Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/515

 10 s. xii. NOV., 1909.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

423

Notwithstanding L' Estrange' s emphatic assertion that " town arms " were a novel imposition in 1557-8, outlays for armour and weapons are entered in churchwardens' books before that date. The accounts of Culworth, Northamptonshire, for instance (contributed by the Rev. C. Hill to the Transactions of the Associated Arch. Soc., vol. xx.), contain an item in 1536 "for mendynge of ye towne harnes," besides a long column of expenditures for various details of the dress and accoutrements of " ye Towne Soul dyer."

The South Tawton (Devon) accounts show in 1524 a receipt of " ij 8 pro armis emptis " ; in 15534 payments for " scrowinge [i.e. scouring] of the harnys," " for caryenge and recaringe the same," and in 1554-5 " for fettyng home the church harnees."

On turning to the Index to the Rolls of Parliament (sub ' Soldiers,' ref. to vol. i. p. 351 a), I see that as early as the reign of Edward I. " every village " was " to find one effectual, fitly armed ; Market towns more than one, according to their ability." I take it that L'Estrange tacitly distin- guished between the furnishing with arms of a town soldier, and the compulsory contribu- tion towards a common stock of armour, in which towns were taxed like individuals, in proportion to the value of their property as a corporation. Were " gilds," by the way, subject to this, as they were to other imposts ?

At South Tawton (apart from disburse- ments by the " head warden ") the Gild of the " Young Men " account in 1551 " for viij d payed to the sawdyers " ; 1563, " jpade unto Wat Gedlegh for Sawldyers xxxiij 8 " ; 1563, " pd unto Master Battyshyll for sawldyers' cottes, v s j d " ; 1563, " pd. for ye making of Bottes, xij d " ; 1569, " pd to M r Esbroke for the costletts, ij 11 vj 8 viij d ." The fact that this gild was known also as of " St. George " (whose red cross was worn on their white coats by all soldiers down to about that time) suggests that they may have taken a special interest in military matters.

There were gilds of " Youngmen " in most parishes. The Dartmoor " Tinners " formed a distinct military organization, and " mustered always before the Warden of the Stannaries " (see 10 S. vii. 429).

I am not quite satisfied that " town armour," " parish armour," and " church armour " were always precisely inter- changeable terms.

Certain it is that the clergy w.re, like the laity, subject to assessment for arms.

Among the Augmentation Books at the- P.R.O. (vol. Ixxvii.) is a list (annotated by Mr. Salisbury as probably of 16 Hen. VIII. > of inhabitants of the Hundreds of Westrygg and Kirrier, co. Cornwall, setting forth under each parish first, " the yerely vaylor of the Spiritual men is possessions .... and of their goodis and their harnys, by their othis, according to the Kyng's commission ";. and afterwards " the yerely vaylor of the temporall men is londis, .... and of their goodis and harnys."

At " Seynt Nyots " the vicar, Robert Tubbe, whose possessions in " decimis," oblations, &c., amount to 131. 6s. 8d.,. " valet in bonis xiij 11 vj s viij d : full Har- nyssed." The chaplain, John Trevelyan,. whose stipend is 100s. per annum, " valet in Bonis xl s ." He appears to be unprovided with armour. Among the temporal men, John Calwaye, whose lands are worth 40s., and goods 20/., has " harnys for himself and three men." William Tubbe, worth in lands 40s., and in goods 100/., has likewise " harnys for himself and three men." Nictu Burlas and W m Gille, worth respectively in goods 13/. 6s. 8d. and 20/., are both " full harnyssed." Groups of several tenants are sometimes bracketed together, e.g. :

{Step'hus Pyper, iiij 11 ; a bill* salett, splynts. Nich'us Benet, iij u ; a bowe, vj, arrowes, a salett. Ric'us Tapell, iij 11 vj a viij' 1 ; -

Among the " hable men " one is .described as " a yongeman " ; and under the heading " Aliens boryn under the frenche kynges is obessaunce," I note " Henricus Breton, capellanus," " Joh'es Breton, Tynner," "William Breton, Tynner " (their posses- sions, &c., not filled in). In the majority of cases in this record the arms are in excess of those exacted -by the statute of 4-5 Philip and Mary (see table, in ' State Papers, Mary,' xiii. No. I).

A Harleian MS. (6839, 225) gives " a Note or View of the armoure imposed upon the whole clergie within the diocese of Exeter,, taken Oct., 1595."

Under the heading " Light Horses," names of two or more vicars are sometimes- bracketed together as combining to furnish one such, e.g. :

Rec do Taington "\

Drewe, M r [John] Weekes | ,, Cheriton Ep'i, M r Uurrell f J

,, ,, Chagford, M r Stangeton (?)

In the " Archdeaconry of Tott on " (Totnes) Mr. Philips of North Lewe combines with another " parson," while Mr. Somaster of