His first prosecution, during the English Commonwealth of Oliver Cromwell, was by a Church of England priest who objected to the outdoor preaching of Quakers meeting outside the parish church of Cressage near Shrewsbury on 5 October 1656. He and six others who were present were ultimately brought before Bridgnorth Assizes, where they were fined for contempt of court in refusing to remove hats.
During Oliver Cromwell's English Commonwealth, a Church of England priest prosecuted him and six other Quakers for outdoor preaching outside the Cressage parish church on October 5th, 1656. They were found guilty of contempt of court for refusing to remove their hats.