Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/277

 12 S.TX. SEPT. 17, 1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 223 paid Tunmer Bery for mending the Arche of the Church porch and for his stuff 00 01 OS pd wiilm Baldwine for a horse hyre to Ips- wich and for bread and beere delived to prissoners as p bill appeer. . . . 00 04 06 Paid Mris Howldine for Comunion wyne taken at sevrall tymes for 28 quarts one pynte of sack at xiiiid the quart. . 01 13 03 Given p Mr Bailifs apointment to Ann Bastarr widd ; and her 2 children that came from Ireland and had certiflc 00 03 04 pd willm Doble for half a last of salted spratts to send to London to Mr Bence .. 00 12 00 paid Henry Lawrence for a string for the fonte 00 01 04 paid John Blowers Collector of the Asesment for Ireland : For the Asesment for the Towne lands. . 00 16 03 pd Tunmer Bery for pinying the Crosse and newe laying the stones when the Crosse was groiuuls.-M 00 03 09 1645. The repairs to " the floareof the Church " were probably necessitated by the damage done by that narrow-minded, zealous hypo- crite William Dowsing ("this portentous clown " as Dr. Raven, the Suffolk historian, calls him) in removing the brasses. At Kelsale, a neighbouring village, which he visited two days after his destructive orders were given to " the godly man " Mr. Sweyne, at Aldeburgh, he records, " Wo took up 2 superstitious Inscriptions in Brass " ; and the same day at Saxmundham, " We brake down 6 superstitious Pictures : and took up 12 popish Inscriptions in Hniss ; and gave order to levell the Chancel. and taking down a Cross." We are told that Matthew Hopkins " Witch-finder General," as he styled him- self was a native of Manningtree in Essex ; and according to the entries in the Aide- burgh books, his accomplished partner, Goody Phillips, or Widow Phillips (one wonders what the end of the deceased Mr. Phi Hips was),, also came from that town. Hopkins was commissioned by Parliament in 1644 to make a circuit for the discovery of witches, receiving one pound for every town visited. The commission lasted until 1646. He went through Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Huntingdonshire. Sixteen per- sons were hanged in Yarmouth, forty at Bury, and others in different parts to the number of sixty. He continued his circuit until some gentle] urn, indignant at his mi.'lty. adopting his own means of finding out whether a person was guilty or not, tied his thumbs juid toes and threw him into t li> water, whereupon he proved his own guilt by swimming,. as many of his victims had done before. Butler, in his ' Hudibras, ' Part II., canto 3, alludes to this fiend : Has not this present Parliament A ledger to the devil sent, Fully empower'd to treat about Finding revolted witches out ? And has he not within one year Hang'd three score of them in a shire. Hopkins's end is also alluded to in the lines : Who after proved himself a witch, And made a rod for his own breech. John Paine receives eleven shillings for hanging seven witches ! It is difficult to understand the scale of his professional charges ; if it had been lls. Id., we should know for certain it was Is. Id. a head. Anyhow, no one, even in Puritan times, could call this a case of profiteering. It is perhaps a horrible thought but was John Paine any relation of Thomas Paine who kept the " workehouse " at 4 per annum ? And were his duties lightened after the visit of Hopkins ? The trial of the witches took place in Aldeburgh, but unfortunately the proceedings do not appear in the sessions and court books at the Moot Hall, and no in- formation can be gained at the Record Office. 16 PAYMENTES. 45 pd Willm Nicholson for worke and stuff for the Townes use as p bill appeereth. . 02 07 04 More to him for looking to quiet children at Church for two yeere due at Christ tide last. . . . 02 00 00 More to him for locking up the Cheanes and Church yard gate for two yeeres and half at IQs p. ann due then. . . . 01 05 00 For glazing worke about the Lucorne at Church 00 01 10 Paid for brick to worke up the wall of the Channcell and to mende some places in the floare in the Church and for tyles for the lead howse one thousand together 00 14 09 for Kossen that the plumers used for sol- drine 00 00 05 pd Mr Thomas Johnson money laid out for receiveing Ministers and diett and pay- ments for their sermons and for a Journey to London and other things p bill ap- peer 09 01 00 Geven Mr Hopkens the 8th of September for a gratuitie he being in Towne for find- ing out witches 02 00 00 Geven Goody Phillips then for her paynes for searching out witches. . . . 01 00 00 pd to sundry men for watching dayes and nights wth such as were apprehended for witches 00 13 10 pd Mr Pootey for chargs for a Journey to Mr Sweyne 00 05 00 more to him for getting Ministers to preach in Towne 00 01 00 pd Mris Howldine for diet and wine when Mr Hopkens was in Towne and for charges for the witches p bill .. .. .. 040700