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    ecution of some of his labourers who re D issenters , his friends * came forward ^ explain away the charge . How Lord Roiiiney ' s friends will proceed remains to be seen : fiis Lordship has acted the part of ' an "Informer against , prosecuted and

    convicted , ( not a Dissenter , but ) a brother Churchman , for unlawful mligious worship ! 'the Penal Statutes regarding religion bare been repealed with respect to Dissenters , and are in force only against the members of the Establishment !

    But the reader will be better pleased with a history than a commentary , and therefore we extract the following account of this curious case from a pamphlet just published at Maidstone , entitled * ' A Narrative of the Prosecution of the Honourable

    Charles Noel Intended as a Friendly Cautioa , by a JFYiend to Religion , Order and Law / ' The writer of the pamphlet appears to be a friend of Mr . Noel ' s , arid to be intimately acquainted with all the circumstances of the case . " The Honourable Charles Noel having travelled some time on the Continent for the recovery of his health : on his return

    to England , he came to reside at the family mansion , Barliam Court , in the parish of Teston , where it was the first wish of his heart to render his influence , from his rank and situation , subservient fa the best and most essential interests of all who were dependant upon him , — tradesmen and labourers ; aad being duly sensible that family religion is a most

    important part of practical Christianity , and that family worship is a duty that may be practised by persons of every rank in life * , and that without the observance of this privilege , as well as duty , every other duty will be regarded wilh luke-warmncss : —it was a reasonable hope and expectation that example would have its use , and prove productive of religious improvement in the parish . 4

    It may Iwere . be necessary to remark ; that It is Mr . Noel ' s constant practice , and his general rule of conduct , to assemble nis domestics and servants the mornings ami evenings of every day for the exercise of this duty . When alone , he is his own d japlain ; when favoured with the company « f any friend on whom with propriety it ^ n devolve , it is rtrigncd to such friend .

    such a commitment of this duty oc-™ ed on Sunday the 31 st of December , ^ on Sunday the 7 th of January , loi 7 " tW ° Sundays named in the j ^ nplamt and information made against »« i > when the family worship at Barham f ° art devolved on Mr - Noel's friend : and om the attendance of this friend , twice d * Very Sunday , at the parish church , itW jL Wholt of hi 8 visit at Test ° n , * T ( V * h ? ^ stty have been thought a breach v ? amtUin chanty , to have Jonsideted

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    this friend of Mr . Noel ' s as a person hostile to the establishment , or to have suspected him of forming designs injurious to the interests of the church . * ' But however pure and unmixed were Mr . Noel's motives , it has been proved that he erred in his judgment , in the intimation given to his tradesmen and the workmen upon his estate , that they were

    allowed the privilege of attending at his family worship ; as the law prohibits any congregation or assembly of Protestants for religious worship , exceeding the number of twenty , in addition to servants and domestics in any unlicensed place ; of vvfaich limitation Mr . Noel was not aware , and has expressed his regret that he should unintentionally , or from the purest motives have violated any law .

    " What contributed to lead Mr . Noel into this error , was the constant , uninterrupted , unopposed practice of the late Lord Barham , who , for a considerable number of years , had himself attended some religious services on a Sunday evening , at a school his Lordship had erected

    in the village for the instruction of the poor of those parishes where he had any interest , at which the parents of the children , and any other of the inhabitants might attend , and where his Lordship was very generally accompanied by any friends , visitors at Barham Court .

    " As no objections had ever been heard against this practice , and Mr . Noel ' s state of health not rendering it prudent to bfi but in the evening air , at that season of the year , Ke was no $ aware that the transferring this long continued practice at the school , countenanced by the presence of Lord Barham and his friends in general , to his own house for a few evenings , was in contradiction to any existing law .

    * ' In Mr . Noel » hrst intentions , the privilege of attending the evening service at Barham Court was limited to his own dependants , and that it extended beyond this , arose from circumstances libt under his control . But soon after this ' had-occurred at Barham Court , a rumour was in circulation , that a nobleman of high rank

    had commenced a prosecution against Mr . / Noel , a report pretty generally discredited : strong reasons were urged by many against its being worthy of any credit , and it seemed to be dying away ; when a second report positively stated that the same nobleman had called upon ^ a most respectable solicitor , 'desiring to put into his hands the

    conducting th « intended prosecution , which , by this solicitor was politely declined : —this second report seemed to test on s ' ome evidence , but the solicitor applied to hav ' uig declined the conducting * he prosecution , it was supposed it would , hot be persevered in—when a third , report tame iuto-circulation that a very -reJgjpet - ... , . ' . w . UL

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    Intelli gence , Q — Curious and Important Recent Religious Pmsccution . 55

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Sept. 2, 1816, page 559, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2456/page/59/