servants or waytinge on thother, and swiftly ridinge by them gat to the East end of Gadeshill, and there turned about all their horsses on the faces of the trewe men, wherby they became in feare; but by chanse one of the trewe men did knowe this Curtall to bee one of the v or vj. swift ryders, and after some speache betwene them of the manyfold robberyes there done and that by company of this Curtall that gentleman hoped to have the more saffetye from robbing, this Curtall, with the other v or vj swifte ryders, rode awaye to Rochester before, and the trewe men coming afterwards neere Rochester they did mete this Curtail retorning on horsebacke, rydinge towards Gadeshill againe. And after they had passed Rochester, in Chatham streete, at a smyths fordge they did see the reste of the swyft ryders tarying about shoing of some of their horsses, and then the trewe men doubted to be sett vppon at Chathan downe, but their company being the greater they passed without troble to Sittingborne that nighte when they harde of robberyes daylye done at Chatham downe and Gadeshill, and that this Curtall with v or vj other as lustye Companyons and well horssed mvche havnted the Innes and typlinge howses at Raynham, Sittingborne, and Rochester, with liberall expences. Afterwards at a howse wheare payment of monye was made, and by chance vppon the monye pooringe out (one Testerne) fell from the heape, and whiles the partie was busye in telling the heape, this Curtall being in companye, toke awaye that Testerne, and being in talke with one of his acquaintance, who sayde he marvelled to see Curtall in so good estate for apparell and horsse and other mayntenance, Curtall sayde that he spent c" by yeare; thother asking him howe he came by somuche lyvinge Curtall answered that he dyd serve no man, but lyved of himselfe, but, nowe and then, when yt pleased him he had entertuynment at the howse of his good Captaine S'. Edward Hobby, and in the course of that winter nere Chatham downe, within a myle or ij of St. Edward Hobbyes howse weare manye robberyes done, uppon one Gason, one Chapman, one Manser, and many others, but no discoverye of the malefactors. Howbeyt one Shawe of Rochester nere Chatham downe, rydinge in the hye waye was sett vppon by ffoote theves who did fell him from his horsse, and by other trewe mens company cominge he escaped robbinge, which Shawe, vppon his cominge to Rochester beinge examyned by a Justice of Peace sayde that for the hurte to him done he would bee revenged vppon this Curtall, and one other Parker, S'. Edward Hobbyes Cater, whom he did know to bee ij of them that sett vppon him. Afterwards, at Lent Assizes, one Manwaringe, a notoriouse theife and a famylier of Curtall was araigned for a Fellonye, and notwithstandinge plaine evidence againste him, was acquitted by a badd Jury which weare by the Justices of Assize bound over to awnsweare for their misdemeanor, and Curtall was present at the same Assizes and thought he did vse meanes for helpinge of his ffreind Manwaringe. And notwithstandinge that Acquittall of Manwaringe, the same Manwaringe was for a burglarye done in Canterburye and other matter of felonye (besydes that whereof he was acquitted) repryed to the Jayle by the Justices of Assize ༅། and Gaiole deliverye before my coming home from Circuit, S'. Edward Hobbye came to Canterburye and there procured some one or ij, other Justices of the Peace unlearned in the lawe to bayle Manwaringe, and so a notoriouse theife ys escaped from his deserved pvnishment, a manifeste contempt againste Justice for Justices of Peace to bayle a prysoner (repryed without bayle by Justices of Assize aud gaole deliverye); and because a Justice of Peace who had travelled in thexamynacion of Manwarings offence, and, declaringe to S. Edward Hobbye the Repry of the Justices of Assize and Gaole deliverye, would not ioyne in bayle of Manwaringe, therefore with reproachfull speeches, the sayde S. Edward Hobbye grewe in offence withe the same Justice: whiche Manwaring and the sayd Curtall weare great famyllyars. Afterwards the Customer of Sandwiche with his men rydinge in the hye waye betwene Chatham downe and Syttingborne this Curtall came by one horsebacke swyftelye vuinge and crying aloude zaghe, zaghe, after a Frenche manner, in suche wyse as the Customer and his man became in some dismaye, and then one other horseman, a ffamyliar of Curtalls and knowne to the Customer, told the Customer he shoulde not neade to feare ; The Customer asked who that man was that so ranne by a horsebacke cryinge zagh, zagh, and he told him it was Curtall, who was commonly called Justice Grey Bearde, but sayde that the Customer should have no hurte, and so the Customer passed to Syttingborne. 