The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

ST. MARY'S GUILD; INVENTORY, -1534. 141
Boston. This obit was to be solemnised on the Feast of St. Dennis, and
11. 6s. 8d. annually spent in its celebration. The obit
"For the souls of John Robynson, his wife and children, was, by this will, to be observed
annually in the chapel of the Blessed Lady in Boston on the 1st day of March, or thereabouts, during the term of ninety years, solemnly by note, both of quire and mass of
requiem; at the which mass the alderman of the fraternity, if present at the said mass of
requiem, shall take 8 pennies, or the alderman officiating in his stead shall take them, and
every person present at the said mass who has been alderman, shall receive 4d. And at
the said obit, there shall be expended yearly 40s., to be given to the alderman, priests, and
other persons attending such mass. The said alderman, chamberlains, and fraternity, to
find yearly, with the profits of the land bequeathed to them by the said John Robynson,
two honest and discreet priests, of good conversation, who call sufficiently sing their plain
song, and say mass daily at the altar of Our Lady in the church of Boston. One of the
said priests to say mass at the altar aforesaid at six of the clock in the morning daily, so that
it be done before seven even. And the other priest to say mass at the same place, between
eight and nine in the morning daily, so that it be done before nine, and the usual masses
of the day be not letted by the said masses to be done for the said John Robynson. The
said two priests to be named John Robynson's priests, merchant of the staple of Calais.
And each of them to have for their annual stipend or wages eight marks and a gown, price
the yard 3s. 4d. And the said two priests to be at commons up rising and down lying,
within the chantry where Our Lady's priests be. And the said priests when they are at
mass at their going to the first lavatory, shall turn them to the people, and with a loud
voice, pray for the soul of John Robynson, with the prayer of De profundis and a collect.
And one of the said priests, when they have said mass after Saint John's Gospel in their
albes, shall go to the graves of the father and mother of the said John Robynson, and also
to his grave, and say the De profundis and also the collect...... or..... to the
people, and also cast holy water upon the said graves. All which obits shall be done and
solemnised according as in the will is specified," &c. &c.
The wealth of the Guild of St. Mary will be sufficiently evident from a
brief enumeration of the goods it possessed, as detailed in the inventoryl which
was taken of them 2d July, 1534 (26 Henry VIII.). This inventory is a
parchment roll, nine feet in length, and closely written on both sides. Both the
beginning and end are so much injured by damp as to have become illegible.
The enumeration of the furniture, &c., of the CHANTRY comes first. The contents of the Parlour2, the Buttrey, and the Hall are given; then follow the
Kitchen and the Larder-house.
" IN THE PARLOUR.
"Three throwen chairs. A hanging stained with birds and bestes. A short playne table,
with three tressels to the same belonging.
" The text of the first part of the Bybill prynted; the gyfte of Sir Robert Wyte.
"' A booke in prynt, called Sermones.
"An old A ntiphoner.3
" A booke called Legendca S&anctoruzm, wrytten.
" A bigger Antiphoner.' An old buffett stoole. A fyre-forke. A payre of tonges, and a fyre-stomrzer,4 3 racons,5
with a payre of galows of yron.
1" IN THE BUTTRE.
"A playne armory,6 with three little chambers. A sprewce cheste. A dressynge-borde,
with a pryck to hang clothes on. A brake to make vergys' withall. A lyttell forme, and a
bynke to sett ale potts on. A salt of tyn with a cover. 2 bell candelstyks. A quantitye
In the Archives of the Corporation. 4 A fire-stirrer or poker.
2 Parlour, parld; so called in religious houses 5 Pot-hooks and cross-bar. Racon, from rack
from the inmates meeting there to converse with and hooks, as they are yet called in Lincolnshire.
one another, or with strangers, silence being im- Armory, alnonrey, or almnbrey, a cupboard for
posed in other parts of the building.-RILEY's the cold and broken victuals, given in alms to the
3 The Antiphoner contained the anthems, hymns, p.
responses, and all other things pertaining to the Verjuice.
chanting of the service.