Berkshire, Reading, 1518–19

St Giles' Churchwardens' Accounts

BRO: D/P 96/5/1

p [5] (2 April 1518–22 April 1519) (Receipts)

...

Item at hocktide of the gatheryng of ~~men~~ & women remaynyng in þer handes	(blank)
Item received in gatheryng with the kyng play at witsontide & the gatheryng of the men at hocktide	xlviij s.

...

p [6] (Expenses)

...

Item for makyng of Scaffoldes before the rode lofte

x d. ob.

Footnotes
- hocktide: 12–13 April 1518
- witsontide: 23–5 May 1518
Glossed Terms
- gatheryng vb n collection, here used to refer specifically to the act of collecting money for the parish; gaderyng gathering; gatheringe; gatherynge;
- kinge n in phr kinge ale, kingal, kingale, kingalle, kingeale, kyng ale, kyngale, kyngalle, kynge ale, kyngeale king ale, an inversion of order event in which a king — typically a local young man or farmer — was appointed to preside over the festival; kyng game, kynges game, king play, kynges play, kyng play synonymous with king ale; in phr king halle, kyng halle king hall, likely a bower built for the king of the king ale
Endnote

The entry for the scaffolds in front of the rood loft is ambiguous. It appears between an entry recording payment for the mending of the bier, which indicates that it may be related to a repair of the loft, and an entry recording the purchase of a 'prycksongboke.' It is possible that it indicates some sort of mimetic activity.
Document Description

Record title: St Giles' Churchwardens' Accounts
Repository: BRO
Shelfmark: D/P 96/5/1
Repository location: Reading

These accounts begin with an accounting year based on Easter. The first three accounts run from Good Friday to Good Friday. Good Friday in 1521 fell on March 29, only four days after the fixed feast of the Annunciation (Lady Day), March 25. The churchwardens took advantage of this small discrepancy and, despite the fact that the heading for the 1520–1 accounts specifies that the account would run until Good Friday 1521, the account for 1521–2 clearly states that it begins March 25. Dating from March 25 became the custom of the parish from that year. St Giles was a parish that followed the custom of wardens serving staggered two year terms. It is likely that the warden who served both these years, Richard Hayne, was instrumental in making the change.

This volume is very fragile and was consulted only by special permission. The transcriptions were made from a microfilm copy. The first four folios are taken up with rents suggesting that the parish had considerable property holdings. The accounts indicate a full liturgical life with processions on Ascension Day and Corpus Christi with streamers and the ringing of bells. The patronal feast day for St Giles was also celebrated with a procession with banners. The bells were rung when royalty passed through.

1518–1808; English; paper; i + c 500 + i; 402mm x 287mm; unnumbered; display capitals; binding now broken, originally boards covered in white imitation parchment, title written in script on front cover: 'St Giles Parish in Reading beginning | 1518,' followed by printed title: 'Churchwardens | Register | 1518.'

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