The perambulation of parish bounds was another vestry question, upon which rested disputed tithes. In entries of tithe old field-names, now forgotten, may often be recovered. The commutation of tithe also was discussed, and in some places the parson made agreements with his parishioners on the subject. Visitation fees came before the vestry, and sending copies of the register to the Diocesan Registry was, or ought to have been, an annual occurrence. Any dispute seems to have come within the vestry’s jurisdiction, and all dry subjects were washed down with plenty of ale, an item regularly entered among the expenses.
Perhaps it was at the vestry that the village urchins came up to claim rewards offered for the extermination of vermin, their instinctive love of sport being further developed by their love of gain. Foxes are among the animals named on the list, together with stoats, sparrows, etc., and the prices paid for this wholesale destruction seem very high.
The spelling of many of the old account books is decidedly phonetic and original, but as a whole they are legible and neatly kept. They need nothing to explain their meanings as to what class of information their pages will yield, except a guide such as I have endeavoured to give, for the books of one parish closely resemble all others.
The history of a parish can never properly be written if the parish books are missing. The value of these books is not fully appreciated, and they are too often thrown aside as useless rubbish.
CHAPTER X.
BOOKS ON PALEOGRAPHY AND KINDRED SUBJECTS.
Part of a guidebook’s business is to direct people’s attention to other similar works likely to be of use to them.
Few accomplishments can be learnt with the aid of only one book on the subject, and paleography is a combination of many elements. Few English writers have expended their genius in books on handwriting; it has not in this country been looked upon as one of the sciences. Abroad the subject has been more studied, especially by the French, in whose language many valuable books on it have been compiled. The type required for the abbreviations is expensive; small editions only were issued, and many valuable works are in consequence rare and little known, being only met with in public libraries or among collections of old books. Thus seventeen volumes of ‘La Bibliothèque de l’École des Chartres,’ published in Paris between the years 1839 and 1886, will fetch as much as £30; ‘Album de la Paléographie’ (Quantin, 1887), £6; ‘Elements de la Paléographie,’ par Natalis de Wailly, two volumes, 1838, £3 3s.; ‘Musée des Archives Nationales,’ 1872, £1 10s.
A very useful book, less expensive than the above, was written by Prou, published in Paris by Alphonse Picard, éditeur, 82, Rue Bonaparte; and cheaper still than this is the ‘Paléographie des Chartes et des Manuscrits du XI. au XVII. Siècles,’ par Alphonse Chassant, published by Auguste Aubry, Rue Dauphine 16, Paris. The best-known cheap book on the subject, however, is a small paper-bound volume, ‘Dictionnaire des Abbréviations Latines et Françaises,’ par Alphonse Chassant, published by Jules Martin, 19, Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, at the low price of 2 francs 50 centimes; it has already reached a fifth edition.