You Abraham Smith are a frequenter of alehouses and there are often over taken with strong drink and frequent foment of quarrels, and of fays and oftentimes you're [abusive?] to neighbours by striking or fighting with them... You Abraham Smith are a manifold condemner of authority and a slanderer of the goodness of the Church and particularly you said that the right reverend father in God, John, now Lord Bishop of Chester was condescending to the Presbyterian faction and an uncharitable person in for much that the poor in Wigan were ready to fly in his face... You, Abraham Smith, have appointed a person not on holy orders to read divine service in the parish church at Over without any lawful authority for to do contrary to the Canons and Constitutions of the Church of England... When Thomas Darlington served you, Abraham Smith, with a citation from the right worshipful chancellor of Chester for your appearance before him you snatched the citation from Thomas Darlington and tore away the seal of it and much defaced the citation saying you cared not a fart for it, in contempt of the Chancellor's authority and [to the] the evil example of others...You, Abraham Smith, in a sermon by you preached at Over Church did affirm that whatever servants having no parents alive did marry without the consent of their masters or grand dames lived in adultery all the time of their lives which as soon as you had spoken, you laughed in the pulpit and caused the greatest part of the congregation to laughing indecently and to the offence of many good Christians... You, Abraham Smith, well knowing the promises to be true have combined with some persons disaffected to Mr Littler Sheene and have disturbed and hindered Littler Sheene to perform his duty of Vicar of Over by causing the church doors to be locked and so kept to hinder Mr Sheene from coming into the church and also have caused a lock to be set upon the pulpit door of the same church and kept the key of it yourself on purpose to hinder Mr Sheene from the execution of his duty, although he hath several times offered so to do.
Smith since he came to be Minister or Curate at Over hath been some times sick or weak, so as that he was not able to discharge his duty in the Church at least the whole duty of reading prayers and preaching upon Sundays and at such times at his request this deponent saith that he did read divine service for him in the Church when as Mr Smith preached, and likewise gave other Sunday when Mr Smith was not able to come to the church and if he had not so done the congregation had been disappointed at that time and there had been no prayers.
One time the last Spring about 8 o clock at night, this deponent upon his occasions came to widow Cooke's house an alehouse near to Over Church, and found Mr Smith drinking with some company in a public room there, and in this deponent's judgment Mr Smith was then full of drink, and this deponent and his friend that was with him went by them into an upper room, and about 12 o clock at night they heard the company quarrelling below, and going down found one James Kettle on the behalf of Mr Smith, and Jonathan Robinson fighting together, and Mr Smith having put off his coat, and nothing but a white waistcoat on kept by force in an inner corner where they had been drinking, to hinder him from coming to engage in that quarrel, which if not prevented he endeavoured to have done, and then after some time of pacification, Mr Smith took Robinson's hat by the brim in a quarrelling way and turned it round his head and with his fist gave him a blow on the ear or side of the head, and offered to pull off his coat again and to fight with Robinson, but the company prevented him.
One evening Mr Smith and this deponent and some other company were drinking together in one widow Cooke's house near Over Church, and after some time of being there this deponent asked Mr Smith if he would pledge him a whole quart or flagon, and he answered that if no body other would he would, whereupon this deponent did drink a whole quart or flagon to him, and Mr Smith did drink part of it but would not drink the rest, then James Kettle who was also in the company offered and would have drunk it for him, but Mr Smith would not suffer him to drink it neither, whereupon a quarrel did arise betwixt this deponent and James, and presently Mr Smith had his coat off, and was in a white waistcoat, but was not in the same room where they were quarrelling, and this deponent heard some of the company tell him (Smith) that he should come at them meaning at this deponent and Kettle who were quarrelling in the next room. But whether Mr Smith would have engaged in the quarrel, or endeavoured to come at them and was hindered this deponent cannot depose. Then after a while this deponent came in again into the room where Mr Smith was and having been there a small space Mr Smith in a discontented manner took this deponent's hat and twirled it about on his head, but whether he struck this deponent or offered to do any more at him this deponent remembers not... He doth not live in Over parish but the party in town hath the report there [concerning Smith] to be a man of a very civil and sober life and conversation and to be very diligent in visiting the sick and in other duties of his calling... He hath heard that Mr Sheen has had two bastards, one by Margery Maddock and the other by Mary Maddock.
He hath many times seen Mr Smith in alehouses and hath heard by some of his neighbours and parishioners that he is too much a frequenter of such public places. Mrs Mary Holland who kept a public house in Over told this deponent that one time Mr Smith having been drinking in her house he did take occasion at last to quarrel with her about the reckoning, abusing her in words calling her a whore and a punk, and threw either a candlestick or a pot after her as she went down the stairs: and Edward Latham the younger of Over another time told this deponent that Mr Smith without any cause or offence given did very much abuse him in words at George [Saers?] house in Over inasmuch that had he not been a black coat he would have beaten him or the others should have beaten him... One time the last summer at Ellen Cooke's house, an alehouse near Over, some discourse happened betwixt Mr Smith and Mr Sheen and amongst other things speaking of the Lord Bishop of Chester Mr Smith said that the Lord Bishop was condescending to the Presbyterians he knew. Mr Sheen commending his Lord Bishop for his great parts and for his charity, Mr Smith answered, Oh Sir, you are mistaken in him. The poor of Wigan were ready to fly in his face when I was there last I see it, this deponent and several others being present at the same time.
He was present one time (and he thinks it's about two years ago) when Mr Smith did marry Thomas Gallamore and Mary Astler together at Thomas Rawnscroft's an alehouse at the sign of the Red Lion in Over, and the parties had first been three days published in the Church... Mr Sheen was for some years until and before the time of his suspension accepted and reputed as lawful Vicar of Over and officiated so and received the profits there for that time... To this deponent's knowledge Mr Smith did cause the Church doors to be locked and also the pulpit door against Mr Sheen on purpose... but all this was after the time of Mr Sheen's suspension, and that Mr Smith had got the Bishop's license for that place... Mr Sheen did marry John Leicester and Margaret Lee together in Robert Cooke's house an alehouse in Over one Sunday the last summer a little after Evening prayer. They both of them lived in Davenham parish and had no license nor any certificate of the publication of banns. And this deponent hath heard that Sheen had one or two bastards fathered on him.
[Ask] Edward Latham, whether he did not see and was about when the said Littler Sheen, Clerk, did not join together in holy Matrimony a man and a woman, and who they were and what in Robert Cooke's house being an alehouse in Over without license certificate or Banns asking, and whether he had the consent of their friends and parents and what time of day or night it was, and who else was then [present?] and whether the said Littler Sheen be not commonly accounted reported taken... to be a man of an ill life and conversation... and of what life and conversation the defendant Abraham Smith hath lead and is of?
With the consent of parents and friends on both sides a marriage was concluded on betwixt this deponent's daughter and John Shaw a Staffordshire man, and a license for the same was obtained from this Court directed to the Ministers of Over, Davenham and Middlewich. And this deponent's wife being struck with a palsy was not able to stir abroad but very desirous so to see her daughter married, whereupon they prevailed with Mr Smith to marry them in this deponent's house which he did at Whitsuntide last was a twelvemonth. And for the offense to the law therein this deponent is very sorry.
He was present one day in the year of our Lord 1674... when Mr Smith in the house of one Alice Baker widow an alehouse in Whitegate parish, did marry one Thomas Burroughs and Mary Dod together (he thinks her Christian name was Mary) and none other was present but this deponent, and this deponent had heard Burroughs say that he had no license for his marriage.