John Manningham, of the Middle Temple, wrote in his Diary, on Feb. 8, 1602, ‘The towne of Manitree in Essex holds by stage plays[877].’ So Heywood, in his _Apology for Actors_ (1612), ‘To this day there be townes that hold the priviledge of their fairs and other charters by yearly stage-plays, as at Manningtree in Suffolke, Kendall in the North, and others[878].’ There are further allusions to these plays in T. Nash, _The Choosing of Valentines_, ‘a play of strange moralitie, Showen by bachelrie of Manning-tree, Whereto the countrie franklins flock-meale swarme[879]’; and in Dekker, _Seven Deadly Sins of London_ (1607), ‘Cruelty has got another part to play; it is acted like the old morals at Manning-tree[880].’ MAXSTOKE, WARWICKSHIRE. The accounts of Maxstoke Priory (a house of Augustinian canons) for 1430 include, ‘pro ientaculis puerorum eleemosynae exeuntium ad aulam in castro ut ibi ludum peragerent in die Purificationis, xivᵈ. Unde nihil a domini [Clinton] thesaurario, quia saepius hoc anno ministralli castri fecerunt ministralsiam in aula conventus et Prioris ad festa plurima sine ullo regardo[881].’ MIDDLETON, NORFOLK. In 1444 the corporation of Lynn (q.v.) showed a play with Mary and Gabriel before Lord Scales[882]. MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK. Thetford Priory made a payment to ‘the play of Mydenale’ in 1503-4 (Appendix E, iii). MILE END, MIDDLESEX. Henry VII rewarded ‘the Pleyers at Myles End’ on Aug. 6, 1501 (Appendix E, viii). MILTON, OXFORDSHIRE. See s.v. SHIPTON. MOREBATH, DEVONSHIRE. The churchwardens’ accounts record an Easter play at some date between 1520 and 1574[883]. NAYLAND, ESSEX. Richard More, of Nayland, hired the Chelmsford (q.v.) wardrobe in 1566. NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, NORTHUMBERLAND. The craft-plays on Corpus Christi day are mentioned in several fifteenth-century ordinaries, the earliest being that of the Coopers in 1426/7. The last years in which performances can be proved to have been given are 1561 and 1562. Ordinaries dated from 1578 to 1589 stipulate for a performance by the crafts ‘whensoever the generall plaies of the town of Newcastle, antiently called the Corpus Christi plays, shall be plaied,’ or the like. The determination of this point rested with the Corporation. The Goldsmiths drew up an ‘invoic of all the players apperell pertainyng to’ them in 1598/9. The cost of the plays fell on the crafts, who took fixed contributions from their members. The Taylors in 1536 required iijᵈ from each hireling, and vijᵈ from each newly admitted member. The Fullers and Dyers paid 9_s._ in 1561 for ‘the play lettine’ to four persons.