Peter
All about religion of course, not so much Quakers, but Puritans and the
Laudian church. Here's a quote from Long Melford in Suffolk, written on the
back of the churchwarden's accounts for 1593/4, so 36 odd years earlier:
"Stephen Shepherd openly accuseth our pastor upon eister tusday the 2 day of
Aprell 1594 that he corruptly and personaly did chuse a churchwarden and by
it contended and braled with him in the church and obstinatly would kepe on
his hatt in contempt of our pastor"
Robert Crysall
George Boston
William Isacke
Robert Ellis
Thomas Hatch.
The five who signed were probably the vestry committee of the time, all good
solid local middling sort. The parish register in 1600 recorded the burial
of Stephen Shepherd thus: "Steaphen Sheap - Master of Arte and sometymes
schoolmaster in this towne was buried 25th June 1600".
So the educated schoolmaster from (probably, I haven't actually traced him)
Cambridge is opposed to the beliefs and actions of the current rector. This
is the same period as all those disputes about wearing surplices, and of
course where the altar should be.
So possibly it's not that people normally wore their hats in church, it's
that they normally took them off but you might keep it on as a statement of
opposition. Whether the same motivation is behind your brawling curate is
another matter, but quite likely I would think,
Lyn B
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