THE PROCEEDINGS OF HIS MAJESTY'S Justices of Peace, At the SESSIONS of Oyer and Terminer; Held at Hicks's-Hall, September the 6 th', 1684. for the Trial of the Constables, etc. of the Hamlets of Spittle-Fields, and Bethnal-Green.  
Midd. ss. Ad Sessionem Oier & Terminer tent' pro come Midd' per adjorn: apud Hicks-hall in St. John's Street, in com praed' die Sabbati, sexto die Septembris, Anno Regni Dom' nostr' Caroli secundi, Dei Gratia, Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae, Regis, Fidei defensor' etc. Tricesimo sexto, coram Will. SmithBaronetto, Rich. Downton Milite, Johan. Berry Milite, Thom. Rowe, Thom. Harriot, Armigeris, ac aliis sociis suis Justic. dicti Dom' Regis, etc. ibidem.  
IT is thought fit, and ordered by this Court, That a brief account of the Inducement to the proceedings, and of the proceedings against the Parish-Officers hereafter named, at the Sessions of Oier & Terminer, be published and Printed, as followeth.  
That the Tower-Hamlets consist of Nineteen Parishes and Hamlets; which Hamlets are as numerous as most Parishes in England.  
That the people for the most part consist of Weavers, and other Manufacturers, and of Seamen, Watermens, and such who relate to Shipping and Sea-service; and are generally very Factious and Poor.  
That there were about Sixteen great and public Conventicles within the said Hamlets, and Houses built for them as big as most Churches; and fitted up with Pews and Pulpits, as Churches.  
That the Justices of Peace of Middlesex, living in the said Tower-hamlets, could never prevail with the Constables and Parish-Officers to suppress the said Conventicles; nor during the time of the Ignoramus Juries, could invent any way to suppress them; in regard, that if any Fine had been laid upon any of the Hearers or Preachers, above Ten shillings, there lay an Appeal, which was to have been tried by a Jury, which would certainly have gone against the conviction of the Justices; and thereby the Justices would have been Derided, the Government Baffled, and those Factious persons who frequented those Conventicles, made more Insolent and Rebellious.  
That as soon as there were Loyal Sheriffs of Middlesex, and consequently hopes of good Juries, the Justices went in person, and did in a little time suppress those public and bold Conventicles.  
That the said Justices were forced, to their great trouble and charges, to keep frequent Sessions in the Tower-Hamlets for the preservation of the peace; without which, in all probability, the Factious people there in those times, had got into Rebellion, being ripe for it.  
That notwithstanding this Care of the Justices, and although, the public Conventicles were suppressed, yet the Factious people got together in great numbers in private Houses, and held Conventicles there, and those in great numbers; of which none of the Parish-Officers would make any discovery, nor execute any of the Justice's Warrants to that purpose; which did enforce the Justices to employ strangers in that Service, and by them the Justices have had intelligence where those Conventicles have been kept, and have been forced to repair to the places themselves to suppress them, not daring to trust any Parish-Officers; which was so great a trouble and toil to the Justices, that they did resolve to keep a Sessions in every Parish and Hamlet, to the intent they might make a full enquiry into all places, and a perfect discovery of those Factious and Rebellious persons, who contemned all Authority; and this they were more inclined to do, because they did apprehend, that some of those Traitors and Miscreants, who were in the late Horrid Plot for the Murder of His Majesty, and His Royal Brother, might lurk in some of those places; And therefore sent out their Warrants to the High-Constable, requiring him to issue forth his Warrant to the Officers of the several Parishes and Hamlets, to give notice of a Sessions, and to require them to bring in a List to that Sessions of the Inhabitants, Housekeepers, and Inmates, to the intent a discovery might be made what they were, and who they were who did disturb the Government, and would not conform to the Laws; And to their great charge and trouble, the Justices went through most of the Parishes and Hamlets, and kept Sessions, at last they came to the Hamlet of Spittle-fields, and there on the thirtieth day of July, Sir William Smith Baronet, Sir John Berry Knight, Charles Osborne Esq Arnold Brown Esq and Abraham Bayly Esq Justices of the Peace, Living in the Tower-hamlets, held a Sessions, to which the Parish-Officers were summoned, to give an account upon Oath of the Inhabitants, Housekeepers, and Inmates, within that Hamlet, which is the most Factious Hamlet of all the Tower-Division, having had many Conventicles in it, which it still hath; and which the Justices could never prevail with the Parish-Officers to suppress or Discover; and being then required to take an Oath to that end, they being Fifteen in number, unanimously refused (to the great contempt of Authority, and the disappointing the Justices of that discovery they hoped to have made there; for which contempt the Justices demanded of them to find Sureties to appear at the General Sessions, to answer the Contempt; and in the mean time to be of the Good Behaviour; which they likewise unanimously refused to do; for which the Justices committed them to his Majesty's Gaol of New-Prison; and as they went out of the Court, in great scorn they bid the Justices look to the Poor; and the very next day, the poor in great numbers, in a Mutinous and Rebellious way, came to the Houses of Sir William Smith, Sir John Berry, and Arnold Brown, to demand money of them, and likewise to the Minister of the Parish of Stepney, and threatened they would come a great multitude of them on Sunday to the Church, to demand Relief there; and did declare they were encouraged to this mutinous proceeding, by the instigation of some of those Officers in prison. Which practice might have had an ill consequence, if by the Justices Care it had not been prevented. That the said Officers continued in Prison about three weeks, and did not apply to any of the Justices of the Peace to be Bailed; but stayed until one of His Majesty's Judges of the King's Bench came from the Circuit, and then put in Bail before him to appear at this General Sessions, where by a Commission of Oier and Terminer they were tried, and upon a full hearing of the King's Council, and of the Parties and their Council, they were found Guilty, and Judgement given against them, as followeth, viz. Edward Binns fined an Hundred pounds, John Cartwright an hundred pounds, David Wain an hundred pounds, Roland Trion, Christopher Tooley, William Cowley, John Hilton, Richard Skingley, Laurence Culliford, Samuel Winnet, Fifty pounds a piece; William Sumner, John Newit, and John Miller, who confessed the said Indictment, Five marks a piece; George Henwood thirteen shillings and four pence; and all committed to New-Prison, until they have paid their said Fines; and John Child, the Head Beadle of the said Spittle-fields, to be set Twice in the Pillory.  
That for the same Offence, Five other Officers of the Hamlet of Bethnal-Green, had Judgement given against them as followeth, viz. James Pittman, who would not Plead or Answer to the Indictment, hath Judgement given against him by Nihil dicit, is fined Two hundred pounds; William Malin, Richard Stratford, and William Palmer, who confessed the Indictment, are fined five marks a piece, and all committed to New-Prison, until they have paid their respective Fines; Samuel Wheeler, Beadle of Bethnal-Green, to be set Once in the Pillory.  
That if Exemplary Justice had not been done upon these Offenders, neither Justices of Peace, nor any other Officers His Majesty should have employed in those Hamlets, would have been able to have done any Service for the preservation of the Peace, and suppressing these Tumultuous Meetings, and Riotous Assemblies, but they would have been in danger to have been knocked o'th' head by the Mobile.  
Per Cur' SMITH.   

LONDON: Printed by R. R. and are to be sold by Randall Taylor, near Stationer's Hall, 1684.