[224] Cited by Brand.
June 24.
St. John’s Day.
Midsummer Day.
There are several interesting notices of usages on this day and midsummer-eve, in vol. i. from col. 825 to 855. To the account of the “old London watch” there cited, from “Stow’s Survey,” should be added from Mr. Douce’s notes, quoted by Mr. Brand, that the watch “was laid down in the twentieth year of Henry VIII;” and that “the chronicles of Stow and Byddel assign the sweating sickness as a cause for discontinuing the watch.” Mr. Douce adds, that “Niccols says the watches on midsummer and St. Peter’s-eve were laid down by licence from the king, ‘for that the cittie had then bin charged with the leavie of a muster of 15,000 men.’”
Warwick Bonfires.
A large paper copy of Brand’s “Popular Antiquities,” with MS. notes upon it by a gentleman of great reputation as an antiquary, and who has publicly distinguished himself by erudite dissertations on certain usages of ancient times, was some time ago most obligingly forwarded by that gentleman to the editor of the Every-Day Book, with permission to use the valuable manuscript additions. Hitherto it happened, from peculiar circumstances, that the advantage has not been available, but this and future sheets will be enriched from that source. The gentleman referred to cites from—“an Indenture of covenant between Thomas Oken of Warwick and his twelve feoffees, dated the 20th of January, 13 Elizabeth,” (1571,) the following clause:—
“Also that (the feoffees) their heirs or assignes shall lykewise yerelie, for ever, after the deceasse of the said Thomas Oken, distribute, or cause to be distributed, and paide, out of the yerelie revenewes of the forsaid lands and teneme’tes, to and amongest the neyhgboures of the bonfire of the said T. O., w’thin the High payv’ment Warde in the said towne of Warwick, towe shillinges of lawfull englysshe money, and thre shillings more of lawfull englysshe money, to be paid by equall porcions, to and amongest the neyhboures of the other thre bonfyres, beinge w’thin the said ward of the high pay’ment, to make merry w’t all, at there said bonfyres, yff any be in the vigilles or daies of seynt John Baptist and seynt Peter; and yff they have noe bonfires, that then the same to be ymployed to some other good use or uses, as to them shal be thought metest and convenient.”