The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-06-24 00:00:00

BOLTON-EXECUTION OF AN EARL OF DERBY

England in the Nineteenth Century.")
ime town of Bolton itself a new church, Immanuel, has
been opened on Bolton Moor, Cannon-street, the history of
which is creditable to the vicar. A public subscription was
-,ql to present him with some plate, as a present for his
- the Sunday school, &c., about four years since.
anted to six or seven hundred pounds, which he
lould be made the basis of a subscription for a
~ The plan was speedily carried into effect, and
d building, at the cost of about £2OOO, or less, has
6ecrated and endowed. Large Sunday and infant
re now erecting opposite to the church. The new
,s above mentioned, and several others in this town
zighbourhood, have been benefitted by a grant, made
year, out of the fund for the improvement of small in-
aies, &c., under Lord John Russell'skill. A new eccle-
Aastical district has also just apportioned, and published by
the Bishop of the diocese. It divides the whole borough
into as many districts as there are churches and chapelries,
but not to take effect during the life of the present vicar.
Among the new churches we ought to have mentioned Christ
Church, formerly a chapel belonging to the Methodist New
Connexion, the minister of which conformed last year, and
persuaded his congregation to conform along with him. The
chapel was mortgaged to its value, and the father-in-law of
the minister was its high priest. No new dissenting chapels
have been opened for many years, but a splendid Catholic
chapel and schools are about erecting, and it salso reported
that a site is purchased for a Scotch chapel.
" John Okey the servant of God was borne in London
1608 came into this towne 1627 married Mary the daughter
of James Crompton of Breightmet 1635 with whome he lived
comfortably 20 years & begot 4 sons and 6 daughters since
then he lived sole to the day of his death. In his time were
many great changes & and terrible alterations 18 years civill
wars in England besides many dreadfull sea fights the
crown or command of England changed 8 times episcopacy
laid aside 14 yeares London burnt by papists and more
stately built againe. Germany wasted 300 miles 200000
protestants murdered in Ireland by the papists. This town
thrice stormed once taken & plundered He went through
many terrible & divers conditions found rest joy and happi-
ness only in holiness the faith feare and love of God in Jesus
Christ He dyed the 29th of Ap & lieth here buried 1684
Come Lord Jesus 0 come quickly "
After the death of this " servant of God," the great siege
took place, when the Earl of Derby stormed the town and
dislodged the Republicans troops. This achievement was
the cause of his being beheaded in the town. Lancashire
bore no mean part in the wars between Charles and parlia-
ment.
We have spoken in our notice of Wigan of the gallant bear-
ing of the Earl of Derby in that place, and also in that of
Knowsley, of his condemnation. An account of his capture
the Earl gives in a deeply interesting letter to his lady, then
in the Isle of Man. " I escaped a great danger at Wigan,
but met with a worse at Worcester; being not so fortunate
as to meet with any one that would kill me, and thereby have
put me out of the reach of envy and malice. Lord Lauder-
dale and I having escaped, hired horses, and falling into the
enemy's hands were not thought worth killing, but had quar-
ter given us by one Edge, a Lancashire man." He adds
with simple pathos, " I thought myself happy in being sent
prisoner to Chester, where I might have the comfort of see-
ing my two daughters, and to find means of sending to you ;
but I fear my coming here may cost me dear, unless Al-
mighty God, in whom I trust, will please to help me some
other way : but whatsoever come of me, I have peace in my
own breast and have no discomfort at all but the afflictive
sense I have of your grief, and that of my poor children."
His progress from Chester to the scaffold at Bolton was
attended by numerous displays of respect, affection, and re-
grets. In the town the people refused to strike a nail in
preparation for the execution, which was therefore delayed
till late in the day. "On his going towards the scaffold, the
people cried and prayed on every side." He calmly ascended
it, sat himself down, and began to address those who were
assembled. On his uttering the words, " I die for God, the
king, and the laws," he was interrupted by a brutal trooper,
who exclaimed, " We have no king, and we will have no
lords." A disturbance ensued, and the soldiers fell upon
the spectators ; and, fearful of the consequences, the noble-
minded Earl desisted from speaking, and handed his papers
to his servant, with a command that he would make their
contents known. The uproar was now over. The Earl
asked for his executioner, and extending his hand for the
axe, said, " Come, friend, give it into my hands, I'll neither
hurt thee nor it ; and it cannot hurt me, for I am not afraid
of it." He kissed and returned the instrument. He asked
to see the block ; it was not ready lifting his eyes towards
heaven, he said, " How long, good Lord ! how long ?"
Giving the headsman two pieces of gold, he added, " This is
all I have take it and do thy work well, and when lam upon
the block and lifting up my hands, then do your business ;
but I fear your great coat will hinder or trouble you, pray
Pr it off." Passing to the side where his coffin stood, he saw
? e of his chaplains, and said, " Sir, remember me to your
tt,other and .
!fiend. You see lam ready, but the block is not."
ynueutrilteenarssaid " Good people. I thank you for your prayers and
then deg,: a I have heard the one and seen the other." He
earing, the block to be turned towards the church, de-
and hope towillll9ok towards thy sanctuary while I am here,
ter." AftetZ to thy heavenly sanctuary for ever hereaf-
must I lie,' ner betook off his doublet, and saying,
it fits," laid himeserri any one's head cut off, but I'll try how
.his friendework "
Wcutioner gh, Vsewn on the block, and rising, bade the
prayers of with care. Imploring the
short supplication in _rho were near, and having made a
the Lord bless y wwVeate he bowed himself, and added,
111." Finally he lain children, and the Lord bless
.sed be God's holy natu's neck on the block, saying,
,ver. Amen. Let the
,nole earth be filled with hisegi for
prayers.uy nothing was heard in
severed from i„„ .He
.gave the signal ;
his head was
thhaenredw. ere the the town but sighs, sobs, and
When his body was laid in the enfA
follow-
ig lines thrown into it by an unknown'
4. Wit, bounty, courage ;
,all three here in olie lie dead,
A Stanley's hand, Vere s heart, and Cecil' s head."
' corpse was conveyed to Ormskirk' and there
_,,ced with his renowned ancestors, to mingle
his ashes
ith theirs.

