By W. W. RavenJiitt, Esq. 141 



I petition of the inhabitants to the Judge of assize ; "they had," 

 they said, "a warrant for Giles Eyre and Edward Tinker, Esq., to 

 raise a rate of £6 13s. 4sd. within five miles' compass every fortnight." 

 Only £3 received; ought to have been £15 6s. Sd. They had been 

 " at such great charges in buildinge pest houses for the releiffe of 

 the poore wh. are 269 persons as that they have disbursed £30 out of 

 their own purses, besides all charitable bequests from Sarum ; and not 

 beinge able to disburse any more monyes for the relieffe of the said 

 poor infected people, there beinge not above 8 persons in all the 

 parish able to relieve themselves during this visitation wh. is very well 

 known to the Justices of the Peace of this County." And the 

 inhabitants further shewed that u the charge of the infected persons 

 and those that are not suffered to travayle for work and the want of 

 commerce have growen to £3 a day and unles speedy course be taken 

 for their releiffe they shall not be able to keep them in, wh. will be 

 the endangeringe of the whole country." Messrs. Eyre and Tinker 

 desired to see that constables get in arrears ; increase rate if they 

 think fit, till next quarter sessions, &c. 



The plague was heavy in Somersetshire, at Wiveliscombe : " The 

 poor infected people doe break abroad and committ many outrages 

 and cast infected things into mens windowes to the great danger o£ 

 spreadinge abroad the infection, 440 poore infected people want 

 relieffe £20 rate a week too little." 



At Taunton St. James, rate for plague-stricken in default, and 

 the constables had spent £140 out of their own purses " and more- 

 over at this present [August 8th, 1646] there are above 40 poore 

 infected persons in the fields at the said constables charges who must 

 of necessity be provided for to prevent future danger." 



No plague orders about Warminster I am glad to say ! 



Next year — 1647 — Salisbury, March 6th, "the court having taken 

 into consideration the great and lamentable complaint and cry of 

 poor people in this time of dearth and scarcity, and also having taken 

 into consideration the order made at the general quarter sessions of 

 the peace, &c, for allowance of one bushel of barley out of every 

 quarter for relieffe of the poor att a lower price than the markett, 

 this court doth approve of the said order with this addition o£ 



