Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 5.djvu/133

 12 S. V. MAY, 1919.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

127

AUTHOR OF QUOTATION WANTED. I think of thee in the night When all beside is still,

And the moon comes out with her pale sad ligh To sit on the lonely hill, And the stars are all like dreams, And the breezes all like sighs,

And there comes a voice from far-off streams Like thy spirit's low replies.

C. V. D.

CHURCHES USED FOR THE ELECTION OF MUNICIPAL OFFICERS.

(US. xii. 360, 404, 430, 470, 511.)

'GEOB.GE HILLIER, in his unfinished ' History and Antiquities of the Isle of Wight,' prints from one of the corporation books of the borough of Newport, Isle of Wight, a record of the " ancient usages and old customs " of the borough as they were practised in the reign of Elizabeth :

" Theis be the auncient usags & olcle customes

of the Borowgh of Newport w*hin ye Isle of Wight dewlie continued fro ye tyme ye memorie of man is not to the contrarie.

" First e, the Use is and hath ben tyme owt of mynde, the Bailives yerely in ye Guilde Hawle of Newport, the thursdaye precdinge ye Sonday next before the Ffeast of Saint Michell tharch- .angell w th all there Bretherne to assemble to debate matters towchinge good rules and orders of ye towne Untill ix. or tenne of the clock before noone of the same daye Att ye wch hower, they dep'tinge thence forthwth repaireth to the Churche there to yelde and receve ye chardg of the olde officers and Shortlie after '"to p'cede to ye eleccon of newe govners. And before they attempteth the p'miss they all reverently kneel- Inge downe upon their knees devoutely calleth upon God that for his Sonne Christe sake he wolde assist them in their newe eleccon to choose uche rulers as maye upprightly w th owt afCeccon. sy've and diligentlie attend their vocation to God's glorie the Prince's honor and como'wealthe of the said Borowgh.

" Itm. Ther prayer and supplicacon to God donne the Use is and hathe ben tyme owt of mynde that the foreman of the xij. sworne in ye Lawday laste before w th ye re^st of his Bretherne shall stand forthe unto ye w* h ye olde Bailives approcheth neere w th ther cappes and maces yn their handes bare hedded and w th woordes "of submiccon rendereth the accompte of their Bailieweeke and w th all reverence yeldeth uppe their authorities maces and other synes therof into ye hands of the foreman above specified according to the maner w ch being then authorised by the power aforsaid w th the assistance of the Co'burgs they standing bye dothe give either -correction or comendacon 'unto the officers for ye tyme displaced accordinge to ther deservings ye hole yere p'cedinge. And this donne the old Bailives resumeth their said offices co'dicionally to supplie ye same unto Michelm's daye at noone then next ensuing and the Constables renderith

uppe their offices they leekwise and submitteth themselfts accordinglie w h ceremonies finisshed the Bailives w th the hole co'panie of the Burgess dep'tethe thence and lovinglie goeth to gether to ye yowng Bailives howse to dynner and there rnaketh merrie.

" Itm. After dynner the hole feloshippe of the burgess ye said Bailives absentinge them selffs agayne repaireth to ye Churche incontentlie to consulte and chose newe officers to beare ye state ye yere folowinge dividing them selffes into two companies after the olde usage. They y* hath borne ye cheef office into ye Chauncell as ye higher roome and ye reside we into ye Bodie of ye Churche as ye lower roome. Then dothe ye

ye

ley

elder co'panye ley their heddes to gether and after good advise and deliberacon taken, writteth owt two of ye elder co'panies names yn a little Tickett or Scrowle of paper whome they betwene them selfts estemeth moste worthieste to 'supplie ye roome of ye Elder Bay live ye yere ensuinge Sending hit downe by the Steward sworne to ye yownger companie to- ye intent y* every of them sholde sette a seurall note or pry eke upon his hedde whom they thowght moste worthiest for ministringe of Justice to be advaunced to ye roome of ye Elder Baylie And he uppon whos hedde ar moste notes or prickes supplieth ye chefe office and ys Eldest Baylive for y* yere folowing. Irumediatlie after ye Elder companie chooseth the younger Bailive to associate ye Ider in gou'me't of the Bailiweeke by voyces onlye and not by notes or prickes as is aforesaide. This Eleccon fullie accomplisshed the use is and lathe ben tyme owt of mynde ye olde officers and
 * here bretherne to bringe home ye newe officers

>o there howses in ye order folowinge. That is weete The Sergeants goinge before w th there naces ye elder olde bay lie goinge on ye right land accompanied w th ye elder newe Baylive in r e left syde And ye olde young baylie in the ight of his felowe ye newe younger baylive w th re Constables in leeke manner arid all the Burgess olowing copples in their degree, and there rnaketh hortte drinckings as w th a peare or proyne or uche other leeke."

Further on in the same document we have ..nother example of the use of the church or other than religious purposes :

" Itm. The use is and hathe bin tyme owt of lynde the Churchwardens to make the Churche accompte before the Baylives Burgess and other p'ishioners yerelie assembled in the Churche at after noone the Sondaye after Alhallow daye."

There is a great deal of evidence from various sources that churches in mediaeval times were used for all sorts of secular purposes.

Hillier says at p. 25 of his account of the borough of Newport in his work before referred to :

" With the stage players who visited Newport at this period [that is, the reign of Elizabeth] the dealings of the authorities were regulated by the character of the times. There i* mention of their being permitted to perform in the church, as was then frequently the case in other parts of

the kingdom."

Westwood. Clitheroe.

WM. SELF WEEKS.