Star Chamber Case: Steill v. Mitchell et al

TNA: STAC 8/276/26

Item 3, single membrane (25 January) (Replication of Michael Steill)

Mercurij 25 Ianuarij Anno primo Iacobi Regis

(signed) William Miller/

The Replicacion of Mychaell Steill Complainant to the Annsweares of William Bowes Edmond Mennell Esquier
and ffrancis Mitchell defendantes/

The said Replicant saveing to himself at all tymes hearafter all benefitt of excepcion to the incertaintes and insuffyciences of the said Annsweares saithe as in his bill of Complaint he hath saide and doth and will aver maintaine and iustify the same ‸⸢bill of Complaint and all and every other thing therin contayned⸣ to be good iust and true as in such sorte manner and forme as the same in the said bill of Complaint are most iustly and truly sett forth and declared and for Replicacion to the said answers he Replieth and saith that the said Defendantes did by complotting and practyse had amongst them Contrive make and p publishe the slanderous libell in the bill of Complaint mencioned against the said Complainant and against ffrancis Thornton in the bill of Complaint named maliciously and of purpose vtterly to disgrace and discredit and to bring the Complainantes good name in question without any cause at all given vnto them by the Complainant soe to doe and the said Replicant further saithe that the defendantes are common libellers and they have since the makeing of the said slanderous libell mencioned in the bill falsely and wickedly contrived and made or caused to be Contrived and made and have Publyshed two other seuerall libells against divers other persons of good credit and Reputacion in the County of yorke to the great disgrace slander and discreditt of the said persons whose names the Replicant doth forbear to sett downe in this Replicacion but he saieth by testimony of witnesses playnely to prove the same in this suite and to make the same appear vpon the hearing of ⸢‸this cause in⸣ this honorable courte and he further saithe that the defendantes are and for the space of divers years past haue beene persons of ill demeanour and haue every one of them misdemeaned himselfe in divers, seuerall kyndes and he saithe that heartofore the said Edmond Mennell and william Bowes wear bounde and as yet still stand ‸⸢bound⸣ for the good behaviour before his maiestes Councell in the North at the instance and suyte of this Replicant whome they had formerly divers wayes wronged and advised abvsed as playnely appeared before his maiestes said Councell and he nether saithe that synce the makeing and publishing of the said ll libell the said William Bowes in the shopp of one william Bell in allerton saide that the Complainant should not travell in the Country but he should be beaten and that sowndly and that in such sorte that he should never cast yt also the said william Bowes further Reported that he would procure certaine blew capps meaning borderers or north Country men to kill the Replicant and he should never know who did the same also he saithe that the said Edmond Mennell vpon serveing a proces of subpena vpon him awarded against him oute of this courte at the suyte of the Complainant did miscall and Revyle the Replicant behynde his back and vttered hard speaches against him and saide that yf the Complainant had beene there he would haue maide him haue eaten the said proces and willed this Replicantes servant to tell the Replicant that he woulde make the Replicant fynde foure paire of legges when he should meete with him meaning as yt should seeme to make this Replicant Run away for fear of being killed and at that tyme the said Edmond Mennell did make an assalte and affray vpon this defendantes ⸢plaintifes⸣ said servant who served him with proces oute of this honorable courte for answering of the said bill of Complaint as is said and in that affrey did soe hurte him in soe much that affidavit was ‸⸢therof synce⸣ made accordingly and the said Edmond Mennell for that offence standes comitted to the prison of the fleet by order of this honorable courte but as yet he escapes without imprisonment for the same and he saithe that the defendantes to be further Revenged against this Replicant did assemble and gather together certaine persons vnknowne to this Replicant within the towne of Northallerton vpon a market day a faire day there who wear prepared with cordes to bynde this Replicant yf they should ‸⸢haue⸣ happened to meete him in the towne and for that purpose they did come to the said towne in Company of the said Edmond Mennell who the same day did Ryde vpp and downe the said towne seekeing to haue mett with the Replicant of purpose to haue bett the Replicant with a <..> <...> bull pisle which the said Mennell had in his hand but the Replicant that day was not in the towne of Northallerton and soe he by good chaunce escaped their handes without eyther byndeing <..> ‸⸢or⸣ beating and he saithe that the said Mennell one of the defendantes synce they entered bond for the good behaviour as as is saide did beat one (blank) Todd being this Replicantes kinsman and one ⸢one⸣ that he knew did affect the said Replicant and he did beat him in publike assembly at a horse Runing with a switching rodd in disgrace of this Replicant he knoweing him to be his kinsman and in soe doeing the said Mennell hath forfeyte his bond or Recognizance Whearin he became bounde as is said and he saythe that that the said William Bowes hath synce the making entering of the said bond procured his servantes to assalt this Replicant and in Cruell and dispitefull manner to shoulder this Replicant and to give vnto him very hard wordes and the said William Bowes hath also synce that tyme vttered her hard speaches against the said Replicant and therin hathe Revyled him and hathe done what he can by slanderous speaches to take away the Replicantes gr good name Without that any other matter or thing in the said Aunswers mencioned contayned and <..> hearin ⸢before⸣ not suffyciently Confessed and avoyded trauerssed or denyed is true all which matters this Replicant will aver and prove as this honorable courte shall award and praieth as in the bill of Complaint hi he hath prayed./

°keen° (signed) Richard Hutton (signed) H Tophan °sub <...> termino Pasche°

  • Footnotes
    • °keen°: meaning unclear
    • sub ... Pasche: 'under <...> Easter term'
  • Document Description

    Record title: Star Chamber Case: Steill v. Mitchell et al
    Repository: TNA
    Shelfmark: STAC 8/276/26
    Repository location: Kew

    10 October 1603–24 January 1603/4; English; parchment; items 1–3 of 5 items, tied together: item 1: 3 membranes, item 2: single membrane, item 3: single membrane; 370–780mm x 250–520mm; modern pencil numbering, item 1: 1–4 (membrane 2 is the dorse of membrane 1), item 2: 5, item 3: 6.

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