The oath taken by the “Sworn men” was administered by the civil authorities, and their tenure of office was for life, or until they thought proper to resign. The origin of “Sworn men,” or at least of the name, dates from the fourteenth century, and the institution itself seems to have been common in this part of Lancashire; Preston, Lancaster, Garstang, and Goosnargh, having had assemblies bearing similar titles and performing similar duties, but consisting only of twenty-four men each.
In 1636 a serious dispute arose between the Thirty-men and the vicar, the Rev. Edward Fleetwood, owing to the latter requiring the council to subscribe to the following conditions:—
“1st. They shall lay no gauld themselves without the consent of the vicar.
2nd. That the vicar shall have a negative voice in all their proceedings, and that they shall determine nothing without the consent of the said vicar.
3rd. They shall not put or elect any new 30-men without the vicar’s consent.
4th. They shall not meet in the church upon any business whatever, unless they acquaint the vicar before.
5th. If there be any turbulent or factious person, that the rest of the company shall join with the vicar and turn him out.”[153]
On the Thirty-men refusing to comply with his request, the vicar excluded them “by violence” from their usual meeting-place in the church, and on the 5th of November, 1638, when they were called upon by the churchwardens to attend there in order to lay the necessary taxes for the repair of the sacred edifice, then much decayed, Mr. Fleetwood “locked himself in the church, as before he had many times done,” and compelled them to conduct their business without the building.
Incensed at the persistent hostility of the vicar an appeal against his conduct was made by the “men” to the archbishop of York, and by him referred to the bishop of Chester, who replied:—“That the corporation or company of 30-men, not having any warranty from the king, was nothing in law; but if the parish or township did delegate the power to the 30-men as to church matters, then their acts relating thereunto were as effectual and binding as if they had the king’s sanction; and wishing to know the affection of the parishioners on this head, he issued an order on 22 Nov. 1638, that public notice shᵈ be given in the church for all the parishioners to meet and give their voices whether they chose that the custom of the 30-men representing the whole parish two for every township, should continue, or they should be dissolved.”[154]
Mr. Fleetwood having ignored this order, the churchwardens took upon themselves the duty of calling a general conference of the parishioners; a great multitude assembled in the churchyard, where the meeting was held, the vicar having locked the church door, and declared in favour of their ancient custom being continued and preserved to their posterity as it had come down to them, freely giving “their power and strength to the said 30-men, to confer and determine all church matters.”