(From

a very g,
been co

The next day. nr.

PRomFic I,VrFE.—A woman of the name of Oelcw 11
let of Do wnarepney, Cricklade, Wilts, has twenetv'
all at home, and the eldest only eighteen yea'r;

the ha

ACCIDENT TO AN A °vA".__An accident, which had
E
;en nearly attended with fatal resaulvtesr,yodcicautirargeudisahtetdheaeßraal
gnolles on Saturday morning, to
ascended in a balloon from
aut, M. Dupuis Delcourt, who • -0 the practicabi-
hat village, for the purpose of ascertain' ~
city of inflating a balloon with gas proodfuccaedrbboyn,
hydrogen carbonic acid and the oxyde atomaixvottildrethoef
The balloon ascended
expense of pure hydrogen gas.
suc-
cessfully amidst the applause of the surrounding
but having reached a certain height,spectators,
rialtraveller was
rendered insensible by the gas which theescaapeed fhrooTetvbeer,intfhee-
rior extremity of the balloon. Fortunately,
balloon descended in a field of rye whilst M. Delcourt was
a.s
in a state of insensibility. After some time be recovered his
senses, and was enabled to quit the car, when some curious
persons, attracted by the sight, began inconsiderately to drag
the balloon, in which they made a large rent, and M. Del-
court, becoming enveloped in an atmosphere of gas, fell sense-
less to the ground He remained several hours in this state
in a farm-house to which he was removed,
but was at length
restored by the unceasing
efforts of the physicians who were
called to hie assistance. This serious accident has confirmed,
in a remarkable manner, the late experiments of MM. Le-
blanc and Dumas on the effects of the oxyde of carbon, of
which the hundredth part mixed with air is sufficient to
akill
an animal. Now that all danger
sidered an important discovery.—Jour des his-DmeLytab.e c n-