Buckden - a Huntingdonshire Village

A HISTORY OF ST MARY’S, THE PARISH CHURCH 128 APPENDIX The Buckden Churchwardens’ Accounts When these books were started, the duties and powers of the wardens were altogether much wider than they are today. The church was the main seat of authority in the village and the wardens were responsible for raising levies or taxes, educating children, keeping law and order, caring for the poor, maintaining the church, and even paying for the catching of vermin. Here are some extracts to give you a flavour of former days in Buckden. Some explanatory notes have been added; these are in italics (‘q.v.’ refers the reader to an appropriate entry in the A to Z Section). The amounts paid are shown as they were entered at the time, i.e. in pounds, shillings and pence. 1627 Mar 27 For wine bought at Huntingdon (this is the first entry in the Accounts) £0 2s. 0d. 1627 Nov 5 Payd for ringinge ye 5 th of November (celebrating the saving of Parliament from the Gunpowder Plot in 1605) £0 4s. 0d. 1627 Mar 27 Payd ye bell founder for metal that he did put in to the mould that he had made ( bell made by William Haulsey of St. Ives ) £1 2s. 4d. 1627 Mar 27 Spent at Saint Ives when we carried the bell home £0 0s. 8d. 1627 Mar 27 Payd for washing the surplis 4 times £0 0s. 4d. 1633 A bord for to mend the bachelers seat and the worckmanship (men and women were seated separately in church) £0 10s. 6d. 1641 Given to a poore scoller £0 0s. 6d. 1642 Paid for 8 dozen of moles killing £0 6s. 0d. 1642 Laying down a grave in the church £0 1s. 6d. 1643 Paid to the glazier for mending the windows in the year 1643 £0 10s. 0d. 1645 May Given to a poor Irishman which was undone by the Rebels £0 1s. 0d. 1645 Aug 24 Spent on the ringers when the King came into the County (following the Battle of Naseby. Buckden was backing both sides) £0 4s. 8d. 1646 Mar 31 Given to a Company of Cripples upon Easter Tuesday £0 0s. 6d. 1646 Mar 29 Paid for bread and wyne for ye Communion at Easter 1646 £1 12s. 6d 1646 Spent on the soldiers at Burr’s (landlord of a Buckden inn) when they came to Henry Burder and William Luffe to help to collect a tax for (the war in) Ireland £0 6s. 8d. 1648 Given to Tho. Shepson, John Longland’s man for six hedgehogs (considered vermin) £0 0s. 6d. 1649 Three massive tax collections to repair the church roof, fabric and windows £169 4s.0d. 1650 May 12 For a quart of sack (sherry) sent to a stranger that had preached twice this Sunday (there were many itinerant preachers preaching in church during the Commonwealth period) £0 1s. 6d. 1656 Paid for an owre glase (an hour glass was turned two or three times per sermon!) £0 1s. 0d. 1663 Apr 23 Paid for a Book of Commons & a Table of Dogmas wherein what marriages are prohibited (this latter list hung in church detailing who one could not marry, it ran to some fifty exceptions) £0 1s. 8d. 1668 July 27 Paid Mr Richard Lillingston for one year teaching at Buckden church school £5 0s. 0d. 1690 Sep 12 Spent upon ye ringers when King William came out of Ireland (following the Battle of the Boyne) £0 1s. 0d. 1694 Dec 4 Paid Thos Shepardson for scouring the lakes for 2 roods in Low Meadow (now Buckden Marina) £0 2s. 4d. 1699 Paid to John Hewitt for a book against swareing £0 1s. 0d. 1706 Jun 27 Paid to Robert Roberts for 5 days work for to help to clean and brush the church £0 5s. 0d. 1709 Mar 9 Paid Wm Lawrence for himself and his son for sawing stone and making the door placed in the steeple £0 2s. 6d. 1710 Mar 30 For a birch beesom (broom) had for the church £0 0s. 2d. 1713 May 29 Spent when peace was proclaimed at Buckden (they had a street party to celebrate the end of the Wars of the Spanish Succession) £2 18s. 9d. 1713 Nov 5 Paid for powder & shott to kill the birds in the church £0 0s. 4d. 1717 May 17 Inscribing the chalice and paten donated by Bishop William Wake, for feare of being lost (there is a beautiful inscription on these silver vessels) £0 4s. 0d.