their pretty childish play, and to conclude their simple festivity by making such offerings as this entry indicates. Chaucer, and the translations from earlier writers, show the antiquity of such customs, but this is the earliest reference to it which has been noticed in these accounts. Brand's Popular Antiquities, ed. 1849; Stubbs' Anatomie of Abuses, 1585, Hone's Table Book, Year Book, and Day Book, and Chambers's Book of Days, among many others, refer to the local variations of the custom at some length, though it must be acknowledged that the frolicsome observance by some of the adult classes lacked the innocence the above simple line suggests. 1519 To the costerdmonger for Pears [See the note against 1510] Item, payd to Symond Symonds for mending of the glass windows and of the ymagery works, that were broken with the grete wynds before Christmas 1521 xijd. is. ivd. 1531 First, paid to Renagever, payntour, for paynting and gyld- 1534 Item, paid for a surpless for the curate ... Item, paid for a surpless for John Moore, the clerk Item, paid for the hire of Seynt Margarett's serkelett* 1540 Item, paid to Symon Symons, glasier, for making and is. vjd. XS. iijs. iijs. iijs. xvjd. ijs. ixs. ixd. XS. Item paid to Mr. Chidley, lerned man, for his counsell, 1541 Item, paid to Roger Weston, for taking down of our minster .iijl. xiijs. ivd. This serklett (circlet), or, as it was also called, "pasche," "paische," and "paiste," is frequently mentioned in the inventories, some of which are printed as appendices. It was evidently a sort of coronet kept for the use of brides. It was worn in Chaucer's time, a hundred and forty years earlier, for in his description of the apparelling of Griseldis for her wedding, he has (Ed. Tyrwhitt, 1. 8257) "A coroune on hire hed they han ydressed." The use of such a headdress was customary in Norway and Denmark, where a set of ornaments was kept in each parish for the temporary use of the bride. These ornaments included a coronal and girdle, so that the poorest woman in the land had the gratification of appearing for one day in her life in a guise she probably thought equal to that of a queen. The museum of national antiquities at Copenhagen contains a number of such sets of bridal decorations. Walcott, in his Memorials of Westminster (ed. 1849, p. 109), says, "As regard this fraternity, William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, having given several houses near Charing Cross to the Prior of Roncevalles (the death place of Roland the Brave and the gallant Paladins of Charlemagne), in the diocese of Pampeluna, in Navarre, in the reign of King Henry III, nearly on the site of the present Northumberland House, a hospital was founded by this foreign Priory, under the same name as his chief cell in England. It was suppressed in the time of King Henry V., but restored 15 Ed. IV. for a Fraternity. It consisted of a master, wardens, brethren and sisters, who continued until the Rouncyval Item paid for repairing the chapel wall at Rouncyval 1540 First, paid to Mr. Dr. Kitchin, in reward for preaching on ... This accompt is allowed in the Exchequer Chamber, on 1544 Also paid for ushers against the Dedication-day, which is 1545 First paid to Mr. Barnard, for the table of the Conception iijs. iijd. vd. iijs. ivd. xvjl. xs. 1546 Also paid on Ascension-even, for bread, ale, beer, and 1547 Also paid to the poor men that did bere the copies and Also paid for a honest dish of meat, and for wyne, for Also paid to the purcyvaunte, when he brought the com- is. vd. is. ijd. iijs. xijs. viijd. is. [This appears to refer to the approaching dissolution of the Fraternity of St. Mary Rounceval. See foot-note on opposite page.] 1548 Also paid to Philip Lentall, for making clene of xi payer ijs. xjd. is. vjd. 1549 Also paid to William Curlewe for mending of divers pews that were broken when Dr. Lattymer did preach [Latymer was then Bishop of Worcester, and was appointed to preach the Lent Lectures before the King (Edward VI.), in the course of which he denounced the Lord High Admiral Seymour, to whose death warrant he was one of the signatories at this time.] First paid for iv books of the service in the Church 1550 Also the said accomptants do charge themselves for the receipt of the overplus of the silver that remained of XX and x ounces, which was delivered to Robert Tayleboys, of London, goldsmith, for to make thereof VIII xvjs. suppression of monasteries. The site of the chapel was granted 3 Edw. VI. to Sir Thomas Cowarden.' The same writer adds an interesting series of extracts from the accounts of the fraternity, which are preserved in the Vestry room of St. Margaret's. The close association of the hospital with St. Margaret's, is shown by the frequent references, prior to the Reformation, in the Churchwardens' accounts. In an article in which he observes that "the only theatres for the people were the churches, and the monks were the actors." Hone, in his Ancient Mysteries Described, gives a quaint sketch of this "extraordinary dramatic worship," as it was performed at Durham Cathedral. It is worthy of note that no such item is to be found in these accounts after the Reformation. The item taken from the accounts for 1551 seems to imply that the cross was sold in that year. 1551 iv communion cups ij all gylt, and the other ij parcell X III A cross, the overpluss thereof being sold after vs. viijd. the 1552 Also paid for a recreacion for the Quest the 12th of July, ... ... Also paid to Mr. Curat and Nicholas Poole, for making Also paid to the Taylor, for making ij clothes meet for the 1553 Allso payde for bread and drynke, on ashewensday, to the vjs. viijd. XS. xd. viijd. ["On 22nd February, 1553-4, all the Kent men went to the Court at Whitehall with halters about their necks, two and two together, through London to Westmynster, and between the two Tilts the poor prisoners kneeled down in the mire; and there the Queen's Grace looked over the gate, and gave them all pardon, and they cried out 'God save Queen Mary.'"] ... ... ... ivs. is. [This folio of the accounts is reproduced opposite page 34.] 1555 Item, paid to Low, fletcher, for fethering of iiij shaffe of arrowse and new trimming of the heads Item, paid for spiced bread on the Ascension-even, and on the Ascension-day [See also the item against the year 1546. The references are evidently to the Romish method of celebrating the Ascension after mass, the progress of the Reformation being suspended during Mary's reign. A quaint description of the processioning is given in Barnaby Googe's Translation of Naorgeous, p. 63. This is partly transcribed in Brand's Popular Antiquities, from which the following extract is taken : Then comes the day when Christ ascended to His Father's seate, This done they wafers down doe caste, and, singing, cakes the while . And thus this solemne holydaie and hye renowned feast ... Item paid to Nycholas Clarke, for making thymag of St. ... iijs. ivd. xjs. |