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168 Glimpses of Our Ancestors. |
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seen in St. Andrew's Church of that city. His son and heir, William Cawley, who was born in 1602 (his father died in 1621) was, there is no doubt, the most popular and influential man of his day in Chichester. He sat both for Midhurst and Chichester in Parliament, and his name appears as taking the Covenant on the same day (June 6, 1633) as his fellow-Sussexian, John Selden, and a still more famous man, Oliver Cromwell. He was appointed by the House as one of the Commissioners " for demolishing superstitious pictures and monuments" in London, and he was selected to return thanks to the Divines who preached before Parliament on August 28, 1644—a fast day—"for their pains in their sermons." At a later date he was empowered to pay to "three able preaching ministers" in Chichester £100 a year each out of the estates of the Dean and Chapter. In all probability he was, like Cromwell, with whom he is said to have been on terms of close friendship, an Independent in religion; and, when war broke out between King and Parliament, he, like Cromwell, joined the army and received a Commission, though we hear nothing of him in a military way. But he was active and zealous in other directions. In 1642, when the Royalists of Chichester rose and wrested the city from the newly-appointed Parliamentary Mayor, imprisoning some of the train-band, with an intention to make Chichester the rallying-point of their cause in Sussex, it was Cawley who sent intelligence of their doings to Colonel Morley, then in attendance on Parliament, in London, and this led to the successful expedition into Sussex of Sir William Waller, who, having taken Arundel (the first time) by a coup de main, proceeded to besiege Chichester, and captured the city after a not very vigorous resistance by the Royalists of eight days. The fact was, as Clarendon confesses, the Royal cause was unpopular with "the common people of the county," and, to use his own words, " their (the Royalists) number of common men was so small that the constant duty was performed by the officers and gentlemen of quality, who were absolutely tired out." From this moment up to the Restoration William |
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