note on the even, and mass of requiem by note on the morrow, for the soul of Thomas Watts, draper, and Elizabeth, late his wife, and for the soul of Humphrey Barnes, Ironmonger, and all his wives souls and childrens' souls, spending thereat, to the parson viija, and to eight priests and clerks, if there be so many, ijs viijd; to the sexton ijd, but not to no more, for ringing the bells; xxd or less for wax to burn on the grave of Thomas Watts, on great candlesticks called standards; xvja to the parish priest to pray for my soul and Thomas Watts soul, and Elizabeth his wifes soul, and all the souls aforesaid, and all xpeu souls in the Bede rolle, yearly, if there be any bederolle; iiija to be given in alms at St. Mary att Hill at a penny or ob. a peece, xija. An other obitt to be kept on the day of his decease in the parish church of St. Leonard, where I am now parish", spending, to the parson viijd, to six priests, if so many serve by the year, ij3, if there do lack, take the Ironmongers' priest for one; to the clerk and sexton for dirge and mass, and ringing bells, xxa; for four waxes to burn on my grave on great standards xvjd; to the churchwarden of St. Leonards to make the priest and persons of the same parish to drink, for bread, ale and cheese, iijs iiijd; to the churchwardens for their labour ijs—xijd each. If the churchwardens will not provide the bread, ale, and cheese for iijs iiijd for the priest and persons to drink for the ijs bequeathed to them, then I will the master and wardens of the Ironmongers shall have all the said vs iiijd to bestow and give it among the poor men and women of the craft of Ironmongers at their pleasure as they see best. Item, to the parson or his deputes to pray for my soul and to reherse our names before written in the bederolle every yeare, iiija. To thirteen poor men and women of the same parish or near to be at my obitt at St. Leonard's, ijs ija, i. e. ijd a-peece, to pray for my soul. To be given to poor people at ob. or a penny a-peice, viija.—js if there be so many people there, or else give it as you please. To the Ironmongers' priest to be at both the obitts xijd, to pray for my soul. To the beadle and clerk of the Ironmongers to be at both obitts, and to warn the master and wardens and Company to come and pray for my soul, xxa. To the master of the Ironmongers, or his deputy that hath been master, ijs to be at both obits. To the wardens or their deputies that have been wardens, for their labour to be at both obits, iiijd. To twenty of the Clothing to come to my obitt at St. Leonard's, x3, that is vja each man, if there be so many in the Clothing and in London, if not, the rest of the xs to the poor of the Company at your pleasure. To the master and two wardens to offer at both my obitts, vjd. To the twenty men of the Clothing that come to iny obitt to offer at the mass, xa. To give in alms the rest that lieth unspent of xliijs iiija in the Company at your pleasure. Item, every quarter day when the rents of the tents come to your hands, by the advice of the master and wardens of the Company, you shall spend out of the profits, beside the charges that I have bound you to, every quarter day, or at least once a year, that is, on your solemn mass day, as much money as shall be thought best to ease the charges of the wardens what they are wont to be so charged, and when breakfast or dinner is done for to say for my soul, and all the souls of the Ironmongers, De profundis, or a Pater noster, in the worship of God and all saints. Amen. I will that the poor men and women of the Company have yearly some refreshing at your pleasures. Item, I will that Agnes my wife have all the four tenements during her life, doing and keeping my two obitts during her life, and all repairs, &c. And after her death to the master and wardens of the Ironmongers for ever, doing and keeping all manner of charges aforesaid. Item, I also give to the said Agnes my wife my other tenements wt the appurtenances in Smyth Lane, in the parish of St. Andrew Hubbard, during her life, and after her decease to my heir, and for lack of any heir to remain to the right heir of the Barnes. I will that the craft of Ironmongers, neither my wife, be not charged no further than the land is able to pay; I mean for casulties, as by fire or otherwise. And if the master and wardens of Ironmongers refuse to do all truly, &c., then the Company of Drapers shall have all these my tenements and to keep my two obitts, &c. Also it shall be lawful for the master and wardens of the Company to sell or change away any part thereof and buy other lands. And of this my last will of all my lands in London I make my executors John Storgyon, haberdasher, and Richard Slow3, ironmonger, and bequeath to either of them