middle of Fore Street, where it joins Higher Brook Street, West Teignmouth), to Thomas Osmond, of East Teignmouth, yeoman, for seven years, at £7 a year; the preceding occupier having been John Rendle. One of the conditions of this public survey was: that no person was to bid less than five shillings at a time; there were six bidders. The meadow was said to contain "by estimation two acres, be the same more or less." Since this date there have been other leases, the present tenant being Mr. Brownson, to whom it has been let since 14th December, 1866, when it was estimated to contain la. 3r. 18p.

In the tithe-map of West Teignmouth, in 1839, of which that part bearing on the Magdalen lands is reproduced with this paper, there are four fields called "Modlin," three of them being designated "Modlin Chapel Fields." Of these four fields No. 1 belonged, then as now, to the West Teignmouth Charity Trustees; No. 2 to William Hallett; No. 3 to Samuel Langley, whose tenant was Amos Hindom; and No. 4 to William Wills, whose tenant was John Luce.

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The turnpike on the Exeter road below Hazeldown (now a dwelling-house known as Sandy Mount) was called, in 1839, the "Modlin Toll-Bar," and the lane between the new reservoir and the Magdalene Field was called Modlin Lane." It has been suggested that the former was the site of the chaplain's house. On the site of the ancient Magdalen Chapel, with its small buryingground, the house known as Hazeldown afore-mentioned was evidently built, and with the permission of the present owner, Mr. W. H. Stanbury, I am able to give an illustration of the last remaining relic of the chapel, which stands in his garden. It is generally thought to be a font, but some consider it to be a stoup for holy water, which, being on a pedestal instead of in a niche, is of an unusual kind. It is of red sandstone, hexagonal in shape, and was dug up on the site of the chapel. Its dimensions (given by Dr. Lake, Trans. Devon. Association, Teignmouth, 1874, p. 382), are as follows: height, 9 inches; circumference outside at top, 4 feet 3 inches; ditto at bottom, 4 feet 1 inches; diameter across top outside, 1 foot 4 inches; ditto inside, 11 inches. It is thought by some that the recently restored Chapel of St. Nicholas, Ringmore, where a blocked-up "Lazar" window was found during

restoration, gives us some idea of what the chapelry of St. Mary Magdalene must have been like.

In conclusion one could wish that more respect had been shown in bygone days to a place hallowed not alone by old associations, but by its close connection with the Church of our forefathers.

1 See Guide to Teignmouth and its Surroundings, by Miss B. Cresswell.

COUNTY ARMAMENTS IN DEVON IN THE

SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

BY ETHEL LEGA-WEEKES.

(Read at Launceston, 29th July, 1909.)

SIR HAMOND L'ESTRANGE, of Hunstanton, Co. Norfolk, who wrote early in the seventeenth century "A Treatise touching the Imposition of Arms," classifies these as "Private Arms-which are such as are found & maintained by particular persons for their general estates, and Common-such as are taxed upon towns, and therefore called Town arms.'

The latter, he avers, were never mentioned or appointed in any law or statute before Philip and Mary; and he holds it to be a great wrong and grievance that persons of estate should be called upon to contribute under both headings.

Indeed, he says, "it hath been a long time often controverted, and as often diversely resolved, whether Town Arms ought to be assessed upon all the inhabitants, or on those only who find not private arms."

Both descriptions are alluded to in the heading of a certificate2 returned by the Justices of the Peace of County Essex, for the Hundred of Tendring, in answer to letters and articles sent out by the Queen's Council, 10 April, 1570, as touching the charge since the first Musters, which began in April, 1569, that the Countie of Essex hath been at for newe increase of armour, etc.

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"Of all that," they write, "which hath been layde uppon pryvat men-sum corseletts & pykes, sum qualivers & Harquebuzes and murryons, although that charge doothe farre surmounte the charge which in common the

1 Harl. MSS., 168, f. 61.

2 State Papers, Eliz., Vol. LXX, No. 7.

townshippe hath been put unto, wee do certifie nothing; because the articles dooth appeare to touche only the charge growing in common uppon the towneshippe."

