STAC 5/A30/5

From Waalt

STAC 5/A30/5 - B A Rn Rr - 14 Eliz - - John Ames v John Amyson, Edward Bredehurst see STAC co Stafford

Transcribed by Helen Good

To the Queens most excellent Majesty

In most humble wise complaining sheweth to your excellent Majesty your grace’s obedient subject and daily orator John Ames of Trenthaye in the county of Stafford son and heir of Thomas Ames late of Trenthaye [?Trentham] aforesaid deceased that were about the fourteenth year ofthe reign of your highness most noble father our late dread sovereign lord King Henry the eighth one Frances Colcloghe daughter of Richard Colcloghe late of Woolstanton in the said county gent deceased was by compulsion and constraynt of her parents and against her good will and liking being under age of consent espoused onto the said Thomas Ames and she abhoring him and his company did run away to London and other places before she did come to years of consent and so absented herself from him the said Thomas divers and sundry years and then returned into Staffordshire and sued and convented the said Thomas in the consistory of Lichfield in a cause of divorce from bond of marriage alleging in the same suit that the marriage betwixt her and the said Thomas was when she was under tuition in custody and government of her parents and herself within years of consent, And that she never confirmed allowed or ratified the same after she accomplished the years of consent, and to prove that allegation true she producted among other one Thomas Colcloghe natural brother unto Richard Colcloghe aforesaid her father as a witness, who being sworn and examined there and being privy and knowing the said allegation to be true did depose according to the truth that she was within age of consent at the time of her marriage with the said Thomas Ames and never consented unto or ratified the same at or after the years of consent by reason whereof sentence of divorce was given from bond of marriage and the marriage between the said Thomas and Frances by the ecclesiastical judge in the said consistory pronounced void and no marriage in law, And the said Thomas Ames and Frances Colcloghe thereby set at liberty to marry at their pleasure and about two years after the said Thomas Ames married and did take to wife one Johan Adderley and had by her issue your graces said subject and many other children and being seised of divers copyhold lands in Shelton Hanley and Penkehull in the said county of Stafford of an estate in fee simple according to the custom of the manor of Newcastle in the eighth year of your highness reign surrendered the same copyhold lands to the use of your said subject and his heirs and after died since which time so it is it may please your highness that the said Thomas Colcloghe and one John Tunstall pretending the said copyhold land to be entailed unto the said Thomas Ames deceased have most wickedly and subtly practiced with one Thomas Gillam born in a strange country to allege himself to be son of the said Thomas Ames and Frances Colcloghe and and caused him the said Gyllam as issue intail to pretend title to the same copyhold lands and to attempt suit in the ecclesiastical court against the said Thomas Ames in his life time and sithence his death against your grace’s said poor subject alleging in the said court most falsely and untruly that the aforesaid marriage betwixt the said Thomas Ames and Frances Colcloghe was made when they were both of full age of consent and was afterwards betwixt them consumate and that the said Thomas Gillam was lawful child betwixt them two, And the said John Tunstall and Thomas Colcloghe considering perjury in ecclesiastical courts and before ecclesiastical judges is not there punished with any severity and that the pains provided by statute against perjured persons extended not unto perjury committed in ecclesiastical courts have not only most falsely deposed the same Frances to have been at the said marriage betwixt her and the said Thomas Ames fifteen years of age or more and to have dwelled and kept house with the said Thomas and lain with him and ratified and confirmed the said marriage direct contrary to the aforesaid first depositions of the said Thomas Colcloghe contrary to the truth and contrary and contrary to their own knowledge and so committed wilful perjury to the great offence of almighty God and peril of their souls, But have also most devilishly by by their great subornation and promises of rewards caused and procured divers poor and needy persons that is to say John Amyson William Lycet and Edward Bredehurst about one half year last past upon their oaths in the spiritual court to affirm the perjury aforesaid of the said Thomas Colcloghe and John Tunstall to the perilous example of such wicked and evil disposed persons if condign punishment should not be executed upon them, In tender consideration whereof and for as much as the punishment of perjury in the ecclesiastical court by the ecclesiastical law is so small as few or none that be wickedly disposed forbear to be perjured there for any fear of punishment in the said court And forasmuch also as subornation of perjury is not punishable by the ecclesiastical lawes may it please your excellent majesty of your accustomed clemency to grant your graces writ of subpoena to be directed to the said Thoma Colcloghe John Tustall John Amyson William Lycet and Edward Bredehurst commanding them thereby at a certain day and under a certain pain therein to be limited personally to appear before your highness council in your highness court of star chamber then and there to answer to the premisses and further to stand to and abide such order and direction therein and to receive such punishment as shall seem condign for their offences And your said subject according to his bounden duty shall shall daily pray for your highness happily long to reign.