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54
Church is at present in by unevenes in many places & by Rubbish
and other Filth that lyeth under ye walls & other parts thereof,
to the dishonour of ye place and the annoyance and dissatisfaction
of all persons that way passing. It is thought fitt & accordingly
Ordered by the Vestry That the Gravemaker doe forthwith with
in seaven daies from ye Date hereof Levell the sayd Church Yard
& cleanes it from all ffilth & Nestynes, & from time to time to
keepe the same in sweet & cleanly condition or in default thereof
the Churchwardens are desired to imploy some other person or
persons in doeing the same & Defrey ye Charge thereof from
time to time out of such Moneys as they shall Receive upon
Account of Graves makeing in the sayd Church & Yard.
With two further extracts the notice of the control the
Vestry exercised over the churchyard must be concluded,
in so far as the present chapter is concerned. The first of
these extracts shows that the poor were buried without
coffins, and throws light on the condition and disposition
of the people of the day:—
2nd August, 1693. Ordered That no Overseers from hence forwards
presume to give any coffin for the burying of any person,
and no coffins for which the Churchwardens do not give their
vote to be allowed in any account.
6th Feby., 1694. That the Churchwardens do not provide coffins
for drowned persons, or shrouds where coffins are given.
Shrouds were at this time made of a woollen material.
An Act of Parliament was passed in the reign of Charles
II. (1667-8) "for the encouragement of the woollen manufactures
of this Kingdome and prevention of the exportation
of the moneyes thereof for the buying and importing
of Linen." The stringency of the restriction will be best
understood by a perusal of one of its sections :—
"No person or persons whatsoever shall be buryed in any
shirt shift or sheete made of or mingled with Flax, Hempe, Silk,
Haire, Gold or Silver or other than what shall be made of Wooll
onely, or be putt into any Coffin lined or faced with anything
made of or mingled with Flax Hempe Silk or Haire upon paine of
the forfeiture of the summe of Five pounds to be imployed to the
use of the Poore of the Parish where such person shall be buryed
for and towards the provideing a Stocke or Worke house for the
setting them at Worke to be levyed by the Ghurch Wardens and
Overseers of the Poore of such Parish or one of them by
Warrant."