28 EXPENSES OF THE SHRIEVALTY. 



executioner's fee, as the necessary apparatus is put at his 

 disposal by the Home Office. 



In the following accounts, besides the fee of is. 6d. for 

 tolling the bell, there are two separate charges of 13s. 4d. paid 

 to the ringers.* It seems doubtful, however, whether these 

 payments were made in connection with the execution. It 

 seems more probable that they were for pealing the bells in 

 honour of the judges on this and the former occasion of their 

 arrival in the town for holding the assizes. Two judges, it 

 may be mentioned, always then went on assize, one to under- 

 take the civil and the other the criminal work. Several of 

 the charges here set forth, notably those for the items of dress, 

 appear to have included the expenses of the only two assizes 

 which were then held during the year. The following is not 

 only probably an instance of this, but is also worth noting, as 

 it suggests an interesting and somewhat perplexing question. 



Two distinct payments of exactly the same sum, namely, 

 26s. 8d., are made to Widow Sligh for rent " for the yard and 

 buildings where the judges did sitt,"t to quote the words of 

 the first charge. This would almost suggest the fact that in 

 1630 there was no Shire Hall, but that the county was dependent 

 upon the renting of suitable private premises in which to 

 transact its official business. Indeed, it might be assumed that 

 this was the case but for the following circumstances. The 

 present Hall in St. Mary's Gate, Glover asserts, was built in 

 1660. A petition, however, of the grand jury in July, 1661, 

 quoted by Dr. Cox, proves that it could not have been built 

 till two or three years later. 



This petition complains of the situation of His Majesty's 

 Hall, commonly called " the New Hall," as being too remote 

 from the prison and convenient inns, and prays for its removal 

 to a more convenient place. That " the New Hall " was being 

 used as early as 1593 is proved by the fact that in the return 

 of one of the sheriff's precepts for that year mention is made of 



* PP- 3i> 35- t Ibid. 



