should carry in their banns, or at least bills of the same, before the feast of St. George next."* Those who failed to do so were liable to forty days' imprisonment, unless they could find sureties for the deliverance of the banns. In 1501-2, the sum of 8d. was paid to John Lane, as a reward "for carrying a parcel of the banns of the play of the town of Romene." It is difficult to ascertain, exactly, what these bans of the play were. We do not hear of them until 1474, when the Romney town clerk begins to use two peculiar expressions: (i.) the proclamation of the bans of a play, and (ii.) crying the bans. For "crying the bans," or for "proclaiming" them, the payment made was generally equal in amount to that which had already been repeatedly entered, in previous years, as given to the players for "shewing the play." Ordinarily, 6s. 8d. was the amount of this fee, in addition to the gift of meat and drink for the performers. In the Lydd Records, the same amount of fee, on the average, is entered, as given to the players, for acting the play. Consequently, I am inclined to believe that the expressions "crying the bans" and "proclaiming the bans " were peculiar to a certain town clerk of Romney, and meant reciting the parts of each character," or acting the play. Perhaps the meaning of each scene was proclaimed to the audience, by a man blessed with a strong voice, as each change was made. Whenever, thus, the play became a succession of tableaux-vivants, or a series of marionette performances, the men who shouted out, or proclaimed, what the scene meant, or what the figures were supposed to say, would fitly be said to cry the bans, for the word "bans " means proclamations. 66 We cannot state precisely the usual place where, and the periodical times when, the plays were acted at Romney. We find, however, that in 1441-2, the Crockhill in Romney, situated within the parish of St. Lawrence, was the spot whereon the men of Wittersham shewed their play‡ to the people of this town. *Hist. MSS. Comm., Fifth Report, p. 551b. Ibid., Fifth Report, p. 542. I find, in the Book of Notte, that the Crockhill was so called in the reign of Edward VI; but in the forty-second year of Elizabeth's reign it was written "Crockey Green;" and in the fifth of James I, it was written "Crockers Green." We can thus identify it with "Crockley Green," at the south-west end of New Romney. The scaffold, or platform on which the passion play was performed, was similar in construction to that used in front of our ordinary shows at fairs. A covered and hidden room, upon the ground, was surmounted by an open platform above. The players dressed below, and then mounted to act upon the open upper stage, in sight of all. As to time, we find that in 1476-7, a play was performed here on Whit Tuesday, when three men were especially paid for keeping watch against foes approaching the town, during the time of the play. In 1539, rehearsals took place in Lent. In 1466-7, the play was performed on a Sunday, during which day the town of Lydd employed four watchmen, to keep a good look-out at home, probably from Lydd Church steeple.* We are astonished at the number of parishes, from which came companies of players, to perform before a Romney audience. We find that the players of Hythe were here in 1399, and again in 1466, when they went on to Lydd also. Four times later, in 1482, 1486, 1494, and 1503, they played in Romney again. The players of Lydd were paid for performing here in nine different years, between 1422 and 1509. The players of Wittersham twice "shewed their interlude " here; once in 1426, and again in 1441. They were at Lydd in 1440. The players of Herne came to Romney in 1429, and to Lydd in 1440. The players of in the year 1430. Ruckinge were at Romney, and at Lydd, The players of Folkstone came in 1474; and also in 1478, when they went on to Lydd. Those of Appledore appeared in 1488, at Romney; having, twenty years before, performed at Lydd. To Romney, players came, with their Interludes, from * Hist. MSS. Commission, Fifth Report, 523b, Chart in 1489; from Wye in 1491; from Rye in 1489, 1493, and 1518 (the Rye men were at Lydd in 1479). From Halden in 1499, and in 1511; from Bethersden in 1508; and from Brookland in five several years, in 1494, 1505, 1511, 1519, and 1521, troops of players came to Romney, to perform these miracle plays, or Passion-plays of the period, and were entertained at the town's expense, in addition to receiving an average fee of 6s. 8d. for each play. The Romney men, on the other hand, went into neighbouring parishes to perform their play. In 1428, Lydd gave them 13s. 4d., as a fee, and refreshments costing 5s. 5d. In 1430, Romney men performed their play at Lydd, on the Sunday after June 24th, the day of St. John the Baptist's Nativity, and received 6s. 8d. as their reward, in addition to being regaled with bread, wine, and ale, costing 2s. 8d. Lydd must have been gay during that summer, since the men of Ruckinge also performed there, within three weeks after the Romney play had been exhibited at Lydd. The Ruckinge men received the usual fee of 6s. 8d. for their performance, on the Saturday after Relic Sunday (which was the third Sunday after June 24th.) In the following year, 1431, Romney men played their sacred drama at Lydd, on June 28th, the eve of the day of SS. Peter and Paul, and received the usual reward of 6s. 8d. In 1438, Wittersham and Herne, as well as Romney, sent players to Lydd, which thus witnessed three strange plays, or interludes, in one year. Romney