SUBSIDY, 1593.

Unie juxta Lelante.

Johnes Treweeck in terris £2.

Stephin Pawlye in bonis £3.

Willms Stephin als. Powl in bonis £3.

Henrye Lawrye als. Lock in bonis £3.

Willms Otes in bonis £3.

Willis Calesowe in bonis £3.

Wmus Edward in bonis £3.

Johnes Thomas in bonis £3.

Johnes Spurwaye in bonis £3.

Ambrosius Marshfielde in bonis £3

Johnes Letha in bonis £3.

Johnes Hoskin in bonis £3.

Henrye Burncoose in bonis £3•

CHAPTER XII.

THE BOROUGH ACCOUNTS (FIRST VOLUME), 1570-1639.

THE earliest volume of the Borough Accounts of Saint Ives is a paper book, folio size, about half an inch thick. It was lost for a great number of years, and was discovered in 1890 by the Mayor, Mr. Edward Hain junior, amongst the sweepings of a solicitor's office. When it thus came to light, it was in the form of a crumpled and tattered bundle, damp and decayed. Recognising its valuable character at a glance, Mr. Hain sent the documents to a first-rate London binder, who has most skilfully restored and repaired the MSS., and bound them neatly and strongly in vellum. They were afterwards handed to the author, to be transcribed for the purposes of this history.

The work of transcription has been arduous, owing to the ravages which the hand of time had inflicted upon these records; but it has been rendered interesting by the flood of fresh light which this volume pours upon the history and genealogies of the town and parish of Saint Ives.

The title-page commences with a capital letter 'A,' which seems to be a poor copy from some medieval church-book; indeed, the interlaced pattern of the drawing has a Celtic look. Possibly the copyist had before him the book of the Acts of Saint Ia, which disappeared from the parish church at the Reformation.

Unfortunately, the various writers in this volume of borough records were not careful to carry their entries straight on, from one page to the next. Hence the accounts of the various years are muddled up together in a confused way, which is rendered all the more puzzling by the fact that in a large number of instances the written date has disappeared, owing to the decay of the upper margin of the leaf. We have, therefore, often had to guess at the date of an entry, or to fix it approximately.