S. MARTIN-CUM-GREGORY. 
45 
and finished with a balustrade. Three years later Lady Sarah, 
widow of Aid. Bawtry, Lord Mayor, 1670, gave the clock and 
dial. In the good old days the lady mayoress retained her 
title of “ Lady ” for life. The proverb ran 
“ The Lord Mayor is a Lord for a year and a day, 
But the Lady Mayoress is a Lady for ever and aye.” 
About the time of the rebellion of 1745 some one with a 
diamond cut the following on one of the lozenge shaped window 
panes of the church : “ I hope this may be a place for true 
Protestants to resort to and never to be ruled by Papists. God 
bless King George ye 2nd and Billv of Cumberland whom God 
long preserve.” 
The high pews in the church, with the western gallery 7 , were 
removed about 1874. 
At the corner of the churchyard stood the P>utter Stand 
which projected very much into Micklegate. In 1778 the 
butter trade was of great importance in York, no less than 
80,000 firkins being annually purchased here, so the very old 
butter stand was taken down and a new one erected. It was 
for receiving, weighing, and marking of butter which came 
from the country, and was afterwards bought by merchants 
for the London market. In Dec. 1828, owing to the trade 
having fallen off, the butter stand w’as taken down. 
The parish w T as practically a self-governed community under 
the rule of the Rector, Churchwardens, and Overseers. The 
church w T as the centre of parochial life, in its vestry the 
business of the church and parish was transacted. The parish 
elected its own officers (except Rector), made its own bye¬ 
law’s, provided its own lighting, kept w’atch and ward with its 
constables, had its own stocks, kept in the church a row of 
leather buckets filled with water ready for an outbreak of fire, 
looked after its own poor and provided its own workhouse in 
Barker Lane, dispensed charity by giving bread to the poor, 
gifts of money to poor widows, loans to poor traders, and 
presents of money to apprentice boys and girls; was interested 
in a free school for educating poor boys and girls, perambulated 
its boundaries every Ascension Day, had its public dinners on 
