Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/326

 296 Soii/ijio-^ Cloucnting, and Caitcrniuf^.

There can be little doubt that the transference of the dole to St. Clement's and St. Katharine's Days, three weeks later, was due to economic causes. I need hardly point out that it mainly occurs in the industrial districts. As long as rents were paid in kind, they could be paid on the exact date on which they were due, but when trade developed and cash payments became customary, some spell of grace became necessary, for a man must get in his debts before he could pay his dues.' Accordingly, the code of " Ordynances," or by-laws, of the borough of Walsall,^ drawn up about the year 1440, decrees that the "Mayer" shall render up his "accompts" in presence of some of his " bredren " every year on St. Clement's Day, and the wardens of the guilds — of which the borough could boast two — shall render theirs on St. Katharine's Day. Burgesses who had not paid their dues by St. Clement's Day were to be heavily fined. Within the memory of man the day was still called Clement's Accompt. The business concluded, apples and nuts were thrown from the windows of the Guildhall to be scrambled for by the crowd outside, who were also "amused by hot coppers scattered among them by Griffin the town crier " {ibid.., p. 429). The Grammar School boys were admitted into the Guildhall to scramble for apples thrown to them from the magistrates' bench. The Corporation "accompts" show that sums varying from £\ to ;^3 were annually spent in this way. The custom was only discontinued in the year i860.

It is interesting to learn that the church of Walsall was formerly dedicated to All Saints, and that till it was pulled down and rebuilt in 1820 it contained four chapels, dedicated respectively to St. iMary, St. Nicholas, St. Clemoit, and St. Katharine. You will notice that the

"Even to this day, in many country places, tradesmen only send in their accounts once a year, and country drapers and other small shopkeepers often offer wine to their customers when a bill is paid.


 * Willmore, F. W., History of IVahall {\%%-]), pp. 165, 429.