The Fraternities of Sarum. 



Fraternities, it will be well to consider the means they had to do it 

 withall — the " sinews of Avar." At Salisbury we are able to do 

 this with accuracy, because the accounts of the stewards, or wardens, 

 of the Confraternity of the Jesus Mass exist for many years and 

 are printed by the Wiltshire Eecord Society under the able editing 

 of Dr. Straton. This Fraternity in the year 1500 possessed a 

 tenement in Wynmanstreet, in which William Lobbe the brewer 

 was living and paying a rent of 40s. a year. Another tenement 

 thereto annexed was rented by John Combe, malt maker, at 33s. 4rf 

 a year ; there was another, called Combys place, next door, for 

 which William Harry, the tenant, paid 25s. 8d. on a repairing 

 lease ; another, " aforegeynst " the last, for which Edmund Baker 

 paid 20s. a year. J oan Spicer tenanted another house in New 

 Street, paying 6s. Sd. a year ; Widow Agnes A. Dene paid 6s. 8d. 

 a year for the house next door. So that the rents of the Salisbury 

 houses came to £6 13s. 4c/. Then there were the pence, which in that 

 year amounted to £4 12s. 4d There were also legacies from Bobert 

 Todd, the brewer, 3s. 4c/., and John Savernake, the chandler, 8^., 

 together 4*. So that the whole receipts for that year, arrears in- 

 cluded, were £13 8s. 2^d. Of that sum in that year 3s. 9^d. had 

 to be paid to the head lord, who was the Bishop. His lordship the 

 present Bishop tells me that all such ground rents and all other 

 payments now go direct to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, so that 

 there is no tracing them, which it would have been interesting to 

 do. But I do not think myself, though I cannot prove it from the 

 accounts of this particular brotherhood, that the Fraternities, any 

 more than the churchwardens or the craft gilds, neglected the 

 opportunity of turning many honest pennies by entertainments, 

 and though perhaps the churchwardens were the ones to supply the 

 " refreshments " and make all they could out of them, yet the 

 brothers and sisters, when possible, provided the amusements, of 

 which I believe the " collection at the close " formed an important 

 part. 



Indeed, there is one somewhat primitive drama presented in our 

 parts every Christmas, which I cannot help feeling confident is the 

 survival of the play of the Gild of St. George, the most frequent 



