No. bered) Title or Nature of Record. (Unnum Charter of George II. granting leave to hold a hay and for the said purpose. On paper, mounted on crimson silk, with the seal of the Trustees in clay, repaired, showing CHURCHWARDENS' ACCOUNTS. A reference to this, one of the most valuable series in the whole collection, has already been made in the introductory essay; but their abounding richness in interesting detail entitles them to more than the passing notice there given. Every volume, every number, and, indeed, every page, presents something worthy of attention. It may, therefore, be more convenient to preface the list by a brief synoptical view of their contents, and of the times of which they tell. The accounts extending over the first hundred and fifty years-1460 to 1610-were bound together in six books in 1730. Book A," which extends over the reigns of Edward IV., Edward V., Richard III., Henry VII., and then enters upon that of Henry VIII., passes through the period disturbed by the Wars of the Roses, and by the change from the Plantagenet to the Tudor line. Among the sources of revenue shown by the accounts were : in Room No. 17 I. The Collections on the Gathering Days. These were at first on Whit Sunday, St. Margaret's Day (July 20), All Hallows' Day (Nov. 1), "The Nativity of our Lord God" (Dec. 25), Good Friday, and on Easter Day for the Paschall, when the amount received in 1474 was £5 5s. 1d., the other days contributing only £6 118. 5d. between them. There were some changes, however, made in the days, and at the end of the period Good Friday is omitted, and a collection made on Hock Monday and Hock Tuesday, which occurred shortly after Easter, and were said to have been kept in memory of the overthrow of the Danes, and to have no religious significance.* * Chambers's Book of Days gives an instructive sketch of Hock-tide sports and customs:"A fortnight after Easter our forefathers celebrated a popular anniversary, the origin and meaning of which has been the subject of some dispute. It was called Hoke-tide, or Hock-tide, and occupied two days, the Monday and Tuesday following the second Sunday after Easter, though the Tuesday was considered the principal day. On this day it was the custom for the women to go out into the streets and roads with cords, and stop and bind all those of the other sex they met, holding them till they purchased their release by a small contribution of money. On the Monday, the men had proceeded in the same way towards the women. "The meaning of the word hoke, or hock, seems to be totally unknown, and none of the derivations yet proposed seem to be deserving of our consideration. The custom may be traced, by its name at least, as far back as the thirteenth century, and appears to have prevailed in all parts of England, but it became obsolete early in the last century. At Coventry, which was a great place for pageantry, there was a play or pageant attached to the ceremony, which, under the title of The Old Coventry Play of Hock Tuesday,' was performed before Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Kenilworth in July, 1575. It represented a series of combats between the English and Danish forces, in which twice the Danes had the better, but at last by the arrival of the Saxon women to assist their FIRST PAGE OF CHURCHWARDENS' ACCOUNTS, 1498-1500. II. Burial Fees, derived principally by the sale of tapers and torches (which apparently were manufactured by the Churchwardens), and for the knells with the great bell." The prices of the tapers vary, but 2d. was the ordinary charge. They were purchased not only at the burial, but also at the obit or time of death, and subsequently when the deceased was remembered at the monthmyndes' and the 'yearmyndes.' countrymen, the Danes were overcome, and many of them were led captive in triumph by the women. Queen Elizabeth laughed well' at this play, and is said to have been so much pleased with it, that she gave the actors two bucks and five marks in money. The usual performance of this play had been suppressed in Coventry soon after the Reformation, on account of the scenes of riot which it occasioned. "It will be seen that this Coventry play was founded on the statement which had found a place in some of our chronicles as far back as the fourteenth century, that these games of Hock-tide were intended to commemorate the massacre of the Danes on St. Brice's Day, 1002; while others, alleging the fact that St. Brice's day is the 13th of November, suppose it to commemorate the rejoicings which followed the death of Hardicanute, and the accession of Edward the Confessor, when the country was delivered from Danish tyranny. Others, however, and probably with more reason, think that these are both erroneous explanations; and this opinion is strongly supported by the fact that Hock Tuesday is not a fixed day, but a moveable festival, and dependent on the great Anglo-Saxon pagan festival of Easter, like the similar ceremony of heaving, still practised on the borders of Wales on Easter Monday and Tuesday. Such old pagan ceremonies were preserved among the Anglo-Saxons long after they became Christians, but their real mearing was gradually forgotten, and stories and legends, like this of the Danes, afterwards invented to explain them. It may also be regarded as a confirmation of the belief that this festival is the representation of some feast connected with the pagan superstitions of our Saxon forefathers, that the money which was collected was given to the church, and was usually applied to the reparation of the church buildings. We can hardly understand why a collection of money should be thus made in commemoration of the overthrow of the Danish influence, but we can easily imagine how, when the festival was continued by the Saxons as Christians, what had been an offering to some one of the pagan gods might be turned into an offering to the church. "The entries on this subject in the old churchwardens' registers of many of our parishes, not only show how generally the custom prevailed, but to what an extent the middle classes of society took part in it. In Reading these entries go back to a rather remote date, and mention collections by men as well as women, while they seem to show that then the women 'hocked,' as the phrase was, on the Monday, and the men on Tuesday. In the registers of the parish of St. Lawrence, under the year 1499, we have: Item, received of Hock money gaderyd of women, xxs. And in the parish of St. Giles, under the date 1535-. 