381 



For the defence of the realm, in 1-44:9, 27 Henry VI., the 

 •' poure communes by his commaundment " granted half a 

 quinzisme and half a disme, there being now a reservation of 

 £3,000 to be deducted for the "relief and coumfort of pouere 

 townes desolate, wasted and destroyed, or to the said quinzisme 

 and disme too greatly charged or too greatly empoverished." 

 Accordingly, in response to the above writ to them directed,* 

 Eichard Kokesale and William Bushell gathered in from the city 

 of Bath two halves of a fifteenth and tenth, the first half paid 

 at the Feast of St. Martin in winter next following, half of the 

 other half at St. Martin in 1450 and the other half of this half 

 at the same Feast in 1451. The amount acknowledged was 

 again £13 6s. 8d.t It may be noticed here that, notwithstanding 

 the new expression in the writ of a fifteenth and tenth instead 

 of a tenth only, the amount received was the same. The tenth 

 was the tax levied on cities, the fifteenth was for counties. 



In 1453, 31 Henry VI., by writ dated 12th June, Hugh 

 Coleynges and John Were were appointed collectors of a fifteenth 

 and tenth payable half at the next Feast of St. Martin and half 

 at the same Feast in the next year ; also for half a fifteenth and 

 tenth payable half at the Purification and half at the Feast of St. 

 John Baptist next after ; the whole amount being £20.J The 

 return seems not to have been made until 1455 after the whole 

 •was collected .§ Six thousand pounds were to be set aside for 

 decayed cities, &c., as before. 



The office of collector was not apparently altogether a com- 

 fortable one, being not only objectionable to the taxed, but also, 

 as two were always appointed, there was a chance that one of 

 these may prove dishonest. 



In 1421, 9 Henry V., a remedy was attempted to enable 

 collectors to protect themselves. The statute, in Norman French, 



* Subsidies 169—99. t Subsidies 169—98, 101. 

 I Subsidies 169—103. § Subsidies 169—104. 



