Once again the accounts tell of the receipts from tapers and torches at funerals and yeremyndes (including that of Edward VI.), and for the maintenance of the Sanctuary lampe. A new "ymage of St. Margaret has been carved and the rood-loft and its figures restored. The Queen, in spite of all remonstrances, has married Philip II., King of Spain, at once the most powerful monarch in Europe and the most devoted son of the Roman Church. St. Margaret's bells ring out merrily "when the Kyng and the Quene cam from Rychemonde to Sowthewarke, & so from thens to Westmynst," and again "when the Kyng and the Queenes Matis. cam to the Mynster to the Masse of the Holy Ghost." The Title-page of these accounts declares that they are made up to the “xvi day of May in the Seconde and Third yeres of Philyp and Mary by the Grace of God Kynge and Quene of Englande Spayne Fraunce both Sicylles Jherusalem and Irelande defendours of the faythe Archdukes of Austria, Dukes of Burgon Millayne and Brabante Counties of Haspurge Flaunders and Tyroll." But only once are these titles repeated. When the accounts for 1555-6 are transcribed the long reign of Elizabeth has commenced, and the pticuler payments' for the latter year begin with: Fyrst payde for a Bybill and a Parafrawse Item for a Comunion Booke bound in Parchemyne ... ... xvjs. ijs. viijd. xijd ... Item to John Riall for taking down the Tabill on the highe ... ... ivd. And so the old order changed once more, giving place to the new. It is curious to note that amidst all changes two payments never vary :— Item to the Scavenger for his yere wagies xvjd. viijd. The accounts for the years 1555-6 contain no entry relating to the burning of Branch or Flower, the monk of Ely, the assassin of the officiating minister, a priest of the Abbey, who was administering the Holy Communion in St. Margaret's church on Easter Day. He was tried by Bishop Bonner and " bornyed against St. Margrett Chyrche without the chyrche yard in the Sanctuary." The occurrence is graphically recorded in "Machyn's Diary," from which an extract is made in Walcott's Memorials, Ed. 1849, p. 95. The cost of the faggots and other necessaries may have been defrayed from the Abbey funds; but the disbursements in connection with the reconciliation of the Church are shown in the page of the accounts reproduced opposite. If an inference may be drawn from the items of the "Bysshoppes Dinner" on the occasion, the function must have been of a very exhausting character. A few of the items are transcribed at p. 46. The numbers bound together in the volume marked "E," relate to the years 1570-1590, the longest section of Queen Elizabeth's rule, she having reigned 12 years previously and 13 years subsequently. The Churchwardens' receipts are shown to have been derived mainly from Graves, at 1d. and upwards; from Knells, at 4d.; from Peals of Bells, from 18d. to 6s. 8d.; and from "Herse Clothes," lent at 4d. to 20d., and from the letting of Pews. There are some miscellaneous receipts of special interest. Contributions of 28. 7d. in one year for Bread and Wine for Communion; 16s. 4d. for armour; £5 7s. for Chalice and Paten silver parcel gilt; 20s. for copes for gold; and 4s. for certain "shredds" of gold are instances, and, omitting the first item, tell of the gradual dispersion of the Ornaments and Jewels of the Church of which the churchwardens acknowledged themselves to be the custodians. An interesting view of this matter is obtained by comparing the Inventory of 1572 with that of 1511, given in the appendices. Token money produced at Easter, 1571, £5 6s. 4d., and on Trinity Sunday, 4s. 6d. It is not clear to which class of tokens the entries relate—whether to trading tokens or to communion tokens. The former are believed to have come into Item perde for the pryntyny there for lermy 11. "benges to the same v Hem parde for a Quarter to tre in the tonytic wyndore the Item parde for tape for the bople de stem pare for navles and hobes A Item pard for ve vardis of Quikeramportalomon ལྕཁ་མ་ཙཾ རི?3sd&ie/ཙན་རི་གང་ན་ thailer clothe at the Ivymbic Allez whichs. af Browne gubish Hem para for promos Nayles and hookit for the Expulitize s Them pards for a Gack of Coles on Efter comm. Hem parde for settyny vp and taking downs the eponlitive 1 Hem for moneyng the coffer the high ddiestade Item parde to y men for walchiony the Cxpullehre 14 ༤༽༼ ୯ Hem parde for very of hay as by dot the provide yo Hem parde for my firene yeef? 