'Hoc money gatheryd by the wyves (women), xiiis. ixd.' And in St. Mary's parish, under the year 1559 " Hoctyde money, the men's gathering, iiijs. "Out of this money it would appear that the 'wyves,' who always gained most, were in Reading treated with a supper, for we find in the churchwardens' accounts of St. Giles's parish, under the year 1526, this entry 'Paid for the wyves' supper at Hoctyde, xxiiijd.' "In the year 1450, a bishop of Worcester inhibited these 'Hoctyde' practices, on the ground that they led to all sorts of dissipation and licentiousness. It may be added that it appears, from the entries in the churchwardens' registers of various parishes, that in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Hock-tide was called in London' Hob-tide.'' Hone, in his Every Day Book, Vol. I., p. 476, gives a somewhat similar account, but with some additional particulars: HOCK OR HOKE DAY OR TIDE. "Antiquaries are exceedingly puzzled respecting the derivation of this annual festival, which commenced the fifteenth day after Easter, and was, therefore, a moveable feast dependent upon Easter. + At Hock-tide, which seems to have included Monday and Tuesday, collections of Hock-money were made in various parishes by the churchwardens until the Refor mation. Tuesday was the principal day. Hock Monday was for the men, and Hock Tuesday for the women. On both days the men and women alternately, with great merriment, intercepted the public roads with ropes, and pulled passengers to them, from whom they exacted money to be laid out for pious uses; Monday probably having been originally kept as only the vigil or introduction to the festival of Hock-day. * "It is a tradition that the festival was instituted to commemorate the massacre of the Danes in England, under Ethelred, in the year 1002; a supposition, however, wholly insupportable, because that event happened on the feast of St. Brice, in the month of November. Another and more reasonable opinion is, that the institution celebrated the final extinction of the Danish power by the death of Hardicanute, on the 6th day before the ides of June, 1042. Yet in relation to the former event "certain good hearted men of Coventry" petitioned, "that they might renew their old storial show" of the Hock-tide play before queen Elizabeth, when she was on a visit to the Earl of Leicester, at his castle of Kenilworth, in July, 1575. According to "Laneham's letter," this "storial show" set forth how the Danes were for quietness borne, and allowed to remain in peace withal, until on the said St. Brice's night they were "all despatched and the realm rid ;" and because the matter did show "in action and rhymes" how valiantly our English *Allen's Hist. of Lambeth, The following is an example of the entries : 1475 Item, at the burying of Wm. Broke, for four vjs. viijd. vjs. viijd. vjd. Item for the Knyll with the great bell ... III. Pew Rents, which in 1480 varied from 12d. to 3s. 4d. per annum, and IV. Rents (£7 4s. 10d.) from Abyngdon's houses (bequeathed by The Disbursements are in many cases of curious interest, e.g. :— The purchase of wax and its manufacture costing, in one year, £11 138. 9d.; payment of 8d. for bread, ale, and wine on Palm Sunday, and Holy (probably Maundy) Thursday, when Passion was done; 6d. for bread and ale for the two men who watched the Sepulchre, in addition to their fee of 12d. for the two nights. The usual payment for a day's labour seems to have been 4d.; a sack of "lyme' cost 2d., and two loads of the same rod.; a load of loam 4d. The charges for the purchase and repair of Ornaments in 1510 include two new Banners, one of the Trinity, and another of St. Margaret, with the money that was gathered on Hock Monday and Hock Tuesday, and the Goldsmith's account for Silver Candlesticks and Censer. But the entries of the greatest interest in this volume relate to William Caxton, who appears to have attended the meetings of 'parishioners in Vestry assembled.' women for love of their country, behaved, the "men of Coventry" thought it might move some mirth in her Majesty. "The thing," said they, "is grounded in story, and for pastime (was) wont to be played in our city yearly without ill example of manners, papistry, or any superstition;" and they knew no cause why it was then of late laid down, "unless it was by the zeal of certain of their preachers; men very commendable for their behaviour and learning, and sweet in their sermons, but somewhat too sour in preaching away their pastime." By license, therefore, they got up their Hock-tide play at Kenilworth, wherein "Capt. Cox," a person here indescribable without hindrance to most readers, 'came marching on valiantly before, clean trussed and garnished above the knee, all fresh in a velvet cap flourishing with his ton-sword, and another fence-master with him, making room for the rest. Then proudly came the Danish Knights on horseback, and then the English, each with their alder pole martially in their hand." The meeting at first waxing warm, then kindled with courage on both sides into a hot skirmish, and from that into a blazing battle with spear and shield; so that, by outrageous races and fierce encounters, horse and man sometimes tumbled to the dust. There they fell to with sword and target, and did clang and bang, till the fight so ceasing, afterwards followed the foot of both hosts, one after the other marching, wheeling, forming in squadrons, triangles and circles, and so winding out again; and then got they so grisly together that, inflamed on each side, twice the Danes had the better, but at the last were quelled, and so being wholly vanquished, many were led captive in triumph by our English women. This matter of good pastime was wrought under the window of her Highness, who, beholding in the chamber delectable dancing, and therewith great thronging of the people, saw but little of the Coventry play; wherefore her Majesty commanded it on the Tuesday following, to have it full out, and, being then accordingly presented, her Highness laughed right well. Then, too, played the " good-hearted men of Coventry" the merrier, and so much the more, because her Majesty had given them two bucks, and five marks in money; and they prayed for her Highness long happily to reign, and oft to come thither, that oft they might see her; and rejoicing upon their ample reward, and triumphing upon their good acceptance, vaunted their play was never so dignified, nor ever any players before so beatified." At this period, as earlier, the naves of many churches were to a great extent devoid of furniture, as are those of some of our cathedrals to the present time. The introduction of pews for the convenience of worshippers was, says the Rev. J. E. Vaux, F.S.A., in his entertaining Church Folklore, very gradual. "Most writers who touch on the subject consider that these fixed seats in churches were introduced in the reign of Henry VIII., but this is incorrect, for I find a notice of their existence nearly a hundred years before his time." Mr. Vaux adduces an entry from the St. Margaret's Churchwardens' Accounts for 1498-1500 in confirmation of his statement. He had apparently overlooked the entry of |