John Jackson

VICAR OF BOURNE 1585-1612

The Protestant Reformation during the 16th century produced many recusants in Britain who were unwilling to conform to the doctrine and practices of the Church of England. In common with Roman Catholics, they were liable to varied penalties during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I and this persecution subsequently led the establishment of the various non-conformist churches and the colonisation of North America, especially by the Quakers.

It was the spread or Puritanism during the reign of Elizabeth (1533-1603) that brought a clash between church and state when John Jackson was appointed to the living at Bourne on 15th November 1585. He was a local subject of the Queen but was also one of a small band of 18 clergymen in the Diocese of Lincoln who were causing the bishop some trouble because of their non-conformist tendencies.

Bishop Wickham treated them with extreme patience and consideration but was nevertheless privately disturbed by Jackson's attempts to defy him and in 1603, the vicar and other were summoned to appear before him "for not wearing the surplice and not conforming themselves to the use of ceremonies of the church in the celebration of divine service and the administration of the sacraments, according to the Book of Common Prayer". All admitted that this was so and asked for time to consider their position but the bishop ordered them to conform by the end of the month.

A year later, Jackson was again summoned before the bishop and in the meantime, his churchwardens had been censured for omitting to report their vicar for not wearing a surplice, a requirement of all church officials at that time, and they were ordered to confess their fault in the church at Bourne. In 1605, Jackson was again before the bishop, this time pleading that "he cannot yet be resolved to conform himself and craves time".

It subsequently transpired that the vicar was not well and begged to be excused from attending a hearing before the bishop. A letter of support was also sent by Mr Thomas Shawe of Rippingale who wrote an eloquent plea on the vicar's behalf, saying: 

Most Reverend, and my very good lord: I have earnest desire to be an humble suitor unto your good lord for a man whose case is to be lamented by reason of such infirmity as God has laid upon him, both by sickness of body and lameness of limbs, in so much as the issue running now of one of his legs is full as broad as a Queen Elizabeth piece of twenty shillings in gold, so that he is not able to go or ride. Whose distressed case, both his own neighbours and so many else as see his griefs do much lament his distress, being well known to have taken great pains to feed his flock committed to his charge, a populous town and two great hamlets within his parish of Bourne; and for a very small salary hitherto his Christian care over them, not sparing midnight or cockcrow to dig and delve in season and out of season hath he wrought in the Lord's vineyard. At this hour of his lameness and impotency he favoureth not himself but visiteth the sick as occasion serveth, though he can neither well go nor ride; yet he will take a staff and limp with pain to relieve their weak consciences. I humbly beseech your lordship to respect his time of appearance until this contagious hot weather be past, that his leg, if it pleases God to give him amendment, be brought to some safer course.

One of the two great fires of Bourne, that in Manor Street in 1605, had occurred less than a than a month before and in addition, several important people lent their support including Thomas Mellers, a gentleman of Bourne, who swore on oath that the vicar was unable to attend the bishop's tribunal without endangering his body and because of this circumstance and his illness, Jackson was excused from the hearing.

There is little doubt that he had considerable sympathy although it is uncertain whether he had attracted this support because of his tendencies towards non-conformity or whether he was simply a good vicar who had found himself in hot water with his bishop. But his troubles persisted, mainly for not wearing a surplice, for refusing to give the sign of the cross and failing to follow the Book of Common Prayer and in 1611, he was suspended from the living for his non-conformist activities although the church admitted that he was generally "of good behaviour". One thing soon became obvious however, that Jackson had been seriously ill, because he died the following year, on 30th January 1612, and was buried at Bourne two days later.

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