I AM only concerned to let the reader prepare himself, with some short account of the occasion and the method of these historical collections. The occasion was this. Upon the death of Mr. Owen Jones, 21. May 1685. I was presented to this church of Ambrosden, by the worthy patron the late Sir William Glynne, baronet, and found some disturbance in the parish, about the manner of expending and accounting for the annual profits of certain lands and tenements allotted to pious uses. I was soon sensible, my duty obliged me to reconcile all differences; and was more especially inclined to consult the interest of my church, and to secure the firm title, and the just disposal of a public charity. With these thoughts, I applied myself to the two proper advocates of such a cause; my diocesan, and my patron. They bo't/i agreed in the Opinion, that the church and people were abused; and bot/i promised their assistance to pro mote a regulation of that abuse. In order to which, they enjoined me to make a more diligent search into the matters of right and fact; and to draw up a short state of the case, that they might more fully discover the corruption, and more easily proceed to some redress. Upon this, with difficulty I obtained a sight of some papers and records reposited in the church chest, and made this abstract of them, Sept. 26, 1685.
