341 



£24 13s. 4(1.* Another Commission, taken at Wells, Oct. 20th, 

 16 Eliz., found that Wedmore belonged to the Dean, by virtue of 

 the Queen's letters patent, 8th May, 5th of her reign, of 

 which Wm. Turner, defunct, was formerly Dean.t The rectory 

 (Richard Wulman, Dean, Rector) was worth £70, the vicarage 

 with Mark £20 8s. 5d., and the Chantry £6, from which lOths 

 were to be deducted. ■}: On the settlement of the Cathedral 

 establishment and the prebends and advowson of Wedmore, 

 25th Nov., 1591, a long roll of fifty-four skins, the Vicars-Choral 

 of Wells were granted the hamlets of Theale and Chamblens, the 

 rents from which the " said Vicars had received for the past 

 twenty years. "§ 



On this question of tithes there are two episodes recorded 

 which will convey in a few words an idea of the squabbles and 

 quarrels occurring all over England before the commutation. On 

 the 10th June, 30 Charles II., the Vicar brought his action, and 

 set out that he was entitled to the profits of his glebe, with 

 tithes of calves, honey, wax, geese, white pigs, orchards, and other 

 small tithes and offerings. That in the parish there had been a 

 custom, " time out of mind," that every parishioner who had 

 calves fall to the number of seven, eight, nine or ten in any 

 one year, should pay the Vicar one calf for his tithe. If the 

 number were under seven, then nothing was paid that year, 

 but by the benefit of the custom, the Vicar could " drive" or 

 carry forward these odd ones, until, by adding them to future 

 births, the parishioner had seven, eight, nine or ten born, when 

 the Vicar took one ; and so in the same way he claimed to 

 carry on any odd ones above ten and under seventeen. But John 

 Tutton, Nathaniel Cooke and Richard Browne, who during the 

 years 1673, '74, '75, '76, '77, had several calves born, "by 



* Valor Ecclesiasticus, p. 124. 



t Pat 5 Eliz., Pt. 6, KoU 992, Mem. 21. 



X Valor Ecclesiasticus, pp. 130, 131. 



§ Patent, 34 Eliz , part iii., Roll 1,381, Mems. 3, 21. 