7 After all these aforesayde circumstances declared to me, I finding the Robberyes to be suche and so manye as the contrye was grevyd and greatly annoyed, and against the malefactors suspected no Justice of peace durst proceade, and finding that Manwaring, a notoriouse theife was contemptuosely sett at libertye by Sir Edward Hobbye, and being at libertye was like to doe muche mischeife, and that this Curtall and Manwaring kepte themselves aboute St. Edward Hobbyes howse in the Isle of Sheppey, where no Constable or any like officer from the partes about Canterburye durste there entermedle, and finding that the over nomber of typling howses did muche harbor and encrease malefactors, for some reformacion of those ij myscheiffes thought good withe advise of some other of the Justices of peace learned in the lawe to hold a speciall Sessions for inquirye and reformacion of those ij matters; At which Sessions vppon dewe sommons weare eight or ix Justices of peace; and I geving a brief chardge gave one note for reformacion of those inordynate robberyes that persons by common fame suspected to lyve havnting Innes and ryding in the hye wayes from place to place with apparell and expences farr exceadinge their knowne lyvings and abilyties weare moste lyke to bee the malefactors, of which sorte I declared what circumstances to me had bene confessed touching Curtall, and Manwaringe, and shewed a purse with a horne whistle for a call amonge theves dispersed in a woode, by myselfe taken vppon one Zachfeild after a robbery at Gadeshill att begininge of mychaelmas terme And I did give an other noate for suppressinge of vnnessessarye typling howses with the names of them also, wheruppon the Jurye more of their owne knowledge, lying in the Contry, all the wynter, than of my knowledge lying in London, did endyte Curtall and Manwaringe, and presented dyverse of the typling howses, and no man of myne was any of the Jurye, after which specyall Sessions an other robberye of one Hall in the Queenes highe waye was done at Elham fayre by iiij." or v. horsemen theves, and by myne Examynacion and searche I found John Essex, a lyke myspender of his thrifte and lyving as Curtall ys, to bee one of that companye, And theruppon I rode to Maydstone Quarter Sessions, and there, upon my Chardge and Notes shewed the sayde Essex was also indited, and so by meanes the said iiijor. malefactors be indyted, viz. Zachfield, Manwaring, Curtall, and Essex, iij. of them beinge yet at lardge and cannot be apprehended howbeyt this my begininge of proceadinge against them hathe shattered the Nestes and Companyes, so that Robberyes hathe not vsually bene done since as weare before to the good quiett and comforte of the Contrye which was the cause I did only seeke without malice to any person as God shall be my judge. And for the mystakinge of the daye and tyme of the robberye layde in thendytment or super hominem Ignotum, that ys in lawe not materyall, so as uppon evidence at th'araignment the facte may be proved to be done uppon any man at another daye, and to aggravate any evydence at th'arraignment at Thassizes I will not yf Manwaring and Curtall his famyliar will appeare at the Assizes, and if Curtall will declare truly the names of those iiij. or v. of his swifte rydinge companyons who did overtake Mr. Fyneux, Mr. Smythe, Mr. Pryse, and Mr. Hadds, at Gaddeshill after thend of laste Mychaelmas terme, wherbye the havntinge robberyes in the hye waye ceasse, and not be frequent as they have bene. HENRY ELLIS." : C, Baldwin, Printer. New Bridge-street, London. END OF VOL. XVI. |