and the houses, lands, sheep, and cows of the lordship assessed to a rate, the number of which, by a court entry of that date, was thus delivered in upon oath. "The number of acres of lands and leys given in towards the new building of the steeple, was 3629, at 4d. per acre; meadow 468, at 12d. per acre; tenements 195, rated at 3s. 6d. each; half-tenements 83, rated at 20d. each; sheep 2159, cows 640, at Id. each." Subsequently the sheep and cows were omitted in the rate, and the lands and tenements only charged, as appears by the first levy, which is contained on a parchment roll of three skins. The first skin is headed 66 GUMECESTER ALIAS GODMANCHester. "A levy made the xxviijth day of May, 1623, for and towards the taking downe of the shattered and decayed steple and breach, and rebuilding againe the same, and repaire of the Church, to the honor of Almighty God and Christian religion, wich levy is rated and taxed after the rate of xijd. for every acre of meadowe, iiijd. for every acre of arable land, layes, and the severall inclosures and pightels about the towne, and about the tenements and homestalles, are rated after the rates that they are yearely letten, and such as have not used to be letten are rated as they are yearely worth proportionablie, according as their neighbours are letten, and every vjs. yearely rent thereof is taxed and rated at iiijd. according to the rate of an acre of arable land. And every whole auntient tenemt or homestall, besides the grasinge or mowinge ground theronto adioyninge, is rated and taxed at iijs. iiijd., and every divided tenemt or homestall, and newe erecon is rated at xxd. And this proportion is to be holden more or lesse, as necessitie shall require, untill the worke be finished. "And this first levy to be assessed and collected in manner following: viz. one 4th part to be paid presently, another 4th part at Michaelmas next, another 4th part at Christmas next, and the last 4th part at the annunciation of the most blessed Virgin Mary thence next ensewinge." Then follows a list of 114 names of resident householders, and the sum affixed to each at which they were respectively assessed, beginning with S. d. "John Goldesburgh, Esq.......xj viij Mr. Thomas Trice, sen.. .xlviij &c. &c. &c." ... On the second skin are contained 131 names; and on the third, which is headed "the forren tenants," twelve names, among whom are those of— The total sum assessed by the levy was £134. 4s. 6d. At this period the taxation of the kingdom principally consisted in benevolences and subsidies, which were in frequent demand from the people of England; and three new subsidies having been granted to James, A.D. 1624, to make preparations for a contemplated war with Spain, the following Petition was presented by the townsmen of God manchester, urging their incapacity of payment from the extreme poverty of their town, and the taxation they were then subject to in re-building the steeple. "HUNTS.-To the right Wo" his Magy Commissĕrs for the taking of the first Subsidy of three entire Subsidies. Año xxj Jac. Regis. "The Humble Petition of the Townsmen of God manchester. "That wheras there are (not onely) sixteen of the best farmes in our towne decayed within these xx yeares last past, and the said farm-houses inhabited by cottagers, but also our steeple now being downe to the ground, the repaire therof, by the computacon of a very expert artisan and surveyor, will cost the parish £800, whereof £134 was last yeare assessed and paid, and £134 more is already taxed to be paid, and the rest likewise is to be done in three yeares more, by the appointment of our Diocesan. Our humble suit is, (the přmisses considered) you will be pleased to accept of such taxacon as we shall be able to pay to your subsidies, which, although it be lesse than hertofore we paid, yet we shall present our assessment at a higher rate than we are well able to pay. And we shall be bound to pray," &c. The Tower is of a square form and embattled, surmounted by an elegant and lofty Spire one hundred and fifty feet in height, which forms the most beautiful feature in the landscape from the surrounding country. It is entered by a Norman door-way, which is the more interesting from its antiquity, having been removed from the Monastery of Ram sey, without the addition of any modern work. Over this door-way is the fleur-de-lis, with the words " Burgu Gumecestre," surmounted by the date of the erection, " 1623." By a flight of stone steps, in a neat turret at the south-east corner of the Tower, we arrive at the Belfrey, over which, in the Steeple, is an excellent and melodious set of eight bells, cast from the metal of the old bells, by Thomas Downham of Norfolk, A.D. 1794. The old bells were five in number— 0 20 29 2 20 84 2 5 4th. (Cast by a shepherd at the Angel Inn) 19 Total..... * In the Churchwardens' account for re-building the Steeple are these items, (amongs tthe expences incurred at Ramsey Abbey,)— "To Tom Cowper for work in taking downe and loading the door, 10s.; to Foster, the mason, helping him seven daies, 7s.; to Cooke and Drage for thirteen daies helping him at 6d. per diem, 6s. 6d. in toto." "Bells, (says Weever,) were formerly baptized, anointed, exorcised, and blessed by the Bishop, and were then imagined to have the power of calming storms, causing fair weather, re-creating the dead, and driving devils out of the air. The great bells of Lincoln and Oxford were baptized by the name of Thomas, in honour of Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury-and being of immense size they are called Great Tom." Croyland Abbey is reputed to have had the first ring of bells in England; they were six in number. They were taken down in the year 1794 and recast, at an expence of £120, which was defrayed by a liberal subscription. The new bells were opened on the 6th of May, 1795, by the Cambridge and Soham youths; and in 1797, the Soham youths farther celebrated their erection, by ringing upon them a peal of 5780 changes in three hours and a half. The weight of the present bells and their inscriptions are as follow: 1st. Thomas Osborn, Downham, fecit, 1794, Intactum cwt. qrs. Ib. 637 7016 7 1 5 4th.-T. Osborn, Fecit, our voices shall with joyfull sound, 1794 7 3 20 Make bills and valleys echo round. 5th.-T. Osborn, Fecit, 1794... 6th. ... 9 314 10 1 7 7th.-T. Osborn, Fecit, 1794 bert Waller, Bailiffs; John Scott, Richard |