Your Lordship’s most humble and grateful servant,
My good Lord, Your Lordship having been graciously pleased to understand the difference, and to appear for the poor town of Lowestoft and the fishermen, against their rich and powerful adversaries of Yarmouth, before the Lords in Parliament; for which great condescension your Lordship has the prayers of many hundreds depending on the said fishery, and the most humble and hearty thanks of that poor town, who implore the continuance of your Lordship’s favour. And although many persons of honour, out of a sense of the equity of our case, have stood up in our defence, yet can we not apply to any so properly, as those of our own county, amongst whom, from an experience of your paternal care, I humbly beseech your Lordship to peruse this short brief of the late proceedings before your Lordship in Parliament, whereby your Lordship may easily discern the pride and malice of our adversaries, who, to the amazement of all our gentry, durst so slight the Lords’ late orders and judgments. But their design was to spoil us at once; concluding, that we were so disabled by the charge and great expense of the late suit they have put us to, that we should never be able to stir any further in this matter; as, in truth, they might well suppose, it having cost our poor town, at least, upwards of £500, to the great impoverishment thereof. Yet, so it is, my Lord, that should we desist in our defence, no man of trade can stay to live in the town, except some few to till the ground. So that unless your Lordship shall, upon our petition, at the next sitting of the House, be graciously pleased to afford us relief, and plead for our future peace and security, we shall be inevitably ruined. I shall not dare your Lordship’s further trouble at present, but beg pardon for this presumption, which our necessities compel me to; and acknowledge the favour of having access to your Lordship in this case, especially now in the absence of our highly honoured friend Lord Hollis, and that I may subscribe myself, as I am, my good Lord.
Your Lordship’s most humble and grateful servant,
A similar letter was sent by the same writer to the EARL of ANGLESAY.
By the constant irruptions of the sea about this time, on that part of the coast whereon the post was erected which bounded the liberties of Yarmouth, the said boundary-mark was washed down. And as the want of some conspicuous object, to denote the boundary of the said liberties, might possibly be attended with some disagreeable consequences, and occasion fresh disputes; it was therefore thought necessary to solicit the attendance of several gentlemen of distinction in the neighbourhood, to superintend the re-placing of the said boundary mark, which was necessary, both for the security of the privileges of Lowestoft, as also for obviating any imputation of infringement on the liberties of Yarmouth. Accordingly, on the seventh of February, 1676, the gentlemen who were requested to be present at the re-placing of the said boundary-mark, assembled for that purpose at Lowestoft, and executed the same; the particulars of which proceeding are contained in the following relation:—