BRO: D/P 118/5/1

f 25v (11 April 1586–22 April 1587) (Receipts)

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Item for encrease the the may ale vj s. vj d.

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  • Endnote

    There is a hiatus from 1586–7 until 1599 in the recording of a May event. There was a visitation in 1586 (f 27). The parish seems to have either been more assiduous than other parishes in noting the times of visitations or kept under close surveillance by the archdeacon. In 1588 there was another visitation (f 27v). There were two visitations in 1589–90 (f 27v) and another in 1590 (f 28). In 1591 they were summoned to the visitation in Newbury (f 28v). Another is mentioned in 1593 (f 29v). In 1595 they were again summoned to Newbury (f 30v) and in 1596 to Abingdon (f 32). By 1598, because the parish was without any income from the May events, the 'carry forward' amount had dwindled to 18s 5d. A 'Mr Knowles' contributed 10s to the parish. 'Mr Knowles' would have been young Robert Knollys (1589-1659) who inherited the Knollys property from his father Richard Knollys (1548-96), fifth son of Sir Francis Knollys (1512-96), the queen’s chamberlain, who died in the same year. Robert, who was knighted in 1613, was member of parliament for both Abingdon (1624-6) and Wallingford (1628-9). For a discussion of the extended Knollys family see Historical Background. Despite the fact that, in 1599, the amount remaining to start the new year was a substantial 32s 4d, the parish decided to return to the custom of raising money through a May ale.

  • Document Description

    Record title: St Denys' Churchwardens' Accounts
    Repository: BRO
    Shelfmark: D/P 118/5/1
    Repository location: Reading

    This is a very tidy and well-kept book. On the end-papers are various handwritten notes about the church and a printed version of the inventory made for Edward VI's commissioners. Written on the inside cover are the words 'for Chr. Wordsworth DD | vicar of Stanford-in-the-Vale | Gt Faringdon | Diocese Oxon | County Berks | to be kept in the Parish Chest.' The book proper begins with a mid-sixteenth–century inventory of vestments and books (including the paraphrases of Erasmus). Then follow several cancelled folios of names with sums and fees attached from the 1560s. There are also two other unusual sections: the first is a rent roll of all the lands owned by the parish; the second is, apparently, a communion register. The churchwardens' accounts proper then occupy the rest of the book. The dating is not tied to any feast day. The accounts were rendered for the most part in April.

    1552–1725; English; paper; ii + 131 + ii; 412mm x 140mm; modern foliation, first 11 ff unnumbered; bound in tooled brown leather, title stamped in gold on spine: 'Stanford | in the | Vale | Church- | Wardens | Accounts | 1552–1725.'

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