Year. Shelf.

No.

Title or Nature of Record.

5 Churchwardens' Accounts, 10 sets bound in one volume,

6 Churchwardens' Accounts, 10 sets bound in one volume,

In addition to the extracts given in the preceding pages, the following are of a class which from this time gradually disappear from the Churchwardens' Accounts and find their place in those of the Overseers. They point clearly to the fact that, although fifty years had elapsed since the levying of compulsory rates had commenced, the church funds continued to bear a considerable share of the expenses incurred in medical assistance, the care of lunatics, and the relief of the poor generally. The items for 1622 obviously relate to the maintenance of the local drainage system, and suggest that Kingstreet, then a thoroughfare of some importance, still had an open sewer along it.

1612-1613

Payd to Elizabeth Normen, a poore creature which had broken her backe
with a fall

Payd out of these rents to 26 poor men and poor women quarterlie to
each of them vs. in two years the sum of..
. lij l.
Payd to twenty poor women which are called Mrs. English women
quarterlie to each xxd. subscribed in two years..
Payd to Widowe Tedder from the 14th of March, 1612, to the
June, 1614, being sixty five weekes at xxd. weekely, in toto
Payd to David Price, a poore old man ..

xiij l. vjs. viijd. 5th of

.. iij l. vs.

V's.

il.

Payd to Jhon Phillips the 7th of January, 1613, to take William Ball to
be his apprentice for the tearme of nine yeares the sum of
Payd for apparrell for William Ball

iij l.

Payd for cotton and canvis, &c., for makeing her gown

Payd to a poore woman in Long Ditch for keaping of her four daies after

Payd to the carpenter, bricklayer, &c., for tyles, lyme, timber and other
stuffe to repaire the Pest-house

Payd to Valentyne the Bedle of Saint Martin's in the fields for keaping
of Avelyn Carr before she was sent to Bethelem the some of..
Payd for the keaping of Avelyn Carr at Bethelem, three monethes and
eighteene dayes, the som of..

Paid for eyght yards ffrese to make hir a gowne at nineteen pence the
yard the som of

Payd for a smocke, quaife, hoses, and shoues..

she came from Bethelem

Payd to John Newman for keeping of her after shee came from Bethlem
till shee went to service being four weekes at vs. the weeke in toto.. il.
Paid for a safegard and a waistcoate

xvijs, vjd.

.iij l. viijs.

vjs.

ijl. ivd.

xijs. viijd.

iijs. vjd.

vjs. viijd.

iijs.

1615

For a new hower glasse for the Pulpitt

xvs. vjd. ijs.

Ffor coloring the yron of the hower glasse to the Pulpitt

xviijd.

1623-I

Paid Mr. Gillam for cutting of the left brest of Mary Davis and for
healing it againe

..

ij l.

Given to William Wake towards his proceeding Bachelor of Arts in the
University of Cambridge by consent, &c...

.. iv l.

1622 Paid to divers Laborers for worke done at the sewer by Clowson (sluice)
and for the timber-tree at the grate, for links and candles, as
appeareth by a bill, &c.

Paid to Wm. Boyer for carrying of fortie seven loads of soyle at the
Clowson ..

iv l. xs.

il. iijs. vjd.

Paid to Mr. Dodson for arching the common sewer in King Streete, as
appeareth, &c. ..

xl.

V3.

Paid for watching the pipes tenne nights

Paid for mending the pavement before the conduitt in King Streete
1624 Paid for setting of Gillman's legge, a poore boye borne in this parish
which was broken at the house of correcton

1626 For redeeming the courthouse carpett from pawne seaven shillings

viijs. vjd.

Vils.

* In the extracts from the accounts of 1633 at pp. 56-7 are shown certain payments made in obtaining the King's grant of a hospital. The following memorandum appended to these accounts is of interest to those who concern themselves in the foundation and growth of the local institutions:THE BREVIAT OF KING CHARLES HIS GRAUNT OF LETTERS OF MORTMAIN FOR THE HOSPITALL IN TUTHIL FEILDS.

