THE GREEN BOOK OP ST. COLUME. Ill 



a kind, of select vestry ; and tlie form of parochial government 

 which now obtains in St. Columb Major may be traced back, 

 century after century. One very curious early record is a copy of 

 the poor-rate assessment made immediately after the passing of 

 the Act of Elizabeth. The parishioners in the days of " Good 

 Queen Bess " used to keep stock and lend them out at so much a 

 year. There are entries, for instance, of " sheepe " being lent at 

 7d. a head per year, the renter taking the increase and the wool. 

 Cattle were lent out in a similar way ; and the parish was not 

 above advancing money, for a consideration. There was likewise 

 a parish ladder, which was lent on hire ; and a parish carriage, 

 recorded in 1593 to have been built by Eemfray Rowse and Harry 

 Hawke, two of the oldest family names in the parish. St. Columb 

 Church at that date boasted the possession of an qrgan, perhaps 

 of more power than compass, since we find it stated " The organ 

 do conteyine xv pipes." The Armada year affected this as well 

 as the sea-board parishes, mention being made of a "stock of 

 money for the trayned soldiers," "victualling for the trayned 

 soldiers," &c. " Vermons " or " vermonts heades " formed a con- 

 tinual source of disbursement, the money in some cases being 

 paid "in churche." Thus we have in 1671, "for vermons heades 

 and give to the poore and severall other disbursmts £1.0.4"; in 

 1704, "ffora ffox head Is."; in 1709, "to Eichard Webber for 

 one kitt and hedgehogs Is. " ; and scores, if not hundreds, of 

 others, the payments being made according to a fixed scale. The 

 ratepayers, in turning back to the accounts of former years, must 

 sigh for the good old days when the rates were but a " flea bite," 

 and envy their jDredecessors in 1717 who could record "Goalland 

 Marshalsea money and a bridge rate £3.2. 0," even though they 

 had in addition to pay the " expenses of two men going to 

 Bodmin about the bridge rate." 



In conclusion, I would quote a few other entries, of a more or 

 less noticeable character, taken somewhat at random. Under the 

 date 1671 we have: "P'^for curing Cissly Crosse's legge 10s." ; 

 "for mending the wayes 13s. 4d." ; in 1678, "ffor ye burying 

 peter the sonne of S"" John Seyntaubyn Barront 13s. 4d." This 

 13s. 4d. was not paid, and we find it afterwards carried on as an 

 arrear. In 1698 there were paid "to three seamen 2s. " ; in 1703, 

 " to poore seamen that had a pass 2s. 6d." ; whilst elsewhere there 