'v Hem payce for a cus on of Casetter v Hem parce for a doken of Pigions 12 pare for y Ballons of Wone 14 Stem pay Hem parve for breade beer and idle mitje weffiv. stem purde for y brushes of Toppe "se Hem parde for Calle 1 Hem paned to a poore man for caryong of water ba parde for me noung of y Wawer valve Bem parde for Hem parte to the Lavondresse for sell yng m a new bandem zb A page of the Churchwardens' Accounts for 1555-6, showing, opposite the marks in the left-hand margin, the entries relating to the reconciliation of St. Margaret's Church, referred to in the opposite page. C 2 Extract from the Churchwardens' Accounts of 1552, showing in the fifth line the receipt of £3 for the grave of Mr. Richard Cecil, father of Lord Burghley, and ancestor of Lord Salisbury, K.G. use in the reign of Henry VIII. to supply the lack of authorised coins representing the fractions of a penny, and during this reign stamped tokens of lead, tin, and even leather were issued by vintners, grocers, and other tradesmen, and had a large circulation. They could be exchanged for goods or current coin of the realm at the shops where they were issued. The latter were used as a means of securing the Church against unfit communicants. They were distributed by the parson during the week to intending communicants, and were gathered by the clerk as the custodians presented themselves at the celebration. The instances given by Mr. Vaux show that the custom was in existence in 1627 and 1639. The Churchwardens also received in 1588, of Mr. Marmaduke Servant, "for the use of the poore to buye Sea Coales, being the Guyfte of the Rt. Honorable the Lord Burleighe, Lord Highe Treasourer of Englande, the soome of £10." Much money was spent on the ringing of the bells, not only "for joye of the prosperous reign of the Queen," but also to announce her Majesty's arrival or departure from the parish. Whitehall, given to her father by Cardinal Wolsey, is frequently mentioned, as is also Hampton Court, another of Wolsey's buildings, and Greenwich Palace, the Queen's birth-place. Sixpence is thus expended “when the Queen's Majesty came to my Lord of Canterbury's (Whitgift's) house to dinner from Greenwich." The same amount is expended when she visits the camp (Tilbury, 1588), and when she returns. The Organ-maker gets 18d. every year for his fee; 3d. is spent for half a hundred of Communion breade; 6d. for four new books of Common Prayer (1572), and 28s. for a new Byble of the largest volume.* The Worshipful of the Parish perambulate to Kensyngton on Tewsdaie in Rogation week, and the Churchwardens and Syde-men partake of the dynner for the Visytation kept at the Sarryzones hed (1586) at a cost of £3 5s. The volume marked "F" contains the accounts for the years 1590-1610, extending over the closing years of Elizabeth's reign and the first seven years of that of James I. During this time burials were not only a lucrative source of income, but also a cause of expense. Thirty shillings was expended in June, 1590, "for emptinge of the house where the bones and sculls lay and for burying of the same bones and sculls in the corner of the Churchyard by the bricke wall." In 1594 the burials of 15 Chrisom" children, i.e., those who died within a month of birth, are distinguished from the others, and also the burial of “a pore soldier who died in the bone-house." Three years later occurs an entry of a shilling being given to "Thomas Whitteredge, Beadle, for his paines taken in going to Paddington with a poore sick man and conveying him out of the p'she," in order to avoid the cost of his maintenance, nursing, and possible burial falling upon the parish. Numerous entries occur of payments of 4s. 4d. to “ Mr. Derricke, the high constable, for reliefe of maymed soldiers for one quarter." This was a charge levied by the Constable of the Hundred of Ossulstone, which included Westminster. But the saddest items in these accounts occur in 1603, when we have the burials of nearly 1,200 persons recorded. The Plague carried off that year in London alone 30,000 persons. A succession of payments was made to Robt. Wells and others for killing about 500 dogges at id. each, so that it must have been supposed that they were the means of spreading the disease. In 1592 a "No greater moral change ever passed over a nation than passed over England during the years which parted the middle of the reign of Elizabeth from the meeting of the Long Parlia ment. England became the people of a book, and that book was the Bible. It was as yet the one English book that was