seems then to have ceased, for some years, to send its passion-play to Lydd. Inferior performers went thither from Ham in 1453, but they received only 3s. 4d., half the usual reward. In 1454, and 1463, the Romney players, and in 1466 the Hythe players, performed at Lydd, on the day of the dedication of Lydd Church. Three years later, the Romney players were at Lydd on Whit Monday. Eleven years seem to have elapsed before they again played at Lydd, in 1478. Meanwhile, inferior plays had been shewn there; one from Appledore in 1468, for which a reward of 3s. 8d. was paid; and another from Stone, in 1469, for which Lydd paid only 3s. 4d. elaborate performances were given at Lydd, by the Folkestone More "ban-criers,” in 1478, when they received the usual fee of 6s. 8d., and upon them the town of Lydd spent an equal sum in refreshments. Two years later, the New Romney men again went to Lydd, and again received the usual fee of 6s. 8d.; but on this occasion they are styled in the Lydd records "the bane-cryars of the town of Romene," a title never before given to them in the Lydd accounts. It therefore seems to be synonymous with the title of players, which had theretofore been used, in the Lydd records, when the same reward or fee of 6s. 8d. was paid. Minstrels enlivened with music the representations of these plays, and the records enable us to affirm that the payments to such musicians were frequent and considerable.* Since this paper was in type, Mr. Henry B. Walker has found, and has kindly copied for me, various extracts from the Chamberlain's accounts, which shew that in 1560 the Plays were revived at Romney with great splendour. Four plays were given; one on Whit Tuesday, when £12 5s. 6d. were collected from spectators; the others subsequently, when sums of £6 10s. 94d., £4 9s. Od., and £2 7s. 6d. were collected. The expenditure had been lavish. The “devysor” of the plays received £4; and the Common Clerk wrote out the play book on parchment, and the parts on fourteen quires of paper, for about £2 per play. From the Jurats of Lydd, copes and vestments were bought for £9; from London came stuff for dresses costing £4 11s. 5d.; for making the apparel many pounds were paid. Especial mention is made * In 1422, 1429, and 1430, minstrels of the Duke of Gloster were paid by the town of New Romney, 6s. 8d. ; 7s. 8d. ; and 3s. 2d. ; in 1448 minstrels of the King, 6s. 8d.; in 1449 minstrels of the Archbishop and of Lord de Say, 7s. 6d. ; in 1474 minstrels of the King, 3s. 6d. ; of the Earl of Arundel, 10d.; and of the Duke of Clarence, 10d.; in 1476 minstrels of the King, 4s.; of the Prince. 12d. ; and of Lord Arundel, 10d.; in 1479 minstrels of the Queen, 3s. 4d.; of the Prince, 12d.; of the Duke of Gloster, 12d.; and of Lord Arundel, 8d.; in 1480 minstrels of the King, the Queen, the Duchess of York, the Prince, the Duke of Gloster, and of Lord Arundel, were paid; in 1483 a minstrel of King Richard was paid, so were three of Lord Arundel's, and one of Lord Northumberland's ; in 1484 and 1486 those of the Queen; in 1488 those of the King; in 1489 those of Lord Arundel; in 1490 one of the Prince; in 1491 minstrels of Sandwich ; in 1493 of the King, the Queen, and the Duke of Bedford; in 1497 one of Cardinal Morton; in 1498 those of the King, Queen, Lord Cardinal, and Lord Oxford; in 1502 those of the Lord Admiral; in 1504 of Lord Oxford; in 1508 of the Prince. of John Baptist's painted coat, the cotton coat of Judas, and twelve sheepskins for "godhalls coats." Beards and wigs were hired for four "ban cryers," and a beard for the Fool. Three wayne-loads of bows; escutcheons costing 20s.; dozens of gold-skins, and sheets of goldfoil; pounds of glue, brimstone, red lead, red ochre, verdigris, rosset, florrey, and nails; a gross of points; ells of buckram; a paschal lamb, which was "drest;" a shoe, set on the centurion's horse; a wayte, a drummer, and minstrels; were provided for these four performances at Romney in the reign of good Queen Bess, A.D. 1560. Few records in Kent, perhaps indeed no others, give us so plain a proof of the general prevalence, even in small parishes, of these Passion-plays, interludes, miracle plays, or mysteries, as do the archives of Romney and Lydd. These records shew that such small parishes as Stone and Ruckinge; Brookland and Bethersden; Wittersham and Appledore; vied with the towns of Romney, Lydd, Hythe, and Folkestone in getting up popular scenic representations of the events of scriptural history. The distance of the parish of Herne did not prevent its players from making their way to Romney and to Lydd, where they knew that appreciative audiences would be found, and where the municipal authorities would not only pay the customary fee of 6s. 8d., but would be liberal in their distribution of wine, bread, beer, and other refreshments. We may, however, thankfully observe that the use of printing, and the spread of education, have obviated the necessity for resorting to Passion-plays and interludes, as means of instructing the populace in Scripture history. Each man can now read for himself, in Holy Writ, the accurate account of those events, which were rudely presented, in exaggerated and inaccurate forms, to our illiterate forefathers, by means of interludes and Passion-plays. Honour is due, however, to those who, before printing was invented, and when preaching was infrequent, laboured to set before the eyes, of the ignorant, striking representations of great facts recorded in Holy Scripture. The parochial fraternities, and VOL. XIII. Q |