ENTRIES IN AN OLD PARISH REGISTER.

RECORD OF TURBULENT AND CHANGING TIMES. Surgeon H. A. Browning, of H.M.S. ' Encounter, writes from Auckland under . date 2nd inst., as follows: — j I enclose some extract* from the church book of a country parish in South Devon, England, in case you care to publish any portions. They throw a curious and interesting lighth on byegone people and customs, and some of the entries emphasise strongly the history of the times : — • i EXTRACTS FROM WOODBURY ' CHURCH BOOK. 1637 £. 8. d. To-J---i Gas. Millward for 4 men's - dinners 5 < Candles on Xmas Day 4 Ringers for common dirge ' 0 Fraithing the church hedge 5 A lock' for the coffer 4 Jno. Bowden when he did fetch the lime for his dinner 2 1538. RECEIPTS. Of Wm. Halse for honey and wax of the church bees 1 6 "Bequests of them that be dc- * parted" — Thos. Gybbe (highest) 7 6 Wm. Ely (lowest) 2 To Richd. Tease for mending the great, bell clapper 3 4 Mending the little bell Piggyn 4 To the. thatcher for meat and drink when he did thatch the , house 5 The said John for scowering the candlesticks 4 GENERAL PRICES ABOUT THIS TIME. 1538. £.•*. d. Wheat per quarter -.- 8 0 Barley per quarter* 5 0 Oats per quarter 2s to 3 0 A fat ox^ 26 8 A fat wether 3 4 A fat calf * 3; 4 A fat lamb • 10 Brede and.wyne for B. John, the sole priest, to syng mas all the hole yere 2 0 Rushes to straw the church 2 1540-1. Reed, of Wm. Jacobb for the penance enjoined him, but released by his ordinary on paying this 2 To Thos. Laghthan for 2 brethren, dirges 1 0 1544. Paid Rjchard Hoppyn for carrying yerthe and sande, 13 I days, into the church and for meyte and dryncke S 5 | 1546. j The church store found one man for the war this year, to Bou- . logne : — 2j}yds: of white jersey for a soldier's coat at lld a yd. — green, yellow,- aud red, ribband for the coat 7d, mak- , ing 6d . ' ' ; 3 7 3yds. White fustian for a doublet, l£yds. dowlas for lining- at Bd, making Bd, etc. 3 8 A sword anjl- dagger for ' thesnme man ' 3-4 llnn-Dair of harnys for him 14 0 A byle for him . I" 4 1554, .* " ' ; Paid for a visor for a foolo 1. 1558-9 (when Elizabeth began to H-i^n.) Taking down the* images a.ul ' burning them ■''-■■:' J 1 3 men pulling down tho 2 altars and carrying away the stones 10.. Paid Pooleman for taking diwn <i\e Holy Wa)rer s'^i.'e and washing the rhnrch 7 1561." Agreed with .1 -lin (V.w.1.-r . for keeping the -Sock in repair during .JiU life st V*' yearly. 1584. To John Per: i>. -tyihciimsn. fo.going about the ;'-.r"ii to sis every man's bows and arrows l-o 1594. To Bibs. of powder « 10 71bs. of butter 1 To Mr Hall, the preacher, for his . . paynes 2 6 1598. Received for th© apparell of the man that was slain » Shrouding him 5 i 1623. . i To bread and drink for the lingers at coming home of the Prince 1 C ( 1647. To -9. maimed soldiers, by Sir \ Thomas' orders 4 0 , 1651. iPaid towards mending Exton- \ bridge, J f ' To a pulpit cushion - • 32 0 1653. Oliver Cromwell, Protector, Dec. . 16. '.! '■" ' To a warrant for Robert Payne for absenting from church 6 •1654; To 4 warrants to bring the old ' wardens to account 1676. To beer wh'en - parishioners were together to take a list of everyone above the age of 16 4 t 1690 - Fcr the poor prisoners at Stoke camp 2 6 1762. No money to be given to travellers hereafter. March 12, 1536. , The hale pisshens (parishioners) oi the pyshe (p ar ' Bl ») of Woodbury, by their hole censent hath agreed to gyfl evy yere yerely to. the alle wardens oi the pyshe church of Woodbury for the tyme. beying, so much malt or money to the value of the malt, for tha mainI tenance of the church, as appeawth upon evy of their names hereafter fol-, lowing. And alijo the seide pyshens hath ferder agreed to dyne together the Tuysday yn the Whitsunweke, and the later St. Swythtyn Day at the church house of'-Woodbmy, and to, bring there mevte and brede with them, and to pay at'iavy of the saide days for there dryncke at there dyners yerely for a man and his wyff the sum or sumes set on their names hereafter following. And also the saide pieshens hath ferder agreed that wn. thei.do not come to dyn at evy of the seide days that thei 7n paes at evy bf tlie seide days for t-h-ire dyns the seide monye hereafter following to the church wardens for the tvine being, and also that no widow man or .'widow to pay for » ulnre-bnt 2d ijnd for di (half) a place Id. (Th».i follows a lift of parishioner? and the bushels of malt they were rated at*); From "A View of Devonshire (MSS.), by Thomas Westcot, .gent., of Raddon, in Shobbrooke; 1630: — This country waß formerly overgrown with'brttakes'of furae, woods^6to,and was de-forested by King" Henry 111. The country wnow very populous., the natives stroflg and active, particularly in wrestling.' .". .-. This country is now cc- ■ come »o populous that tho' formerly, it would supply" the want of other -countries in com, fat beeves, muttons, arjd , the like, it can now scarcely maintain I it^lf therewith sufficiently. . . . . Bnt I I can felT you privately; the burden is 1 more than the profit to this country for it has engrossed so great a trade that

the towns and country are become so populous that nowithstanding their best endeavours in husbandry, it hardly ' yields sufficient bread, "beer and victuals to feed itself And on every rumour of war or contagious sickness . . . multitude* of the poor become chargeable to their neighbours, who are bound to maintain them. . . . The whole world does not produce better mariners for valour or knowledge, painfulaess or patience, adversity or wants whatever There was a 'great market at Crediton for the finest sort of kersies . . . and fine spinning. It is very true that 140 threads of woollen yarn spun in that town were drawn together thro.t he eye of a tailor's jieedle, which needle and threads were for many years together to be seen in th shop of Mr Dunscombe fit' tke sn;n of the Golden Bottle, in Watfingstreet, London.