familiar to every Englishman. It was read at churches, and read at home; and everywhere its words, as they fell on ears which custom had not deadened to their force and beauty, kindled a startling enthusiasm. * * No history, no romance, no poetry, save the little known verse of Chaucer, existed for any practical purpose in the English tongue when the Bible was ordered to be set up in churches. * * As a mere literary monument the English version of the Bible remains the noblest example of the English tongue. Its perpetual use made it from the instant of its appearance, the standard of our language. It formed, we must repeat, the whole literature which was practically accessible to ordinary Englishmen. * * The whole nation, in fact, became a church."-Green's" History of the English People." similar slaughter had taken place, "the firste tyme of infection," and "by Mr. Dean's apointmet," being notes attached to the entries The Churchwardens and Vestry appear to have had a happy method of combining their social and parochial duties. In 1591 is entered : "Item payd for breade, drincke, cheese, fish, creame, and other necessaries when the worshipful of the p'she went the p'ambutions to Kensington, £5 13s. 4d." But the next year the perambulations seem to have cost only 10s. of the parishmoney; Clarett, wyne, and sacke," 3s. 4d. A dynner for the visitacon, as doth appeare by a byll," cost £3 10s. 3d.; and a quarte of Muskadell at the Visitacon, rod.," speak for themselves. The Singing men of the Colledge get 20s. yearly towards the cost of their annual dinner in return for their occasional help in St. Margaret's. A gift of 20s. was bestowed on "Jhon Crevenne alias ffote, a pore scoller Iorne in this parish, after a sermon by him made in this church by consent of such of the Vestry as were present at that sermon." Payments for ffrancinnsence and "juneper," doubtless for fumigating the Church, and for "sweete powder for the linen," are not uncommon. References are made to the determination of Lady Dacre to establish Almshouses in the parish, and of repairs to the Almshouses in Pettie ffraunce and S. Ermyn's Hill, variously called, at other times, St. Armille's, Torman's, Armon's, and St. Armet's. In 1603 there was payd for ringinge at the funerall of the Queene (Elizabeth), xiid., and later the ringers were paid for their peals on Gowrie's Day (Aug. 5) and Gunpowder Day (Nov. 5) in thankfulness for King James's escape from assassination by Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie, and from being blown up by Guy Fawkes. With this, the last of the volumes bound by the churchwardens of 1730, the synopsis of the contents must end. From 1610 to 1847 the series relating to St. Margaret's parish continues without a break; while the accounts relating to St. John's from 1729, the end of the first year of the separate existence of the parish, to 1847, are complete. These annual or biennial numbers must now be left to tell their own tale by the extracts, made almost at random, reproduced from them. As aids to the elucidation of some of these, annotations have occasionally been introduced, and the photographic camera has been brought into requisition, that the reader may find himself conducted in an agreeable manner through the lights and shades of the last four centuries. The extracts referred to will, as a rule, be found to follow the year's accounts from which they are taken; but as the first collection extends over many years, they have been placed immediately before the schedule, in order to avoid so long an interruption of the list itself. The earlier extracts are transcribed from Nichols' Illustrations of the Manners and Expenses of Antient Times in England (1797); but owing to the discovery of some obvious slips, have been verified with the original entries:1460-61 Compus Johis. Meriden & Johis. Whitney, custod' bonor' Ecclesie pochial Ste. Margarete Westm', anno xv die menso' Maii, anno Sti. Imp' Hen' Sexti Regis Angl' de facto non de jure xxxvii, usque vii diem ejusdem mens' Maii, anno secundo Regis Edwardi Quarti, scil' p duos annos integros. Item, rec' de Johe. Braddyns die sepultur Robti. vjs. viijd. viijd. Item, rec' die sepultur' de la Ancrese pro iiij tapr'... Item, deliv' at Dño Cancellar' Dñi Regis, prædict' die Martii per assen' totius ville p guerris dict' Dñi Regis .... x li. The whole of this number is more or less decayed, and the earlier pages are almost illegible from stains. The caption has, nevertheless, been photographed : |