History of Madeley: including Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, and CoalportRandall, John
History
History of Madeley: including Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, and Coalport
Randall, John
Madeley (Shropshire, England) -- History
“Imprimis. The court demesnes pays Easter offerings for master and
servants, but no other tythes, except eight shillings at Easter, in
lieu of tythes. The general way of tything within the parish is: hay
and clover is due throughout the whole of the parish, except the
demesnes, and is to be gathered at every eleventh cock; grass at the
tenth cock; every pig and goose pay at the tenth, but for want of
that number pay at the seventh; wool and lambs pay at the tenth, but
in case they are set, is twopence a fleece and threepence a lamb, and
for what lambs are fallen in wintering the owner pays twopence;
calves are gathered in like kind, at the tenth, but for want of ten,
at sixpence per calf. One penny a cow, in lieu of milk. Tythes of
orchards or fruit-trees are gathered in kind throughout the parish,
except the demesnes. The parishioners pay twopence for every stall
of bees they put down, in lieu of tythe-money. Twopence for every
colt, and two eggs for every hen or duck. Three eggs for every cock
or drake at Easter. Surplice fees are paid after this manner: every
marriage solemnized by banns, three shillings and sixpence; if by
license, five shillings (let the parishioner be man or woman). For
churching every woman, sixpence. Easter dues are: every man pays
threepence, every woman pays twopence; one penny smoke, and one penny
garden, clerks fees. Every hen at Easter, one egg; every marriage by
banns, sixpence; if by license, one shilling. Churching every woman,
twopence. Every burial without a coffin and ringing the bell,
twopence; if with a coffin, one shilling and sixpence. Fourpence for
every plough land; twopence every householder; double fees for all
strangers (and likewise the minister). Ten shillings per year for
looking after the clock. Tythes of corn-mills are due in all
parishes except demesnes.
“Taken 14 March, 1710. Jeremy Taylor, vicar. John Stringer and
William Wood, churchwardens.”
It would appear from this that the dead were sometimes buried without a
coffin, in which case a coarse cloth was, we believe substituted. The
“smoke penny” was a penny collected for every chimney emitting smoke, or
rather a tithe paid to the vicar upon the wood burnt. A dispute having
arisen in the earlier part of the last century between the vicar and
impropriator, respecting the right of the former to tithe on woods, a
parish meeting was called and a case got up by the vicar and
churchwardens for the opinion of counsel, in which the payment of the
smoke-penny was quoted to establish the vicar’s claim. We give the
queries put and counsel’s replies in the Appendix.
Tithe and Easter offerings were occasionally paid in kind, as appears
from the churchwardens’ accounts. In one case two heifers are mentioned,
which it is added, produced forty shillings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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