Ancient Ales in the County of Wilts. 



195 



to bestow. This they imploy in brewing, baking, and other achates * against 

 Whitsuntide, upon which holydayes the neighbours meet at the church-house, 

 and there meetly feed on their owne victuals, contributing some petty portion to 

 the stock which by many smalls groweth to a meetly greatness, for there is en- 

 tertayned a kinde of emulation betweene these wardens, who by his graciousnes 

 in gathering and good husbandry in expending can best aduance the churches 

 profit. Besides the neighbour parishes at those times louingly visit one another 

 and this way frankely spend their money together. The afternoones are con- 

 sumed in such exercises as olde and yonge folke (hauing leysure) doe accusto- 

 mally weare out the time withall. 



" When the feast is ended the wardens yeeld in their account to the parish- 

 ioners and such money as exceedeth the disbursments is layd up in store to 

 defray any extraordinary charges arising in the parish, or imposed on them for 

 the good of the countrey, or the Princes seruice, neither of which commonly 

 gripe so much but that somewhat stil remayneth to couer the purses bottome." 



Mr. Doran, in his History of Reading/ gives the following item 

 from the churchwardens' book of the parish of St. Lawrence, in 

 this town : — 



" 1449. Paid for making the church clean against the 



day of drinking in the said church iiij cl " 



On the Western Summer Circuit of 1633 [9 Char. I.], an order 

 was made by the Judges of Assize, Lord Chief Justice Richardson 

 and Baron Denham, at the Somersetshire assizes, for " suppressing 

 revels, Church ales, Clerk ales, and all other public ales." 2 Arch- 

 bishop Laud complained of this order to the Privy Council, who 

 summoned the Lord Chief Justice before them, and commanded 

 him to revoke the order. 



On the next circuit Lord Chief Justice Richardson revoked the 

 order accordingly, but " the justices of the peace (of the county of 

 Somerset) being troubled at the revocation of these orders, drew up 

 a petition to the king, showing the great inconveniences which 

 would befall the county if these meetings and assemblies of Church 

 ales, Bid ales, and Clerk ales condemned by their laws, should now 

 be set up again, which petition was subscribed by John Lord 

 I Paulet, Sir William Portman, Sir John Stowell, Sir Ralph Hopton, 

 | Sir Francis Popham, Sir Edward Rodney, Sir Francis Doddington, 



1 p. 45. 



2 Rush worth's Historical Collections, vol. i., part n. p. 191. 



* Provisions. 



