The Story of Mr Fider and Mr Power

England was a sort of republic from 1649 to 1660, after the execution of King Charles I and before the Restoration of King Charles II. This period is known as The Interregnum, or Commonwealth.

During this period, Parliament confiscated or sequestrated land and possessions from Royalists or Royalist sympathisers; the official body for dealing with this process was known as the Sequestration Committee. But if you were rich enough, then you could pay (presumably above market prices) to get your possessions back; and there was another government body to deal with this:

The Committee for Compounding with Delinquents.

(Honest. I am not making this up. It is not an April Fool story.)

You can read about how the Longs of Draycot Cerne were affected by this, in Tim Couzens’ book: Hand of Fate; The History of the Longs, Wellesleys and the Draycot Estate in Wiltshire.

These Committees came to light recently when transcribing the 17th century Wills of the Atkins family; Richard Atkins, who was a tenant of Manor Farm, left a bequest in 1678 to his ‘servant maid’ Mary Power. Just a few years earlier, in 1654, a Mr Thomas Power had been the Curate of St James’ church, Draycot Cerne. Could he have been her father?

In delving deeper into the story, it seems that neither Thomas Power, or his Minister, Mr Thomas Fider, had been to University and neither were ordained in the Church of England. Mr Fider had been described as ‘a godly man’. However, it looks likely that, as part of the Sequestration process, or ‘dealing with delinquents’, Parliament had removed the appointed clergy from Draycot Cerne and imposed their own choices. The quote about Fider was written in about 1654 by the Commonwealth Committee who put him there.

Fider and Power were probably thrown out immediately after the Restoration, and are not heard of again. Which possibly resulted in his daughter Mary becoming a servant maid.

Is there any particular story from Sutton Benger’s past that you want to know more about? Please get in touch:

by phone: 01249 721731
by email: hello@bengertrails.co.uk