54 THE AUGMENTATION BOOKS 



l.iiHiirss in hand was going on) that in many places it is next to 

 impossible to decipher them. These volumes took nearly as much 

 time to transcribe as all the others together, owing to the abbreviated 

 character of the writing. 



The roughly written volumes, however, are particularly interesting 

 for the reason that in cases of leases, or of farming out the tithes, the 

 signatures of the lessee or farmer often appear, thus making the entry 

 itself the actual contract which was afterwards put into proper legal 

 form in the lease and counterpart. A case in point may be mentioned 

 (and I think the only one relating to Dorset), that of the lease of the 

 tithes of Ewerne Minster to Francis Fry, in No. 29, Vol. 1012 p. 10. 



SECTION IV. Nos 32-38. 



This section contains Certificates of Approbation to livings made 

 by the " Commissioners for Approbation of Public Preachers," and 

 is now printed in the following pages, together with the nominations 

 and admissions. The Certificates are important, since the applicant 

 for the living had to give the names of six or eight ministers, or others 

 who knew him personally, as sureties or referees. As in many instances 

 the addresses of these referees are given, they often afford a clue 

 whence the applicant came. A search in other counties w r ould pro- 

 bably reveal where a Dorset incumbent removed to, as, for instance, 

 in the cpse of John Mathew, No 32, Vol. 997, No. 741, certified 14 March 

 1654/5 to Semley, Wilts, by ministers at Dunhead, Wilts, and 

 Mapowder, Shroton, and Dorchester, Dorset, thus identifying him as 

 bein^ the same man who w r as certified as minister at Ashmore, Dorset, 

 in same volume No. 169 on June 6th 1654. 



SECTION V. Nos 39-50. 



This Section deals not only with the Tithes payable to Ministers, 

 but also with the Tenths (otherwise First Fruits) payable formerly to 

 the Hierarchy, but now to the Trustees who had usurped the property 

 of the Bishops, Deans, Deans and Chapters and similar ecclesiastical 

 bodies. In No. 44, Vol. 984 and No. 47, Vol. 982 these receipts are 

 arranged in Tabular form. 



Special attention is drawn to No. 49, Vol. 988, in which are given the 

 instructions by the Trustees to their Receivers as to their duties and 

 the manner of collection of the Tenths, Rents and payment of 

 Augmentations, &c. A very fair idea of the whole work of the Trustees 

 may be gathered from a careful perusal of this interesting volume. 



SECTION VI. Nos 51-55. 



In this Section is shown an altogether different branch of the work 

 undertaken by the Trustees, namely, that of the Survey of Church 

 Livings. 



