house have had an allowance of 4s. 6d. a week, fuel, and a gown or cloak each once a year; to which has been added by the new trust, a hat and two pairs of stockings each for the men, and a beaver bonnet and two pairs of stockings each for the women, to be given once a year. There is no surplus income to expend in apprenticing boys. The almshouse contains eight dwellings of two rooms each; six of the dwellings are built round three sides of the court, which is enclosed on the fourth side by a wall, in the centre of which is the entrance gate. To this the original building, the two dwellings ordered to be erected in 1714, form wings. Behind is a large orchard, of which a portion is attached to each dwelling. An old avenue of elm trees formerly divided the orchard into two parts; the trees were cut down when the buildings were repaired in 1833. The front of the almshouse is a picturesque specimen of the old English style, and presents the gable ends of the two sides of the court united by a coped wall, in the centre of which is an ornamented arched gateway. In the pediment over the arch are the arms of Topp, quartering, semée of fleur de lis, a lion rampant; below the shield is the motto "Fortior est qui se; probably the vulgate version of Proverbs, 16, 32. Round the coat of arms in a circle, is this inscription :-"Dispersit, dedit pauperibus; Justicia ejus manet in seculum.-Psalm xii., v. 9." Over the doorway leading from the court to the orchard, is an ornamented shield of stone, on which are painted the arms of Topp; impaling azure, a chevron between 3 pheons or. These are probably the arms of the person who endowed the steward's office. In the year 1833, the almshouse was repaired, and suffered some improvements which materially injured the picturesque effect of the building. The comfort of the old people was much increased by these improvements, and especially by the fire-grates and the allowance of coals instead of faggot-wood, which had hitherto been supplied for fuel. But this change has done away with the wood feast, an ancient festival at the almshouse. Formerly when all the wood was brought home, a day was fixed by the steward for dividing it among the inmates, who on that day kept open house, and entertained their friends who came to assist in the division and pile the

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faggots. Since coals have been supplied for fuel, this gala day has been discontinued. The inmates of this almshouse are remarkable for longevity, especially the women, many of whom within the last twenty years have attained to extreme old age. A great majority have been above 80, at the time of their decease. In the year 1846, the following aged persons were in the almshouse :

Sarah Roxby, admitted 1826, aged 91.

Elizabeth King, aged 90.

John Sparey, aged 86.

John House died in 1845, aged 85, having never, to his knowledge, taken any medicine since he was a boy.

THE RECTORS OF STOCKTON.

Sir Richard Hoare, in his "History of Modern Wilts," gives a list of the Rectors of Stockton from the year 1307, in which he has omitted Mr. Terry, the earliest Incumbent of whom there is any memorial in the parish. The "Wiltshire Institutions," printed by Sir Thomas Phillips, 1825, mentions, “Jacobus, Dei gratiâ Akardensis Episcopus, instituted to the Rectory of Stockton in 1447. William Mychell was instituted to the same benefice in 1454."

The following list is supplied by the Parish Registers :

JOHN TERRY, M.A., Instituted 1590. Buried 1625. CHRISTOPHER GREEN, D.D., Instituted 1625. Buried at Christchurch, Oxford. (William Creed, D.D., is said to have been Rector of Stockton about 1660.

He was buried in the Cathedral at Oxford in 1663.)

SAMUEL WRIGHT, B.D., Institution uncertain. Buried July, 1663.
SAMUEL FYLER, M.A., Instituted 1663. Buried 23rd May, 1703.
JOHN FYLER, Instituted 1703. Buried 5th January, 1730.
DAVID PRICE, L.L.B., Instituted 1730. Buried 1771.
FROME, was Rector about 3 months.
EDWARD INNES, Instituted
HENRY GOOD, B.A., Instituted 1789.

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Died 1788.
Buried 1824.

ROGER FRAMPTON ST. BARBE, M.A., Instituted 1824.

Of Mr. Terry, the parish register gives the following brief memoir :

"John Terry, Rector of Stockton, was born in the year 1555 'Familiâ eminenter ingenuâ' at Sutton, near Odiham in Hampshire. He was the eldest son of his father, and was educated at Winchester,

and took two degrees in arts at New College, Oxford, where he was a Fellow. He was ordained by John Pearce, Bishop of Sarum, and soon after became domestic chaplain to Thomas Cooper, Bishop of Winchester, who presented him to the Rectory of Stockton. He married Mary White of Stanton St. John near Oxford, by whom he had six sons, who all except the eldest, with his wife survived him. He died of an atrophy the 10th of May, 1625, and was buried by his own desire among the poor, in the churchyard, near to his own house, by Thomas Crockford, Vicar of Fisherton Delamere, after a sermon preached by John Antram, Minister of Langford, die Veneris 13th May, in his 70th year."

