By the Rev. Ghr. Wordsworth. 549 



had in turn his servant named Agnes. We gather from the in- 

 stitutions that there were, besides the said rector, a vicar of St. 

 Mary's, a chaplain of St. Nicholas in the castle, a master of the 

 Hospital of St. John, as well as a master of the Hospital of St. 

 Thomas (subject to the Gilbertines, and, as I think, at Easton 

 Royal). Without counting the priors of the Gilbertines and 

 Carmelites, this makes, with the vicar of Preshute, a total of five 

 or six priests in Marlborough in the latter part of the four- 

 teenth century, before the town acquired chantries and a Church 

 of St: Martin. 



In 1548, the Mayor and Burgesses petitioned King Edward VI. 

 and his council to spare the Hospital of St. John Bapt., when it 

 was among the threatened or doomed institutions, and to convert 

 it " into a Freescole for the inducement of youth," and at the 

 same time to consider the needs of the town before dispersing 

 and disendowing the chantry-priests who assisted the over- 

 burdened parish clergy 1 . 



The Council, however, made no restitution to the Churches in 

 Marlborough, and the Rector and Vicar were left each in his own 

 parish to administer the Sacrament at Easter and at other times 

 single-handed. How far the number of " houselling folk " at St. 

 Peter's kept up, or fell off, after the changes in the middle of 

 that century, some one who has a genius for statistics can perhaps 

 divine from the following extracts. 



From 1555 to 1568 the accounts of the Churchwardens of St. 

 Peter's, Marlborough, were not fully registered, but merely the 

 totals were given, with some interesting inventories. The more 

 detailed account for 1569 — 70 shows payments, thus : — 



Imprimis to Mr. Wkytfield [Rector] f or a communyon boke, 5s. ; also 

 was paid to " Cotten the sexton, for wyne and bread, 6s. Ad. In 1573 

 — 4 " To Mr. Allyn, mayor, to pay to the poore, 6s. Ad. (half-yearly) ; 

 for bread and wyne, 8s. 6d. ; for bread and wyne at Easter, 8s. IOcZ. ; 

 more for bread, 8d. ; for making of seats for scollers, 2s. 8d- ; more for 

 bread for ye communyon table, Z\d- ; for an excommunicacion and 

 absolucion, 12rf. ; for obit money [due to ye queenes maiestie, paid] to 



1 Chantry Certif. 58, nos. 53, 54. Tke burgesses kad to part with tkeir 

 valuable service of pewter in order to secure tke grammar sckool. 



