In 1676, according to one of the MSS. were first erected the new buildings, in Broad Street, designed for an Almshouse for twelve poor men, “at the cost and charge of one John _Heathcote_ of Lynn.” Mackerell calls this person _Helcote_. Whatever his right name was, it is now almost forgotten, while that of _Framingham_ is in everybody’s mouth: and yet the poor men owe, perhaps, as much to the memory of the former as they do to that of the latter, who has engrossed all the praise and credit of this charity. For had not this Helcote or Heathcote erected these buildings it is very doubtful if Framingham, rich as he was, had ever thought of endowing an almshouse. He was a man of low birth, {820} and became afterwards rich and ostentatious. The death of the founder gave him an opportunity to become the endower of this almshouse, and transmit his name to posterity, which he took care to ensure by having his Will publickly read, and a commemorative Sermon preached annually. Upon the whole, it is highly probable that vanity and ostentation had a larger share than charity, or pure benevolence, in the endowment of these Almshouses. That, however, cannot lessen the comfort or enjoyment of the poor men there admitted. The endowment does them as much good as if it had sprung from the worthiest motive, or most virtuous principle. “On the 29th of August, 1677, Ben. Holly Esq. one of the aldermen, was fined 40_l._ for refusing to accept of the mayoralty, being thereunto chosen.” The reason of this refusal is not mentioned; but the alderman was not poorer, probably, at the end of the year than he would have been had he accepted the office.—About the close of the same year, (or early, in the next, as we reckon,) a step was here taken, the result of which the present writer has often wished to ascertain, but without success. The step or circumstance alluded to is thus expressed in the volume of extracts from the Hall books so often referred to in this work—“February 4th.” (1677, 8) “Ordered that a Letter be wrott to Th. Goddard, Son to Guybon Goddard Esq. late Recorder of this Burgh, to confer his Father’s labours about the antiquities and antient priviledges of this Corporation, and that he have a gratuity of 21_l._” This shews that Mr. Guybon Goddard had collected materials for a history of Lynn: the same has been also affirmed by his brother-in-law, Sir William Dugdale, in some part of his works; so that the fact is beyond all doubt. But the question is, what became of those materials? If our Corporation obtained them, they seem to have been lost long ago. No one now in the Hall, it seems, not even the town-clerk himself, knows any thing about them. It is probable Mr. Th: Goddard did not choose to part with them. What became of them after his time, or whether they are now in existence or not, there is perhaps very little chance of discovering. Had they fallen in the present writer’s way, there can be no doubt, from the known