272 



K'OTES ON THE CHURCH OF ST. ITES. 



that night, 12rl. Pd to the olde vielcar'" for oandells Tiread 

 and drinke for the watchers and otlier dewtyes dew to that 

 Vycker, 16d." 



Ou the 1st of May, 1629 (B.A.) the portreeve and "twelve 

 men" of the parish met to consider the question of tithes, as to 

 which a dispute had apparently arisen, and agreed "that they 

 will be att the joynt cost in defending the same custome or 

 customes, or for any other customes within the said j^arish," and 

 on the 7th of the same month "the Porthreife and others of the 

 xij then present doe agree and order that whereas there is a suite 

 of Lawe dependings in the Courts of the Archdeconarie of 

 Cornewall between Mr. John South, vicar, [of Lelant], and 

 Richard Hicks, Thomas Trerie and Frauncis Walker, for the tyth 

 of Kjme and Calves, wherein wee labour to maintaine the 

 auncient custome, to pay 4d for ech cow and 2d for ech calfe 

 under the number of fower, w'^'^ alreaclie amounteth and will cost 

 much monies for the defence thereof," the market-house shall be 

 let for a year and the rent applied to the defence of these 

 jDarishioners. On the 25th of the same month, Richard Hext, 

 the portreeve, and eight others signed an undertaking to pay the 

 charges of any j^arishioner who should be sued for any liigher 

 sum than allowed by the said custom. 



In l7ll ^^ the earl of Stamford and others, as impropriators 

 of the tithes, were at law with some of the fishers. The 

 witnesses generally agreed that tithes were payable, but there 

 was a cpiestion as to whether a boat arriving from Ireland in the 

 night was bound to give notice to the proctors to attend and 

 receive their tithes. One witness (John Stevens, of St. Ives, 

 merchant, aged 60), described the method of laying out the tithes 

 as follows : " The usual way of giving oiit the said fish and the 

 tyth thereof was after this manner, to witt, the fishermen on 

 board the said boats filled uj) about 100 or 200 in a baskett, and 

 delivered out in such basketts unto and among the owners of 

 such fish according to their respective shares and interest therein, 

 and when the tenth baskett came to be delivered the fishermen 

 called out " Deka, Deka," ^ and the proctors or agents for the 



22 John Bagwell was inst. vicar it, July, 7596, on the death of Robert Stowford. 



23 Exch. Deposition by Commission, 10 Anne, Easter, no. 6, Cornwall 1711, 

 quoted by Matthews, History of St. Ives. 



24 Deka is Cornish for tenth. 



