THE RHYMED CHRONICLE OF JOHN HARESTAFFE. 73 



Roddesly with the appurtenances and all houses buildings lands tenements and 

 hereditaments thereunto belonging then in the tenure of Thomas Sherwin and 

 John Sherwin or one of them or their assignes to the use and behoof of Sir 

 Edward Vernon during his naturall life and after his decease to the use of 

 Henry Vernon sonne and heir apparent of the said Sir Edward Vernon and the 

 heyres male of his body lawfully begotten and for want of such issue to the use 

 of the heires male of the said Sir Edward and for want of such issue to the 

 right heires of him the said John Harstaffe for ever upon condicon that there 

 be yearly paid out of the rents thereof by the said Sir Edward and by every 

 such other person and persons as thereafter shall be owners thereof the sufne of 

 £18 yearly for ever to the parson of this parish for the time being and his 

 successors att the feast of the nativitie of our Lord the annuntiation of the 

 Blessed Virgin Mary the nativitie of S f John Baptiste and the feast of 

 S' Michaell by equal portions to bee paid ever immedyately by the said parson 

 unto the churchwardens and by them to bee bestowed in manner following that 

 is to say X i u in bread and 4 and 6 weekly in 18 3penny loaves to be given 

 every sabbath day after morning prayer to 18 poor In habitants within the 

 parish to be nominated by the said Sir Edward during his life and after at the 

 discretion of the parson and Churchwardens with the advise of the Lord of the 

 Mannor and some of the Chiefe men of the parish from time to time 3 . s s 

 thereof to be distributed by the said Churchwardens yearely to the said 18 poor 

 Inhabitants in manner following that is to say to every one of them X n upon 

 the Sabbath day next before Easter X n the Sabbath day next before Whitsun- 

 tide xii the Sabbath day next before All Saints Day and X n the Sabbath day 

 next before Christmas and xxx thereof equally to be divided betwixt the 

 parson and the Churchwardens in respect of their paines and the 18 remaining 

 to be employed yearely towards the keeping and mainetaineing the Bells and 

 Clocke in good order and fencing the churchyard if need require and in a 

 Codicell annexed to his will dated the 12 th day of July 1644 he further declared 

 his will to be that in case it should fall out in after times that there bee such 

 abatemente in the valew of lands that the said summe will not be conveniently 

 yearely raysed out of the rents & profits of the said Farme that then such rents 

 and profits as according to the times may be yearely raysed being rated into 4 

 parts three of those parts shall be yearely imployed according to the tenor 

 purport and intension of his said will — Hee departed this life the first day of 

 December 1645 and his will was proved by Sir Edward Vernon Knite and 

 Mastar Thomas Vernon his Executors in the Dioces of Coventry and Lichfield 

 the 6 th day of December 1646 



The muse of John Harestaffe may not be very brilliant, though, 

 compared with the literature of the age it need by no means be 

 despised, but, at all events, the virtue of modesty is everywhere 

 apparent, and truth and accuracy seem never sacrificed for the 

 sake of effect or antithesis. 



