ST. ANTHOLIN'S.

Your correspondent MR. RIMBAULT (No. 12.) has made rather a grave charge against my predecessors in office as churchwardens and overseers of this parish; and although, I regret to say, such accusations of unjust stewardship and dereliction of duty are frequently and with justice imputed to some parish officers, yet I am happy to be able, in this instance, to remove the stigma which would otherwise attach to those of St. Antholin. The churchwardens' accounts are in good preservation, and present (in an unbroken series) the parish expenditure for nearly three centuries.

Mr. Rimbault has doubtless been misled by some error in the description of the MSS. in Mr. Thorpe's catalogue (as advertised by him for sale), which were probably merely extracts from the original records.

The first volume commences with the year 1574, and finishes in 1708; the accounts are all written at the time of their respective dates, and regularly signed by the auditors then and there present as correct.

I have made numerous extracts from these interesting documents, and notes thereon, which I shall at some future time be happy to lay before your readers, if you should consider them of sufficient importance.

As a voucher for what I have stated with regard to their existence, and to give some idea of their general character, I have selected (at random) a few items from the year 1580-1:—

"The Accompte of Henrie Jaye, Churchwarden of the Parishe of St. Antholyne, from the feaste of the Anunciacon of our Ladye in Anno 1580 unto the same feaste followinge in Anno 1581."

Among the "receaittes" we have—

"R^d of Mr. Thorowgoode for an olde font stone,

by the consente of a vestrie v^s iiij^d

"R^d for the clothe of bodkine[¹¹] y^t Ser Roger

Marten hade before in keppinge, and now

sold by the consente of a vestry and our

mynnister iij^li vj^s viij^d

"The Payments as followithe:—

"P^d to the wife of John Bakone gwder of the

Lazer cotte at Myle End [¹²] in full of her due

for keppinge of Evan Redde y^t was Mr.

Hariots mane till his departtur and for his

Shete and Burialle as dothe apere xl^s viij^d

"P^d for makinge of the Longe pillowe & the

pulpit clothe ij^s

"P^d for a yard and a nale of fustane for the same

pillowe xvj^d

"P^d for silke to the same pillowe xvj^d

"P^d for xj^li of fethers for the same pillowe, at

v^d - - iiij^s vij^d

"P^d for brede and beer that day the quen cam

in xij^d

"P^d for candells and mendinge the baldrocke[¹³] vj^d

"P^d for paynttinge y^e stafe of the survayer iij^d

"P^d for mendynge the lytell bell iij^s

"Pd to Mr. Sanders for the yearly rent of the

Laystall and skowringe the harnes[¹⁴] for

his yer iij^s viij^d

"P^d to Mr. Wright for the makinge of the Cloke [¹⁵]

mor than he gatheride, agred one at the laste

vestrie xvij^s

"P^d to Peter Medcalfe for mending the Cloke

when it neade due at o^r Ladies Daye laste

past in Anno 1581 iij^s

"P^d for entringe this account xx^d."

W.C., JUNIOR,

Overseer of St. Antholin, 1850.