vjs viijd. Written with my own hand per me Humfre Barn. Anno dñi M vc xlj. the iij. daye of August, A° xxxiij. Hen. Oct. The setting of the MIDSUMMER WATCH on the Eve of Saint John the Baptist was one of those gorgeous spectacles which amused and delighted the citizens of London till towards the latter half of the sixteenth century. The F marching watch, which formed part of this ceremony, consisted of two thousand persons variously appareled, who passed through all the principal streets of the city, to wit, from the little conduit by Paul's gate, through West Cheap, by the stocks, through Cornhill, by Leadenhall to Aldgate, then back down Fenchurch-street by Grassechurch, about Grassechurch conduit, and up Grassechurch-street into Cornhill, and through it into West Cheap again. Seven hundred cressets were borne on this occasion: these were supplied partly by the city, and partly by the companies. There were also divers pageants and morris dancers, with the constables, onehalf of whom, to the amount of one hundred and twenty, went out on the Eve of Saint John, and the other half on the Eve of Saint Peter. The constables were dressed in bright harness, some overgilt, and every one had a jornet of scarlet thereupon, and a chain of gold; his henchman following him, his minstrels before him, and his cresset-light at his side.* The mayor and sheriffs also formed part of the procession, * The cressets were of various forms and patterns. Mr. Douce, in his Illustrations of Shakespeare, has engraved four specimens of these ancient street-lamps, which are copied by Hone in the "Every-day Book," vol. i. p. 831. The cresset represented in the margin is drawn from one preserved in the Tower of London. attended by their giants, torch-bearers, and a numerous staff of officers, all calculated by their various dresses and appointments to add to the singularity and splendour of the show. Strutt observes, evidently with a slight error as regards the date,* that the custom of setting the midsummer watch was maintained till the year 1539, the 31st Hen. VIII. when it was discontinued, as stated by some, in consequence of the expense, but more probably on account of the great number of citizens who joined the procession, amounting, it is said, on some occasions to fifteen thousand persons. The muster of so many armed men was considered unsafe, and the setting of the watch was consesequently prohibited. It was revived again in 1548, the 2nd Edw. VI. but shortly afterwards finally abolished. The first institution of nightly watches in the cities and principal towns of the kingdom was in 1253, Henry III. having commanded the adoption of this measure with a view to preserve the peace, and suppress the disorders which were common at that period.† In the accounts of Mr. Jeckall and John Beryman, wardens of the Fellowship from the 8th of June, 1540, to the 20th of June, 1542, we find the following payments for setting the midsummer watch. Payments for the wache at the mydsomer A° xvc xl. vnto x. cresset berras, and ij. bage bearras, for the ffor j. doss. strawe hattys. ffor the makyng of xij. skochens xijs xija vnto ij. men for gevyng atendaunce vpon the cres- * See also 1542, and 1544. ijs † See Stowe, Strutt's Sports, 361; Hone's Every-day Book, i. 827. Payd ffor mendyng of iiij. cressets, and for ij. new pynes vnto iiij. bowemen for goyng in the mayer's wache, ffor iiij. doss. poynts ffor bowstrings vjd iiijd ijs viija iija ja viija ijs viija ffor brede and drynke vnto the cresset bearars, and ffor the dressyng and nayllyng, letheryng, and book- Sma 1544. HereaftTM followythe the parcelles of plate that was layd to plege the xxij. day of May, in the xxxvith yere of the reygne of our souraynge lord King Henry the VIIIth when the Company ffound xiiij. men in harnes to goe over the see wth the kyngs army in to France, that was iiij. bowmen and x. byll men, wth all ther ...... that is to say, howsse, dubletts, cotts, hatts of blew and red, aftTM the Duke of Norfolk's facyon. In pmis to Mr.Robart Down ij. euers p'cell gylt, waying liij. vnces at iijs viijd the vnc. sma ixli xiiijs iiija. Iĩm to Mr. Thomas Gyve, ij. salts, wth a cou p'cell gylt waying liij. vncs. at iijs viij. the vnc. sma ixli xiiijs iiija. Itm to Thomas Bartylmew, a great standyng gylt cvp wh a coũ, wayng xlix. vncs. at iijs. the vnc. sma ixli xvjs. Itm to Alexander Avenon, a standyng gylt cvp, wth a cou, wayng xxv. vncs. at iij. the vnc. graven wth a rose and peulyo3, sm̃a v1i. The following are some of the payments which occur between the years 1542 and 1544: Payde to iiij. men that went in harnys upon Sent John and Sent Peter nyght in the mayer's watch w bowes and arrowes Payd for the breckefastes made at Mr Barymas cownte, as followeth : ijs viijd |