toe ye Seale of myne Office, dated ye first daye of Maye. in ye yeare of our Lord God 1592, and in ye thyrtye and fverthe yere of ye Reigne of our most gracious soveraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth.

"Robt. Cooke alias Clarencieulx.

TRADESMEN'S TOKENS.

IT appears from and during the time of queen Elizabeth to Charles II., the tradesmen and victuallers coined small money or tokens for the convenience of trade, and which at that time was very much wanted as very few farthings were coined by authority, and these were very much deteriorated in value; queen Elizabeth was very averse to this coining, but in 1594, permission was granted to the mayor of Bristol, to coin a token, this was afterwards followed by other towns, though without any authority, from government; Weymouth fell in with the stream and several were coined; their figure was generally round and the device as fancy dictated, and were composed of tin, copper, brass, and lead; every community and tradesmen was obliged to take them again, a sorting box divided into different apartments was usually kept, into each division were thrown those that were issued by one individual, which were returned to the party coining and exchanged for silver. In 1672, Charles II., having coined a sufficient quantity of halfpence and farthings for the exigencies of the state, these "nummorum famuli," were superseded as being an infringement of the King's prerogative, they are now exceedingly scarce, and are only to be found in the possession of individuals, who are very choice over the custody of them, they are about the

size of a sixpence though a few are a little larger, especially the town coins. They have generally on the obverse the arms of their craft or trade with their names, and on the reverse their own or wife's initials, their residence and date; the names on them are, James Budd, of Weymouth in Dorcett, his halfpenny, 1666; Bartholomew Beer in Waymouth, 1658; Francis Reed in Waymouth; John Sendir of Waymouth; Thomas Hide, Waymouth and Melcombe Regis; James Stanly, in Waymouth, 1664; John Beere in Waymouth, 1664. The corporation feeling desirous also to assume the prerogative of royalty, issued a token, the following is an extract from their records. Fol. 328, "Att a full Hall held on Friday, the fifth daye of Novembre, 1669, 21, Car. II., Regis. "Alsoe yt ys agreede uppon, Thatt Mister Deputie Maior bee pleased to laie outt Tenn pounds in ffarthynges, for the Townes use and profitt of the Poore, the superscription on the one side to be "A'Waymouth Ffarthyng," and on the other syde" For the Poore," with the Towne Armes," they must also have issued another, having on the obverse "A Weymouth Farthing for the Poor, 1669," and on the reverse "The Town Arms."

Abstract of returns made by the Ministers and Churchwardens of Charitable Donations, pursuant to the act of 27th George III, 1786.

Lady Browne, by will dated 1632, gave £50 in money, the interest whereof was to pay yearly 20s, to repair the church, and the rest to the poor of Weymouth, vested in Francis Steward, Esq., treasurer of the corporation of the borough and town, annual produce, £3 0s. Od.

Bernard Mitchell, by will dated March 22nd, 1646, proved May 25th, 1647, gave to the poor of Weymouth and Wyke Regis, a moiety of 10 bushels of sea coal yearly, and to be paid in money £1 13s. 4d. out of his freehold lands, or as his executors Bernard Pley and Edward Frampton should appoint, also to six poor widows of Melcombe Regis, 6 bushels of sea coal yearly for ever, vested in the minister and churchwardens of Melcombe Regis; but nothing of this charity has been received for 19 years or more. By the best information this charity when received, arose from the rents of the King's Head Inn in Melcombe Regis; coal was not then in general use, wood being burnt.

CC

Doctor De Sella Nova, by will dated 1684, gave £5 in money, the interest to be paid yearly to the poor of Weymouth, vested in the corporation annual produce £5; also, a leasehold shop in Weymouth to the poor of Weymouth, vested in the churchwardens, annual produce £1; also, £5 in money to the poor of Melcombe Regis, vested in the corporation, annual produce 2s. 6d.

Sir Samuel Mico, knight and merchant in London, by will dated 1666, gave some lands viz, the George Inn in Melcombe Regis, to the corporation, the annual produce of which he directs to bind out poor apprentices, annual produce £15; also, by will dated May 26th, 1666, gave £400 to the corporation of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, to be laid out in lands and out of the rents thereof to pay £20 per annum, for a sermon, to be preached in Melcombe church, on Friday before Palm Sunday, and the remainder to be distributed among 10 poor decayed seamen of 60 years old and upwards, belonging to Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, vested in Francis Steward, treasurer of the corporation, annual produce, £26.

The lands are situated in the parish of Osmington, and are now (1829,) let for £75 per annum, and during the late war were rented so high as £100.

Robert Middleton, by will date uncertain, gave £100 to be divided and lent to 4 young merchants of the town of Melcombe, for 3 years at 5 per cent. per annum, which was to be given weekly in bread to the poor, and at the end of the 3 years the money to be paid, and lent to 4 other young merchants on their bond. In the year 1616, this it appears was lent to Henry Knight, Owen Holman, William Pitt, and William Williams, and seems to have been regularly lent to one set of young men, till the time of the civil wars, when the papers and records of this town were destroyed; and about the year 1664, this money was reduced to £50, and then lent to two young merchants, how it was lessened does not appear. In 1695, Swetman, one of the recipients of the loan, was prosecuted for his share £25, which was never recovered and thus it fell to one fourth of its original sum, and from that period no other circumstances appear, than £1 5s. being paid annually to the overseers for the use of the poor, vested in the corporation.

William Hodder, by will dated 1688, gave £10 in money, the interest to be paid to the poor of Melcombe Regis, vested in the corporation.

Madam Haysom, gave 1704, £30 in money, to bind out 3 poor boys apprentices; viz, T. Holman, E. Harvey, and H. Chick, which was done accordingly.