1.-The Children to be maintained with diet and clothing and to be instructed in manuall occupations.

2.-King Charles founded, erected and created the howse into an Hospitall for ever, and hath constituted perpetuall gonerners and hath maid them a body corporate and politick, and gave power to gouern the aforesaid Hospitall as allsoe the lands, tenements, goods, and chattells thereto belonging.

3.-The Gouerners of the aforesaid Hospitall are to have p'petuall succession.

4.-They shall be allwayes persons of Abilitye & capable by law to have, hold possess lands or
tenements in fee simple or for life, or years, and have power to sel agin, let or get, and to
plead and be impleaded in all courts.

5.-The Gouerners shall have a common seale and may alter it att their pleasure and the major
part shall have power to make lawes and ordinances and to execute them.
6.-They shall be able to purtchesse lan is or tenements to the yearly value of £500, soe they be
not held in knights service or capite.

See also No. 291.

It is curious to notice that, while the registers were frequently interspersed with memoranda on all sorts of extraordinary occurrences, the accounts were rarely so used. The former were in constant

use, except during the Commonwealth, and therefore became a sort of journal of passing events, while the latter were fair copied at the close of the parochial year and were put aside as soon as they were audited and allowed. The following exception may be due to the suspension of registration :

27th Feb., 1641. "MEMORAND. That the day and yeare above written, Mr. Stephen Marshall
was chosen by ye p'ishioners of the p'ish of St. Margarett's, Westmr., to bee theire lecturer
beeing recomended to them by the Honoble. House of Comons (Long Parliament) to take
his place ye next Lord's day after ye feast of the Annunciacon next ensueing. This election
was made in the presence of Mr. Dr. Wimberley the present lecturer of the said p'ish who
voluntarily resigned his place and consented to the choice of Mr. Marshall."

ROBERT PYE (Sir), EMERY HILL, JOH. HAMPTONN.
(Signatures of 39 others.)

Walcott states that the order of the House was issued on the humble petition of the inhabitants of St.
Margaret's. Several similar memoranda are entered in the Vestry minutes of the period.

Besides the extracts from this year's accounts reprinted at p. 61, the following are among the interesting items :

Paid to Mr. Garrett, Minister, for a serge gowne lyned with bayse and faced with
velvett bought by him and to be worne in the Church As by his receipt appeareth..
Paid to William King for trimming and repairing the hour Glasse (see the extracts from
the accounts for 1615, on p. 64) as by his Receipt appeareth
Paid to Robert Bromfield, Painter, for collouring and Gilding the hourglasse case and
for other worke about the Vestry as by his Bill and Receipt appeareth
Paid more to the said Mr. Kem for halfe pints of wine and rolls allowed the Ministers
after they came out of the pulpitt

xxvjs.

xiiijs.

xjs.

..

xxiijs.

The use of hour glasses on pulpits became common after the Reformation, when long sermons came much into fashion, and bore a contrast to the brevity of pulpit discourses previously. From the preaching of Luther onwards to the Puritan times the length of sermons increased until they frequently exceeded two hours. Some churches were provided with half-hour as well as hour glasses, and L'Estrange tells of a parish clerk who had sat patiently under a preacher till he was "three-quarters through his second glass," and the audience had gradually withdrawn, tired out. The clerk then arose at a convenient pause, and calmly requested the preacher, "when he had done," to close the church door and "push the key under it," as he and the few that remained were about to leave. The use of these glasses commenced as early as 1564, in which year the accounts of St. Katharine's Church, Aldgate, show that one was purchased. The above payment is for repairing, so that the glass was apparently that purchased in 1615, and referred to in the extracts from the year 1615 on p. 64. Hogarth shows one in his "Sleeping Congregation"; but though they were preserved until the last century in some of the country churches, they fell into disuse shortly after the Restoration,