Mr. Terry published in 1600, a work with this title, "The trial of Truth, containing a plain and short discovery of the chiefest points of the doctrine of the great Anti-Christ, and of his adherents the false teachers of these last times." It is dedicated to "Henry, Lord Bishop of Sarum." In 1662 he published the second part of "The Trial of Truth," dedicated to Dr. Reves, Warden of New College, Oxford.

The six sons of Mr. Terry were all baptized at Stockton; the eldest, Stephen, was baptized 20th August, 1592. The baptism of the youngest son is thus entered :

"Alter Stephanus Terry, born 25th August, baptized 31st August, 1608; so named in memory of the former Stephen, a very hopeful studious youth, who died at Oxford this year 1608, on the 28th July, in his 16th year."

In the Commissioners' report of Charities in Hampshire, it is mentioned that about 1625, John Terry, Clerk, being seized of a yearly rent charge of 4 nobles, arising out of messuages and lands in Alton, Hants, gave it to the poor of Long Sutton, Hants. It is not unlikely that this John Terry was the Rector of Stockton, and that the family of Terry still existing near Odiham, are in some way connected with him. Mr. Terry was the friend and patron of the Rev. Thomas Crockford, who transcribed in Latin the earliest register of this parish, and made the entries for several years in a way that gives to the register, almost the value of a history of the parish at that period. Sir Richard Hoare says it is the most curious register he had met with. Mr. Crockford also

made the entries in the registers of Wylye and Fisherton for several years. He gives the following account of himself in the register of Fisherton Delamere.

Thomas Crockford was born in 1580, the son of Richard Crockford, Yeoman, of Wargrave, Berks. He was of Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was elected Scholar in 1597. He was ordained by Bishop Cotton of Sarum, in 1603, and officiated occasionally in the churches round Stockton. About 1602, he became schoolmaster of Stockton, where he resided fourteen years, six years an inmate with Mr. Terry at the Parsonage. In August, 1612, he married at Stockton, Johanna Alford, daughter of Thomas Alford, of Mere, Clothier; and in 1613, was presented to the Vicarage of Fisherton Delamere, by William, fourth Marquess of Winton, and was inducted by Mr. Terry. He died 25th March, and was buried at Fisherton, 2nd April, 1634. There is a curious monument to two of his children, who died infants, attached to the east end of the chancel at Fisherton.

Dr. Green, who succeeded Mr. Terry, was a Prebendary of Bristol, and was sequestered by the Parliament during the Great Rebellion. A. Wood says of him, that he was a learned and godly man, and that he died in 1658.

The following curious particulars are from the "State Papers' Collection."

"Grievances of the Wiltshire Clergy in the reign of Charles the First.

Grievances threatened and attempted to bee put upon the Clergie of ye Diocese of Sarum, Cou. Wilts.

1. Dr. Greene's curate (who yeeldeth to register all passports made for vagrants, and to make them also if hee bee not lett by the proper businesse of his callinge), hath been required to provide a booke for that purpose at his own proper charge.

2.-Dr. Greene's servants have been required in the right of their master, to mende the common high waies, and threatened with great penaltie for not obeyinge.

3. Dr. Greene hath been required to contribute with the Laytie

to the common stocke of match and gunpowder for the country. 4.-Attempt hath beene made to cause Dr. Greene to contribute with ye parishioners to the King's Bench Marshalsie and maimed soldiers whiche thing Mr. John Toppe, high sheriffe, hath effected in one or two other parishes where he hath to doe.

5.-Dr. Greene hath beene required to pay to his Maties provision.

6. Dr. Greene's servant, his right hand for temporall affaires, hath beene threatened upon any presse to bee sent for a soldier, and it is openly professed that it is as lawfull to presse clergiemens servants, as lay mens. The encouragement in all these proceedings is both given and taken by a pretended decision of all the judges in the lande under theire handes (upon occasion of some differences betweene the clergie and freeholders of Dyrrham), wherein they say that the glebe of rectories is subject to all manner of payments as far forth as farmers and other possessions of lay men, a copy whereof Mr. John Toppe, Highe Sheriffe of the Co. of Wilts hath gotten and divulged thereby possessinge men that all these vexatious proceedings are according to lawe."

"The Grievances of Dr. Green, Parson of Stockton, in the County of Wilts.

1.-Dr. Green's curate was foure severall tymes served with common warrants, by the Tithingman, under the justices handes to appear before them for refusing to wryte passportes for vagrantes, ex-officio, and to receyve into Dr. Green's house (then resident at Bristol,) for an apprentice, a girl of the age of 9 or 10, dissolutely bred, the daughter of a notorious harlott (though Dr. Green proffered money to place her elsewhere with some trade).

2. One of these common warrants was for Dr. Green himself as well as for his curate, one other for the curate to answere matters of misdemeanour; whereas he appearing, no other thing could be objected against him, save that he refused to make passportes for, &c. Two of them were disgracefully served on the curate upon Sunday, immediately after evening prayer in the churchyard in the face of the whole parish.