2°'»S. No33.,Aua.l6. '56.] 



NOTES ANP QUERIES. 



121 



LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 16. 1856. 



ANCIENT PABI8H BOOKS AT EAST BEBGHOLT, 

 SUFFOLK. 



In the church at this place thei'e is a massive 

 oak chest, apparently at least three hundred years 

 old, Avhich contains various books relative to pa- 

 rochial affairs, in pretty good preservation, and 

 from which the following particulars have been 

 selected : 



" Anno Dn' 1579 et in Anno Regnl Dne y^° xxi Elisa- 

 betheo Dei Gracia Anglie Francie et Hibernie regine, 



" A Boke intituled the boke of accounte for the store 

 liousse ffor the provissione for the pore, withe the entries 

 of rccorde of tlie givers of all suclie somes of monye as to 

 the same to belonge, and the order appoynted for the 

 same, with a remembrance of the Charters and Libertie of 

 this towne of East Bergholt, and the coppies of the store 

 housse and other housses belonging to the pore, wh" are 

 kept in a cheste in the belfrye, under the locke, whereof 

 the one kye remayneth withe the churchwardens, one 

 other withe the minister, and the other with the provider 

 ffor the pore ffor the tjmie beinge, and wretten the sea- 

 venthe daie of November and in the year above said. 



"Iilemorand. whereas these giftes hereafter recyted, 

 and all such as hereafter shall be geven and Avreten in 

 this boke which somes and evry p.cell thereof ys geven 

 to the iiitente and purpose that the same shoulde be 

 yerely and every yere imployed and bestowed uppon 

 corne, chese, butter, and other necessarie vittales to be 

 boughte ffor ready monye, or the same monye or such p'« 

 thereof to be laide oute aforhande by the disscresious of 

 the p.vider for the tyme beinge. To the intente to buye 

 the same corne and other vittales at the reasonablest 

 pryce that the same maie be hadd, and the same to be 

 soullde agayne by the saide p.vider for the tyme beinge 

 to such -pore ffoike as shall be yerely named by the 

 p.viders disscression that shall take the same ffor the 

 yere then to come, and the p.vider whiche shall geve 

 upp his accounte for the yere past, withe the consent of 

 two, three, or ffower of the chefest of the p.rish, that ys 

 or tiien shall be at suche reasonable prj^ses as the same 

 maye convenientlye be afforded at the disscression of the 

 saide p.vider for the tyme beinge. So as the saides whole 

 stocke may be reserved and kept whole with some in- 

 crease of the saide stocke, yf the same maj'e conveniently 

 be taken ffor the better performance of and gocinge for- 

 Avard in this good intente and purpose, yt is agreed by 

 consent of the moste of the chefest of the inhabitants of 

 this towne of East Bergholt whose names are here under 

 Avreten, that there shall be chosen and named yerely and 

 everj'- j-ere, on Easter mundaj-e or tuesdaye, by the con- 

 sent of the churchwardens for the tyme beinge, and ten, 

 aight, six, or ffour, or three at the leaste of the chefest of 

 the towne, one of the inhabitants of the saide towne to be 

 named the p.vider for the pore for the yere then next to 

 come, and to begynne his yere at the ffeaste of Pentecost, 

 which saide p.vider withe the churchwardens then beinge 

 and the other townsmen, aight, six, four or three, the 

 saide p.vider for the yere then ended shall geve upp his 

 account, and deliver such monj'e as he shall have re- 

 cevyed of the same stocke, with the corne and vittales 

 whiche shall then remayne, yf any be, beinge good, 

 sweete, and murchanta^le, such. as shall be accepted by 



the newe p.vider. The churchwardens, and ten, ai^ht, 

 sixe, ffouer or three other at the leaste shall like of to be 

 worthe the same pryce as he shall rate the same at, or 

 ells to make whole the saide stocke which he shall have 

 recyved, and the same p.sentlye to delyver to the p.vider 

 then newlye chosen. 



" Item, yt is agreed by cure consente whose names are 

 hereunder wreten, that the p.vider ffor the tyme and yere 

 to come iihall enter bonde to the churchwardens then 

 beinge, in tenn pounde of good and lawful monye, more 

 than the some which he shall recyve, to make a trewe 

 account of the saide stocke, or to paye the saide stocke to 

 the saide newe p.vider, churchwardens, and other of the 

 townsmen, and the same bonde to be made, sealled, and 

 delivered accoi'dinge to such effecte as new p.vider bathe 

 alredye begonne. The whole Bonde shall be and re- 

 mayne in the sayed cheste provided for these causes. 

 AUso yt is agreed by the saide p.ties whose names are 

 hereunder wreten, that yf it happen anyc of the saide 

 p.ties who maye be chosen and named to be p.vider for 

 anye yere to come shall refuse to- doo the same, and to 

 accomplishe this good order in every poynte accordinge 

 to the good intente begonne, then the said p.tie so rcfus- 

 inge shall loose and paye twenty shillings of lawful 

 monye for his discharge of that j-ere onlye, to be and re- 

 mayne to the increase of this stocke. And there shall be 

 chosen one other bj" the like consente as for the same 

 cause ys p.vided and appoynted. Itm., yf it shall happen 

 that this good order and purpose be not observed and 

 kept, but that the same stocke lye deade by the space of 

 one whole yere and be not imploj'ed, bestowed, and or- 

 dered according to the trewe meanyinges of the sayd 

 givers of the same, as in the saide severall giftes are re- 

 hersed, that then the same stocke shall be and remayne 

 unto the same persons againe their executors or assigns, 

 or the executors of suche as by Will have geven the 

 same or suche p.tye as ys by them geven, to be and re- 

 maj'nc as in their ftormer estate at the tyme of the deli- 

 verye of the same p'^ of the sayed stocke." 

 [Here follow the signatures.] 



" Here folio weth a trewe rehersall or declaration of all 

 such several somes of monye as hathe been geven by 

 certen of the inhabitants of this towne by tlieire owne 

 hands, or willed by there last wills, to be geven for the 

 increasinge of a stocke of monye to be used and imployed 

 to the buyenge of corne and other victualls for the benefite 

 of the pore, with the names of all suche as hath geven or 

 willed the saide,severall somes of money to be geven. 



"1608. An extreme sharpe frost, wh° so moch foulk 

 and fvsh dyed by the frost. 



"1637. Collected the 6* of June of the inhabitants of 

 East Bergholt for and towards a vollentary gift for the 

 releife of the poore of Hadlygh, which was vissited with 

 the plague, and was payed to Mr. T. Bretton of Hitcham. 

 The some of monye so collected was twentie pounds, 

 eygtheen shillings and twopence. 



" The sixteenth day of September, 1650, att the house 

 of Abraham Newton then niett, itt was agreed as follows. 

 That Captaine Goff doe speake unto the Churchwardens 

 to repaire the church speedily, and that Goodman James 

 Haj'ward speeke unto Goodman Turner to riugo the ser- 

 mon bell a longer distance of time than usually he hath 

 done before the little bell, and a longer season to ringe it 

 out, that the inhabitants afarr off may well heare it. The 

 19th of May, 1651. Imprimis, it is agreed that there shall 

 be but foure houses licensed for drawinge of beere, two 

 in the Streete, one at Gaston's End, and the other at 

 Baker's End. Anthony Bunn to sell beere Avithout doores 

 at Baker's End. Also it is ordered that Goodman Pira- 

 merton be asked to go to a Justice and renew a warrant 



