Berkshire, Reading, 1508–9

St Laurence's Churchwardens' Accounts

BRO: D/P 97/5/2

p 39 (25 March–25 March) (Receipts)

...

Item recevyd of the gathering on ~~good ffry~~ the ffayr daye	vij s. iij d.
Item recevyd of hok tewsday of the gathering of churchemen	vij s. ij d.
Item recevyd in Malte & in money Ayenst whytsontyd ffor þe kynges play	iij s. vj d.

...

p 40

...

Item recevyd ffor the Tre in the marketplace

ij d.

p 74 (Expenses)

...

Item payed ffor the Caryage off the Burdys ffor the pageant on Estyr monday

j d.

...

Item payed ffor CC lyveres & C pynnys ayenst may daye

xj d.

...

p 75

...

Item payed to a Tabyrat at whytsontyde

iiij s. viij d.

...

Footnotes
- hok tewsday: 2 May 1508
- whytsontyd: 11–13 June 1508
- Estyr monday: 24 April 1508
Glossed Terms
- burd n board, here used to construct a stage
- 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
- lyverey n livery, here a badge used as proof of payment for entry to a fair; lever; liuerrei; lyueray; lyuerei; lyuerey; lyvere; lyverie; lyverye
- pynn n pin, here likely used to fasten badges to clothing as proof of admission
- tabyrat n a performer on a tabret [OEDO tabret n 2]; taberat
- tree n maypole; tre
Endnote

The market place was on the west or town side of St Laurence and south of the church.

Seventeen folios (34 pages) of inventories of church goods intervene between one part of this account and the next (pp 41–73). The inventories are full and detailed and were taken in the years 1517 and 1523–4. Some misbinding has confused the lists. The inventories emphasize the wealth of the parish during the early years of the sixteenth century. They include listings of such things as relics (a piece of the True Cross and a bone of St Laurence) and liturgical silver and plate as well as vestments, altar cloths, service books (many with the incipits noted), and pricksong books.
Document Description

Record title: St Laurence's Churchwardens' Accounts
Repository: BRO
Shelfmark: D/P 97/5/2
Repository location: Reading

The churchwardens rendered their accounts on the feast of the Annunciation (25 March) until 1516 when they adopted the Michaelmas–Michaelmas pattern rendering their accounts on 29 September.

1498–1626; English; paper; 250 leaves; 330mm x 225mm; modern pagination; some display capitals; pp 1–2, 490–3 are separated but have been repaired and put separately in a brown paper wrapper; bound in boards covered in parchment, title on front cover: 'The Book of the | Church-Wardens Accounts | of the Parish | of | St Laurence.'

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