In another case to hand the persons charged upon their private estates were evidently not doubly mulcted, a "Boke of harness" taken 30 September, 1559, and quoted by Sir H. Dryden in his account of the Northamptonshire Militia (printed in the Trans. of the Associated Architectural Societies, Vol. XX, p. 352), yielding, inter alia, the following particulars under the Hundred of Sutton :

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Farnyngho': Jeffrey Dormer, gentlyma' doth furnish a lyght horseman, and the rest of the town an archer on foot. Middleton & Overthorpe : William Wilke is charged with himself as a light horseman, Thomas Taylor to furnish an archer, and the rest of that towne an archer."

Notwithstanding l'Estrange's emphatic assertion that town arms were a novel imposition in 1557-8, outlays for armour and weapons are entered in churchwardens' books before that date. The accounts of Culworth, Northamptonshire, for instance (contributed by the Rev. C. Hill to the Trans. of the Assoc. Arch. Soc., Vol. XX), contain an item in 1536, "for mendynge of ye towne harnes," besides a long column of expenditures for various details of the dress and accoutrements of “ye Towne Souldyer."

At Wandsworth, in 1545 (Article by Cecil T. Davis, Surrey Archæological Soc. Coll., Vol. XV), the churchwardens "pay'd to the Constabills, out of the churche boxe, at the settynge furth souldyers to s'ue the kinge, xxvjs."

The South Tawton Accounts show, in 1524, a receipt of "ijs p armis emptis," in 1553-4, payments "for scrowinge of the harnys, for caryenge and recaringe the same"; and, in 1554-5, "for fettyng home the church harneses."

On consulting the Index to Rolls of Parliament (sub verb. "Soldiers," ref. to Vol. I, p. 351a) it appears that as early as the reign of Edward I, every village was "to find one effectual, fitly armed; Market towns more than one, according to their ability.'

I take it that l'Estrange tacitly distinguished between the furnishing with arms of a town soldier, and the compulsory contribution towards a common stock of armour, in which towns were taxed, like individuals, in proportion to the value of their property-probably an arbitrary

valuation fixed at some early period, as was the case with the "Lay Subsidies." (See Blackstone's Commentaries.)

In 1572 Queen Elizabeth issued instructions (given in extenso in Grose, Mil. Ant.) for musters of all men above sixteen capable of bearing arms, out of whom a certain number of the most expert were to be selected, trained, and armed, "at the reasonable chardge of the inhabitants in everie shire."

In the certificate returned the same year (State Pap. Dom. Eliz., Vol. LXXXIX, No. 26) the able men of Co. Devon are reckoned at 9244, and among the "Names of the Captains of the said nomber," I note " John Wike, Esquier." In compliance with similar "Instructions," the follow"Certificate was returned by the Justices of Co. Devon, in 1573:-1

"May it please yor Honoures to be advised that accordinge to the Quenes Mats comission and Instructions, under the greate Seale of England to us and others in that behalfe directed, We have Mustered the countrye of Devon, and do find therein of able men servicable for the warres, the nombre of Tenne thousand men, out of whith yor honor may directe what nombre ye please to be trayned. Neverthelesse, the want of skylfull captaynes for that purpose, and the great chardges that will arise and growe upon the countrye for there often trayninge, we have thought good to advertise yor honour that the nombre of one Thousande selected men will suffice-or rather overchardge-this countrey, beinge of late yeares much decayed for lacke of traffique wth foreyne parts, and that to every two hundred of thos selected men one cheiffe captayne, wth other under officers, should be appointed; Wherein we attend to know yo1 L. pleasures and direction, and for the apointinge of captaynes to eche hundrethe soldiers of the rest of the saied nombres; wch, by the instruccons anexed to the saied commission, are to be trayned once in every quarter of a yeare. We fynde suche wante in this shiree of apte men beinge of Creditt and experience, because dyvers fitt men for that purpose are reteyned with sondry of yo Lordshippes, we doubte how we shal be able to furnishe the saied nombres wth captayns and under officers accordingly.

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We have further thought it necessary, and or duties, to

1 State Papers, Dom. Eliz., XCI, 26.