Mr. John Spackman and Lydia his wife gave "the chandelier next the communion." The Right Hon. Francis Earl of Bradford presented a green velvet pulpit-cloth and cushion embroidered with gold. £. s. d. Sir Joseph Ashe, to put out poor boys apprentice 10 O O The Rev. Mr. Williams, Vicar............ To the poor 50 O 20 200 The Hon. Mrs. Tufton 21 100 Robert Swan, Esq. Stafford Briscoe, Esq. These thirteen last mentioned sums are supposed to have been given away at the time, as there is no mention of them in the parish-books. Joseph Hickey, Esq., gave 100l. to be bestowed at the discretion of the Rev. J. A. Carr in a manner most serviceable to the poor, and he applied it towards rebuilding the old almshouses in Free School Lane. Margaret Dowager Countess Poulett, in 1838, gave 50%. by will to the poor, which was given away at the time in bread, meat, and blankets. Mrs. Ann Barrett gave 51. to the Parochial Schools. All other gifts and bequests which are mentioned on the boards in the church, have been referred to in the account of the charities. In the year 1869 a munificent gift was made to the vicar of Twickenham and his successors for ever, consisting of a freehold cottage and garden, situated by the river-side, near to the west end of the church, which were conveyed by deed of gift by Mr. John Bowyer, to be used for "church purposes." A building from designs furnished by Mr. R. W. Edis has been erected at an estimated cost of 320/., to be set apart and appropriated for all purposes which may tend to the religious instruction and social improvement of the neighbourhood wherein it is placed. CHAPTER X. THE PARISH BOOKS. CURIOUS AND INTERESTING EXTRACTS ON PAROCHIAL AND GENERAL MATTERS FROM THE MINUTES OF VESTRY: NOTEWORTHY ITEMS FROM THE ACCOUNTS OF THE CHURCHWARDENS FROM 1606 TO THE PRESENT TIME. THE minutes of vestry and the accounts of the churchwardens are, for the most part, in good preservation and of great interest. The earliest volume of the former commences in the year 1618, about which time a select vestry consisting of sixteen parishioners, in addition to the vicar and churchwardens for the time being. appears to have been ordered by John, Bishop of London:* and of the latter the most ancient volume is the only one damaged to any considerable extent. Its first legible date is 1606, in the accounts for which year is an entry stating that viij was given to the ringers when the King went by with the King of Denmark. In it Strawberry Hill and the Bull Lands are mentioned for the first time. A minute, dated October 11th, 1618, is to the effect that Andrew Johnson's thirty pounds, which he had left by will to the poor people of Twickenham, was paid in, and by consent of the vestry it was left in the trust of Mr. Lewis Owen. *This was Dr. John King, who filled the see from 1611 until 1621 : formerly Archdeacon of Nottingham. It was agreed and covenanted at a vestry, holden October 6th, 1622, that Mr. Robert Bartlet should keep still in his possession the three acres and a half of parish land with the bull meads paying the same rent as he did formerly, with the condition that he, receiving now a Bull of the Churchwardens shall keep the said bull at his own charge and if the bull do fortune to dye or miscarrye any other way the said Robert Bartlet promiseth to make it good, so that the parish shall not at any time wante a sufficient bull for their use but he will provyde one at his own costes and charges so long as he shall live and holdeth the foresaid lande at the same rate and he promiseth also to leave the parish as sufficient a bull as he now receiveth. The following items occur in the accounts of expenditure in 1625, the year of King Charles I.'s accession: It paid and spent upon the Ringers at the £ S. d. It: to the Ringers the day the King was crowned...... And in 1630, It: Spent on y Ringers y° daye ye Prince was 02 06 02 06 Oo 16 8 This Prince became subsequently King Charles II. He was born on the 29th of May. It for yo prayer for ye Prince......... It: to the High Constable for maymed souldiers 00 08 ΟΙ 07 00 The same year the following amounts were paid by the churchwardens for for bread and wine for the Other entries exhibit like proportions proving that the reception of the Holy Communion at Easter, as enjoined by the prayer-book, was much more general than in later times. The second of the above entries is interesting as showing the strong feeling which still surrounded the memory of the massacre of 1572. Amongst the receipts of 1631 and other years are sums, usually about six shillings and sixpence, paid by other parishes, among which Teddington and Cranford are named, "for the loan of the parish pewter," as the sacramental plate was described. Among the disbursements of 1633 are the following : It Given to the ringers att the Kyng's returne It Given to the ringers att the birth of the Duke £. s. d. Oo об 02 об On the 8th of May, 1640, it was agreed in vestry, That Henry Sanders and Mr. Maddockes, with one of the churchwardens, shall take order for taking up of the indictment against y Parish for not repaireing the stone bridge and stopping the issues. On 10th April, 1645, a schoolmaster was appointed, and the churchwardens were ordered "to accomodate the house with necessary repairs for his keeping school accordingly." On Dec. 30th, 1646, Tithe was collected by certain parishioners which was due to Fferdinando Nicolls, Minister, for the year 1645. [This Nicolls was a locum tenens appointed after Soame's deprivation, and before Thomas Willis who was Incumbent during the Commonwealth.] On the twenty 4th of Feb., 1646, it is recorded that "certain parishioners rented the tithes and profits Belonging to the Vicarage: and paid in quarterly portions the sum of 100l. per annum to Mr. Thomas Willis, Minister: and the moneys issuing from the tithes belonging to the Dean and Canons of Windsor, were paid up to |