Elizabeth Hooton

by Emily Manners

In the beginning of the Ninth Month in the yeare 1654 John Whitehead first came to preach the Light within, & for beareing Testimony in the High Place called the Minster in Lincoln that it is the Light of the Glorious Gospell that Shines in Man’s heart & Discovers Sin, He was buffetted & most shamefully intreated, being often knocked down by the Rude & Barberous People, who were encouraged thereunto by Humphrey Walcott who then was in Commission to have kept the peace; but brake it by striking of the said John Whitehead with his owne hands, wᶜʰ so encouraged the Rude People, that so far as could be seene they had slaine the said John, but that God stirred some Souldiers to take him by fforce from amongst them.

Elizabeth Hooton was imprisoned in Lincoln Castle in the 9ᵗʰ month 1654 by the Procurement of Joseph Thurston, then Priest of Beckingham, for speaking to him in the Steeplehouse, she was kept Prisoner about 6 months. She was Imprisoned againe by procurement of the same priest at Lincoln Castle in Ninth Month 1655 for speaking to him after the Exercise was done, & at that time kept prisoner eleven or twelve weeks.

According to Besse, E. Hooton was the first sufferer for the Truth in Lincolnshire.[31]

BECKINGHAM CHURCH.

To face p. 14] [[See p. vi.]

There is an imperfect letter from Elizabeth Hooton in existence, which, though undated, appears to belong to this period and naturally finds a place here. It is endorsed: “E. H. Prisoner in Lincolne Castle, pleads to him in Authority to reforme the abuses of yᵉ Goal,” and contains a striking description of the state of the gaols of the Commonwealth and of the many abuses connected with their management.[32] Her protests against strong drink, her plea for the separation of the sexes and for the employment of the prisoners reads more like an appeal from Elizabeth Fry two centuries later.

O thou that artt sett in Authoryty to doe Justice and Judgmente, and to lett the oppressed goe free, thease things are required att thy hands, looke vpon the pore prissonors, heare is that hath not an[y] [al]lowance all though thear be a greatte sume of mony comes out of the country suffic[ien]tt to hellpe them all that is in want, booth theare dew alowance and to sett them aworke which would labor, And those that are sentt hether for deb[ts] that theare rates for beds, which is ten grots the weeke may be taken downe [paper torn] at to reasonable raites, And theare beare which is sould at such an vnreasonab[le] [paper torn] thear meseuers being so extreame littell that itt may be amendid [paper torn] and equity, for many pore detters is sett in heare for a small dett and [paper torn] a great deale of the score fare more then thear dette. And it is [? a place of g]reate dissorder and of wickednes, so that for oppression and prophaines J neuer came in such a place, because a milignant woman keeps the gole.

Opprission in meat and in drinke and in feese, and in that which they call garnishes, and in many other thinges, And J my selfe am much abused, booth hir and hir prissonars, and hir houshould, so that J cannott walke quiatly abroade but be abused with those that belonge vnto hir. When a drunken preist comes to reade command praire, or to preach aftar his owne in vention or Jmmaginations, then thay locke me up, and all the rest are comanded to come forth to heare, and so is keptt in blindnes.

And so in drinking and profaines and wantonnes, men and women to gether many times partte of the night, which grefes the spiritt of god in me night and day. This is required of the o man, to reforme this place, as thy power and Authority doth alow, ether remove strong drinke out of this place or remove the Golar, seckondly that theare rates for theare beds may be taken dowen. That theare garnishes and theare greate fese may be taken of, and thease oppresed prissonors may come to some hearing, such as is wrongfuly prissoned, And that theare may be some beter order amongst the men and woman which is prissonars to keepe them assunder and sett them a worke, and sett them att libbirty that is not able to pay the feese, and to take out the dissordred person, which kipeth all in dissorder, in carding and dicinge, and many other vaine sportes, and so J leave itt to thy Concsence to redres the dissorders in this rewde place, and so have J discarged my Concsence [paper torn] much vpon me, that thou mightest know itt and itt redres.