444 
1643— Oct. 10. Elizabeth dau of Richard Abbott & Sara Christened. 
1646—Apr. 12. Thomas, son of Richard Abbott & Sara 
(The first Thomas presumably died in infancy.) 
1649—Sept. 2. Sara, wife of Richard Abbott Buried 
” 
(This entry possibly explains the absence of the initial of the wife 
from his token.) 
In the report of the Historical Manuscripts Commission relating 
to Reading, occurs “12 June 1632 Certificate to be made to 
the Privy Council of the Apothecaries and Grocers as the fittest 
persons to sell tobacco,” and Bath apparently made an earlier 
return of a similar “ Certificate.” The M. B. May 23, 1632, 
contains this entry “6 grossers and 4 Apothecaries that keep 
shop that the most of them doe sell tobaco and clayme it as 
parcell of their trades and that six other persons over and besides 
them we think fit to sell tobacco John Hull a Shoemaker and 
uses that Trade and uses noe trade but selling tobacco ‘Tobt 
Jackson heretofore a Mercer nowe a Sergeant Thomas Jones 
heretofore a Grosser and would use the trade of selling tobacco 
James Samford heretofore a bookseller and nowe useth that trade 
Richard Abbott a button maker (undoubtedly the token issuer) 
John Parker a Sargeant of the Mace and useth noe trade.” 
Unfortunately the Minutes for some years, December 1638 to 
March 1643, have disappeared. Abbott’s name appears on the 
Council when they re-commence, and in 1645 he was one of the 
Bailiffs of the City. 
Entries relating to Abbott appear on Chamberlain John 
Pearce’s account in 1647, a time of trouble for the whole 
country. The surrender of Charles rst to the Parliament was 
celebrated in Bath with much rejoicing on the 23rd of March, 
1647; the trained bands marched in from the surrounding 
villages to join those of the City, and a realistic review seems to 
have been held, the spectators of which presumably kept a 
discreet distance away, for great is the quantity of good liquor 
chronicled as consumed by the soldiers, and much powder was 
